This past weekend marked the return of HARD Day of the Dead at Los Angeles State Historic Park. Thousands of people came together Saturday evening for the best vibes, great music, and to make lasting memories. 

LA’s Historic Park in Downtown Los Angeles was the perfect venue for Day of the Dead as it was the original location of the event in 2012. The festival kept growing in size each year and had to be moved elsewhere to keep up with its growing capacity. This year, the event was 21+ so that it could fit in LA State Historic Park without going overcapacity.

Music & Production

This year’s lineup included Dog Blood, Blacklizt, Tokimonsta, Elohim, 1788-L, Justin Martin, The Martinez Brothers, and Damian Lazarus to name a few. Some artists do not tour often so it was nice to see them on this exciting occasion. They delivered some amazing sets to the audience.

There were two stages this year; the Duro Stage and the HARD Stage. The stages were located fairly close to one another, yet spaced out enough so that the sound systems did not interfere with each other. The heaving hitting bass rattled the festival grounds while clean and crisp melodies played throughout the whole evening.

The stages had lots of Day of the Dead features that were illuminated by the lights and lasers on the stages. The HARD Stage had two giant LED walls surrounding the stage. On the stage were more LED walls along with other special effects.

Art & Beauty

Throughout the festival, there were many beautiful art pieces that were Día de los Muertos themed. You could find skulls, monsters, a neon graveyard, hand-painted wall murals, and many other cool art pieces. There was even a face painting station to get your face painted with a skull or anything else you can imagine.

The VIP section had a beauty bar sponsored by Lunautics to help guests get made up and look their spookiest. It was best to get in line and arrive early to avoid prolonged wait times.

Food Choices

There were multiple food trucks waiting to cater to the appetites of hungry festival attendees. The variety of food catered to all different dietary needs including vegan and gluten-free options. We loved the taco truck in VIP. They had the best lobster, shrimp, and fish tacos as well as ceviche tostadas that were to die for.

Final Thoughts

This year’s HARD Day of the Dead was an incredible experience overall. It was awesome being back at the place where it all started— in Downtown Los Angeles. We will be looking forward to seeing you at next year’s HARD DOTD!