Festivalsforlife gets the inside scoop to the long awaited annual two-day, “Phoenix Lights Festival” in Arizona.
Phoenix Lights Festival is an annual two-day electronic music festival that will be held at Margaret T. Hance Park on April 2-3, 2016. The second year festival, out of the Phoenix, AZ will feature some of the biggest electronic acts to date. This multi-stage festival will showcase headliners such as Eric Prydz, DJ Snake, Excision, Illenium, Ephwurd, Dr. Fresch, SNBRN, Tritonal, Bakermat, Marc Kinchen, Claude VonStroke, Ghastly, Cut Snake, Drezo, 4B, Bijou, Ryan Collins and more artists to be announced in the coming weeks.
Festivalsforlife recently chatted with Relentless Beats founder and entrepreneur, Thomas Turner, on the blueprint to how his electronic music project, Phoenix Lights Festival, got started.
We begin by asking him how everything got started with his music event company, Relentless Beats that was formed back in 1996.
F4L: So tell us a bit about how Relentless Beats got started?
TT: Really just from brainstorming names that fit how I felt about dance music. I was listening to electronic music relentlessly and the beats were in fact relentless, so I think it was quite a logical choice of words for me. Overtime it’s become our mission as a company as well. To continually provide Arizona with a steady supply of great music, with the intent of spending the best nights of their lives with them.
F4L: When did you throw your first event?
TT: Sometime in the later 90’s in a house in Phoenix, then into venues in Flagstaff, Tucson, Phoenix, and eventually San Francisco for Love Parade floats, the Las Vegas strip for a couple of years at Empire Ballroom, Miami for label showcases at WMC etc etc. Sometime around 2003 I started to become active in the Phoenix area on a very regular basis.
With years of highly successful electronic music events under his belt he embarked on his newest electronic music project, Phoenix Lights Festival, which came together around the beginning of 2015.
F4L: So tell me how did Phoenix Lights manifest from an idea to this giant production event?
TT: In 2015, a friend of mine approached me about doing an event in downtown Phoenix at Civic Space Park and our conversation ultimately turned into Phoenix Lights very quickly. While it was one of my preferred locations it was unfortunately too small and we decided we wanted to go bigger and better with Phoenix Lights this year, so we changed locations to Margaret T Hance Park just a few blocks away.
F4L: What is the process like to plan such a large event like Phoenix Lights Festival?
TT: This is an event that has to be truly worked on all year round at this point. Each year you take the good and the bad and use it to make the next year better. Roughly 200 people are involved in an event of this size from the of planning to operating this event.
But let’s focus on the main reason people go to these shows, the artists. Phoenix Lights Festival has such a diverse lineup of big name talent and new up and comers to the electronic music scene.
F4L: How did you assemble this all star lineup for Phoenix Lights Festival?
TT: Music is quickly evolving and we are always looking to book the hottest act. While a key headliner or two can be targeted, our company has produced predominantly electronic music events that the future will want to see. That way our lineups become more diverse as we progress forward. We also strive to find the artists that will be setting the trend in what’s going to be heard in electronic dance music.”
Bottomline though, while seeing great artists are to be expected, what else do people expect to experience at Phoenix Lights Festival and what would you say would be the ultimate festival experience.
In Thomas Turner’s words “The ultimate festival experience should be a hassle free day seeing the artists that you love and to be surrounded by the people you love. The experience of having your senses stimulated is to be expected at Phoenix Lights Festival. Also I am excited to see so many places in North America now producing festivals and creating an unforgettable electronic music experience.”
Hurry though Phoenix Lights Festival is selling out fast. Tier One Tickets have already been Sold Out; Tier Two and Single Day Tickets are still available for purchase. Get them here at http://phoenixlightsfest.com/
Event Info:
Margaret T Hance Park
1202 N 3rd St
Phoenix AZ
Date: April 2 & 3, 2016
Ages: 18+
Time: Doors 3:00PM / Curfew 11:00PM
Presented by: Relentless Beats
Sponsors: 7UP • New Times • The Entertainer • Zia Records
