This past weekend was the 9th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival, and I can say unequivocally that…read morethis was the most fun I've had in the longest time and all in all, it was SUPER entertaining. But that's not even the punch line. Here it is: IT'S FREE, peoples!!! Now, before I get into more, let me give big ups to the LA denizens. There must have been 100K swarming the fest, in every nook and cranny. Colorado is on a slope, so that when you're at the eastern most portion of it, you can look back down, and it was a teeming swarm of humanity. It looked like a mini Woodstock west!!! Okay, with that outta da way... FACTS, HIGHLIGHTS, ETC: 1. It's advertised at 40 bands 2. It covered at least 5 or 6 blocks long 3. There must have been at least 10 stages/music venues. It was unbelieveable... 4. Some of the acts JP saw: a. Dengue Fever b. Black Shakespeare c. The Mama Suki d. Hecuba e. The Sirens f. The Curs g. "Special Guests" I thought the punk stage was the most entertaining and clearly was my link back to the halcyon LA daze of the 80's. The Sirens - an all gal band - was kicking it pretty good, and the Curs were the most musically inclined,had the best sense of humor and displayed the most intelligence of the night. Surprisingly (pleasantly so) they were young kids blending punk and rockabilly in a power trio with an upright bass, quasi surf dos and matching blue leotards. But the most fun was watching the mosh pit - the look of glee ... TONS of genres are represented: world music, hip-hop, hybrid/fusion, rock, punk, performance art, folk... INSTANTLY, ONE OF JP'S TOP 3 BEST ENTERTAINMENT VALUES In short, MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR NEXT YEAR!!!

(Attended 10/05/13 SA @ 4:00pm): Rock the arts and allow the creativity to soar!…read more I decided to be a volunteer at the 15th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival instead as an attendee in order to experience this event from a different perspective. Even as a volunteer, I still ponied-up the suggested donation fee online ($10.00). I've always had a really good time at this wonderful local music and food event. But this year, the theme was more about "quality than quantity". The amount of stages was nearly cut in half (down to six this year) with one central main stage on Eagle Rock's main drag of Colorado Blvd., and the other five stages on the property of local businesses. http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Gf_xctSA1jQuXWVPKrfEBw&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw Make sure you planned accordingly with comfortable shoes, sunscreen, and cash. From 4pm-10pm, you had a selection of nearly 40 acts to sample from, along with your requisite food trucks http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=YjdwKPogBzKYLDJT7g21Vg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw, vendor and sponsor booths, local businesses, and of course people watching (which could've been considered another act) http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=pqFy39E_bUNjan-hMifupA&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw. As with most local music festivals, I'm lucky if I've ever heard any of the bands before, but that was usually the draw for me to these events since I'm all about the music! Each stage was its own unique music genre from rock (Center Stage), experimental (LA Filipino American Church), family (Eagle Rock City Hall), sub tropical / global bass (Rantz), Americana/folk (Women's 20th Century Club), blues/jazz/rock & roll (Colombo's), and indie/punk (Bateman Heating And Water). Oddly enough, with the exception of the very first act of the day (Little Red Lung) whom I felt was surprisingly good although I still couldn't think who the female singer sounded like, all the others I caught were okay. My head was bouncing during the Dub Club set http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Gdwoe9MzV5juj9IGOtBsmg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw and, the Joe Johnston Band played good old "geezer rock" http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=ZVjK67bciBbaqzol1MdJJA&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw. One additional shout out to my Filipino heritage and the killer melon juice I bought ($2.00 cash) at the LA Filipino American Church. Such a bargain and seriously one of the best damn juices I've ever drank. My aunties never made this! http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=eWEls4X64AETEmOdq3V6Rg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw Service - It was pretty straightforward to enter as there were two main entrances at both ends of the festival. At the entrance lines, the volunteers kindly asked for a "...suggested $10.00 donation to help support the Center for the Arts...", and if you did you were handed a program and given a hand-stamp as acknowledgment for your donation (regardless of amount). If you purchased a VIP pass online through Ticketfly $20.00, which gave you a quicker line, access to the front of the main stage, and passes to a show at the Center of the Arts, you were golden. Entry and re-entry were simple. Once inside, do as you please and all the vendors and food trucks were ready to serve your needs. For the most-part, pretty seamless. Parking - The best option was to park your vehicle at the Eagle Rock Plaza and took the shuttle that dropped you off at Eagle Rock Blvd. Or, you you rode your bike, there was a bike valet also at the entrance of Eagle Rock Blvd. If you chose to drive...good luck! If you were lucky enough to find non-metered parking along the many nearby residential streets, you scored big-time! I volunteered to work the event so I was there early enough. I didn't see any private parking lots. Atmosphere, décor, ambience - Outdoors along a mutli-block stretch of Colorado Blvd. between Eagle Rock Blvd. and Argus Dr., you were free to roam the streets or along the sidewalks. The police and security presence was everywhere so safety certainly wasn't a concern. The crowd was as eclectic as you'd expect. The sound from each stage was very good, and no TVs or monitors anywhere. Attire - It was an outdoor festival, so I was in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and comfy shoes - lots of walking and standing so no flip-flops this time around. Overall, if you're generally a fan of music, supporter of the arts, and wanted to explore a community, the Eagle Rock Music Festival accomplished these. You honestly couldn't beat a day outdoors in the warm fall California weather as music rumbled through the air and the aroma of tantalizing food - technically all for free! I found total value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total experience was around $12.00; no tip required), but again, you could've spent nothing at all. And, my credit card of choice wasn't accepted at all vendor booths and food trucks, my ticket purchase/donation was...AMEX!

It was a really good event. I had GA tickets and the entrance was suppose to at 3pm. We ended up…read morewaiting in line for 45min. It was really hot and I wish that they would have provided shade while waiting outside or at least water bottles. When we did go in, the fun began. We were given the little trays to carry our food and we went around to the booths. All the booths were spread out so it wasn't crowded. You had to make line for every booth and there were max 10 people in line. You can only get one serving, if you wanted more you had to make line again. They had a lot of different vendors for food, beer, desserts and coffee. The live music was really nice and they also had mariachi. It was my first year going to this event and I am sad that they said it was the last year. Parking was also very good. The price was $5 and it was not far at all.

This was our first time going to this Festival. This Festival was bloody awesome. People were…read morenice, food was freaking awesome, beer was flowing and we were hungry. I never knew this festival even existed till now. Tip: if you ever decide to go to this event buy a VIP ticket and the enjoy the festivities. You get drinks, food and also parking in the same ticket and on top of that you get priority in the line to get in. Anyways, there are a lot of vegan and vegetarian options for people who are health conscious. Food is small plates but because there are so many booths to try you get filled really fast. So try to pace yourself. Also, you have to make sure that you have a good sunblock with you as its hot in June in California. Alcohol is a lot and again you don't wanna be drunk but you want to enjoy yourself. All the local breweries from LA and all over are there and they are not shy of serving you more then one beer. Its very easy for you to get drunk hence I was mentioning that please pace yourself. But make sure most of all to have funnnn!

It was my first time going to one of these events and had an amazing time! Went with a couple of…read morefriends and did one day only. Came to check out deadmau5 and Calvin Harris. Wished I got a chance to check out the other performers. I would suggest to get dropped off since parking is insane! Also, wear comfy shoes that u don't mind getting dirty. Be prepared to get dirt all over it and getting them stepped on by other people (rude!). A huge negative are the porta potties. DISGUSTING. I mean, I don't expect them to be clean or smelling like roses. But it got so bad that I stopped drinking alcohol And water just so I won't pee!!! Yea...that bad. I won't go graphic on how it looked. Also FYI they don't check bags as thoroughly as they do with you. They pat you down like nobody's business.

HARDfest's Halloween installment, wisely planned the weekend after Insomniac's Escape from…read moreWonderland, brought an impressive lineup and dense crowds to the Los Angeles State Historic Park. It was a BLAST. And now it's time for a breakdown! LOCATION & PARKING 5 stars here. LA State Historic Park is a 20-minute walk from Union Station (and even closer to the Chinatown stop of the Gold Line), and HARD worked with the LA Metro to provide free rides on all Metro lines for anyone with a ticket. SCORE. And if you planned ahead like me, you found a station with free onsite parking (although it may have been far away, at least you didn't have to sit in traffic to get to your destination!). A festival that encourages you to save money on both gas AND parking is already awesome in my book. GETTING IN & OUT This is the single biggest reason that this event wasn't 5 stars for me. Some things can't really be helped, like a rowdy crowd, but about an hour and a half after the music started, apparently some people moved some bike racks that had been used as barricades and totally messed up the lines to get in. HARD had to reset a bunch of stuff and so by the time I got there (punishment for being late?), I stood in a huge, nebulous crowd with no idea where the entrance was and no clue when I'd ever reach it. I can tolerate this bullshit when I have a bajillion decibels coming at me and lazers melting my eyes, but just to get in? I'm ready to murder the next person who so much as brushes up against my shoulder. Overheard in the crowd: "C'mon man, don't make me smoke all my weed out HERE!" I understand that bad crowds aren't necessarily the organizers' fault. BUT a bullhorn and a soapbox would have been really useful at this point. SOMEthing to let us know what was going on, or that we were even in the right place. Instead there was a slow movement as people were let in and eventually I found myself at the entrance, 40 minutes later, having missed the first set that I wanted to see. EVENT LAYOUT Super manageable. In some cases, almost too close. There were four stages with - true to form - a small variety of genres to please different palates. You had moombahton tucked in the back, dubstep towards the middle, the big headliners on the main stage, and even a smaller stage (charmingly called the Red Bull "DIscotheque") for funky house. This was a great setup, even though at some points there was a little sound bleed between the Red Bull stage and the main HARD Stage. But walking from one end of the event to the other was less than 10 minutes. There was an assortment of food and beverage vendors, but it was $4 waters for me all night. CROWD Yeah, so we talked about the bike racks. That aside, this was another super cool crowd. Less dressed up than Escape the weekend prior, I think, but overall super chill. I actually was meeting up with friends, but in some cases had lost them by the end of the evening, or didn't even get a chance to meet up with them before my battery went dead. No matter; there were plenty of people around and striking up conversations and making festival friends was a piece of cake...it's actually part of the experience. One note about cell phone service in the LA State Historic Park: IT SUCKS. Even with my robust Verizon 4G megamegamegabattery phone, it still ate up half the battery life just getting a signal. If the damn thing didn't double as a camera, I'd have opted to leave it behind. MUSIC Noooooo complaints here. Justice. Major Lazer telling people to throw shit up in the air (for reals! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151139787248920&set=a.391711083919.169340.7739623919&type=1&theater). Bro Safari. Knife Party yelling at some clown to get down off the truss. Soul Clap playing Ronnie Hudson's 1982 "West Coast Poplock" from which you'd recognize Tupac's "California Love" chorus, and making several new fans (one here!). Overall it was a ridiculously fun night under the stars and a great way to send out a spectacular Halloween week. Come for the music, come for the lights, stay for the experience, because it doesn't have to end just 'cause they're shutting it down at 2!

Standing under some shade, the weather was sunny and the breeze was cool. Streets were closed off…read morearound Grand Park and City Hall was the backdrop to two stages. The radius around Grand Park never seemed smaller and it was awesome! So many music goers just hanging out at the heart of DTLA! Surprisingly, traffic was actually better on the freeway and streets on this weekend than a day that did not involve a music festival closing down a portion of four main streets. It was nice to actually arrive at DTLA within 15 minutes. We started at Grand Central market, had a drink and pre-gamed before heading into the festival venue. The walk was a short one and entrance was no longer than a minute. The sight walking in the closed streets of DTLA was filled with a skate ramp, an endless rows of food trucks, tents by local business and radio stations. The merchandise tent was enormous! There were green and blue bins everywhere, so there was no excuse to throw trash on the floor or to no recycle. American Eagle also had boxes of bags all over the place for free. There was watering stations and a tent that sprayed mist of water to whomever passed! It was refreshing when the sunny was shining to bright. There were three or four beer gardens that were fairly large. I think a lot of the music goers populated the beer gardens more than the actual stage area. There two long rows of porter potties that eased the lines. I am really glad I was able to attend the first Made in America festival in LA! The event was super organized, there were hardly any lines for anything and if there was the line moved quick! Hopefully there is a next year!

When it comes to music festivals, I've only really experienced them 1/3 days on the regular…read more So this was my first time really experiencing all days of a music festival. We stayed near USC and took the bus to MIALA grounds and I found that to be SO convenient as it was near public transportation. Thankfully we were with a few LA native who guided us in the journey. And as odd as it may sound, I enjoyed taking the bus as Vegas doesn't have a good one. Imagine Dragons had to have been my favorite of Day 1. I've always heard them on the radio but, to see them live was just something else. The lead singer had such stage presence and listening to him talk about Vegas and their struggles just kind of made me love them more! They just blew me away with their uplifting performance. And I say uplifting because after 10 hours of standing and dancing, they were a great closer! School Boy Q and Kendrick Lamar were another surprise for me. Never seen both perform but, they were so electrifying separate and together. YellowClaw had to be my biggest and most favorite surprise of the whole wknd. Never even heard of them til they got me jumping and dancing the whole time during their set. I have never seen a crowd so hyped and dance the way they did for YellowClaw. I definitely became a fan that day and have gone to their first Vegas show at Surrender. Still killing the game! Day 2 was much more relaxing for me cuz I went so hard on the first day. John Mayer was the one performer for MIALA that I was looking the forward to the most. I've always listened to him post break-ups cuz despite what you think of his player-persona, all his songs are break up songs. I admire that! lol He brought it and more for me as most times it was just him and his guitar. And that face --- ohhhh, that John Mayer face! Lol He even did a rendition of Beyonce's "XO" which was nice considering Queen Bey was in the crowd and her hubby is involved with Made In America. Other than the performers, there were TONS of food trucks with insane lines. Best off buying food once you enter cuz lines will be up the ying yang through the day. Starbucks was a lifesaver at Stage 3. Barely lines, coffee, and $2 waters! I even got to ride the ride they had. Yes, I am afraid of heights but, "when in Rome!" The worst part for me, which is why it lost a star, was that bathrooms. DEAR GOD, THOSE PORTA POTTIES :(:(:(:(:(:( first off, they were unisex and not sectioned off. Hellooooooo, they were disgusting to sit on for women. I just about died in there! Overall amazing experience, and I hope to see the 2nd year of MIALA next year. Got to see many performers that I've never seen live and got to hear bands that I've never heard of. The beauty of music festivals!!!!!!!!

I recently visited to see a recorded stage production and had a positive experience. I was able to…read morefind neighborhood street parking though they also offer parking on site at the facility. They also have a concession area offering beverages (including alcohol and coffee) along with snacks for purchase at the lobby. Buying a ticket online was simple and while I obtained a QR code via email, I just picked up my ticket upon entry after giving my name. It was a relatively small theater compared to your regular movie theater. However, the seats were comfortable, and the audio and visual quality of the film was great. I would definitely revisit, and I'll keep an eye on the organization's website to see what on the schedule!

Cute, new, roomy theatre, with nice restrooms & waiting area -- all tucked away in a quiet…read moreneighborhood, and a parking lot behind it. The show we saw was "Octopus's Garden", which had unique puppets, tall props, and benefited from the stage's imagination-spawning decor. When you come, make sure to leave your phone on, and cough a lot. That's what really makes the experience!

The Service: Thanks to all the volunteers, sponsors and awesome vendors for making this event so…read morewonderful & meaningful!! Volunteers are so helpful. Absolutely well organized event! The Event: This is the 8th year of Masters of Taste. Each year they invite new restaurants/vendors and welcome back the previous ones. They serve great food & beverages. Gorgeous settings, music, photo booth & more! 100% proceeds benefits Union Station Homeless Service. We love to #eatmoregivemore! The Parking: FREE parking at Lot F, right in front of the Rose Bowl!

MASTERS OF TASTE 2026 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena…read more This was our 1st time attending and it did not disappoint!! This is a Food Festival that makes a real impact in our community! Every bite benefits the largest homeless services provider in the San Gabriel Valley, Union Station Homeless Services. With over 100+ of LA's best Chefs, Restaurants, Bakeries, Breweries and Wineries we definitely savored every delectable bite!! We enjoyed culinary tastings, delectable desserts, handcrafted cocktails, craft breweries, select wineries, cold pressed juices and cold brew coffee from over 100 Culinary Masters! And, yes, it was UNLIMITED!! Chef hosts Chef Thomas and Chef Vanessa Tilaka Kalb of Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery are committed to sourcing from the region's best farmers and makers! Parking was included with the ticket. Plenty of parking. For general admission tickets (we bought these tickets), there was a long line as everyone waited for the gate to open at 4pm. VIP tickets get you in at 3pm. Music filled the air from La Bellatini. There were some food trucks as soon as you walked in. On the field, there was excitement in the air and the buzz from people trying all the food and drinks! They had some picnic tables and a VIP area. We really enjoyed the event.

I was so excited to get the email from Katie B. that I was the lucky winner of the Air + Style VIP…read moretickets. This festival combined my old love, Incubus, and a new love of snowboarding. I enjoyed every moment of it. With wristbands that scan like tickets, it was easy enter in and out of the VIP sections. However, it looked like the general admission tickets still had great views of the stages and Big Air ramp. So there really wasn't a bad spot to catch a view of all the action at any price tier. The conditions were not ideal with 70 degree LA weather and no thermals were required. However, the pro snowboarders fresh from Aspen X Games completed Big Air tricks as if they were in a ski resort with colder weather conditions. With impressive rotations and height, I was amazed and happy to finally see a Big Air competition live. It was fun seeing some of my favorites like Mark McMorris, Stale Sandbech, Yuki Kadono, and Shaun White. I wasn't a fan of the two hosts of the event. Although they were funny and entertaining, they didn't always announce the rider prior to starting their run and were unsure who won the head to head competition. There were various vendors, food, and drinks available throughout Exposition Park. The food options included Kogi, Wurskuche, Seoul Sausage, Ramen Burger, and The Grilled Cheese Truck. There were designated drinking areas for those over 21. I didn't mind it because there was no drink spillage, which tends to happen during concerts. There were different vendors and stands to get free stuff or buy merch. I loved the Mammoth Mountain stand because they sold their signature beanies for only $5 and had vouchers for 2 for 1 day lift tickets. The weekend's music line up was eclectic bringing in different crowds that included J. Cole, Haim, Travis Barker, and Kaskade. I was most excited to see Incubus, and they were amazing with a great set list that included my favorite songs. I liked that they had a designated Uber and Lyft pick up and drop off section, which made it easier to get in and out of the event. Exposition Park was a great venue for an event like this. I wanted to attend this event last year, but I am happy attend this year thanks to Yelp.

My biggest gripe about this event was the getting in part!…read more We got to the event with our 3rd party printout/app, and waited in the "3rd party line" to get the REAL ticket. But, I kid you not, we waited for at LEAST 45 minutes to move approximately 15 feet. We also see many groups of people running out of our line to cut to the front to get tickets from a random staff who just happens to walk out of nowhere and stand in the middle of nowhere to give out tickets. So a woman in front of us walks up to security to ask him why he was letting people cut and to see if he could stop them so the people in line can get their tickets. He told her that she "should just be like one of them and cut in line too" Wait...WHAT?!?! She came back speechless. Then another woman from a party behind us went to the same security, and came back saying that the security guard told her his job was to "prevent ruckuses like yourself" and that if she keeps it up, he'll remove her from the event. Excuse me?! That's unacceptable behavior from Air + Style's security! Anyway, FINALLY, after about an hour of nonsense, they finally decided to bring someone out and go down our line to pass out tickets for our Groupons. The rest of the event was not bad. They had a lot of food options, and the performers were pretty good. This year, Zedd and Phoenix were AMAZING! I'd suggest bringing a poncho of some sort because this has been the 2nd year in a row where it rained at A+S...and they don't have enough covering.

I went to this event twice but both times I was at the Los Angeles location by USC. The first year…read moreI attended was in 2015 and Big Grams really stole the show. Wild performance! - I also attended the following year and thought the line up was well presented. I liked the people in the crowd and the atmosphere. Everyone was excited to be there and treated other attendees with respect. This is not true at all festival events so, I appreciated this vibe. - The snowboarding aspect to the event was unique and fun! I also enjoyed the art-focused pop ups. From what I can tell from the other reviews, the Pasadena location move has not been successful. I find this surprising because Pasadena offers more space, easier driving conditions and better parking options.

Designated alcohol area, cannot bring drinks out of the fenced area. The line to get in the…read moredesigned alcohol area was 400 people long, line to get a drink was another 100 people long. Not sure if I'll be back next year