The fun started at 6 p.m. and didn’t end until 2 a.m. each night. The festival brought artists of several unique genres and stage themes that were extraordinary. Each stage had its own schedule, some with overlapping artists to other stages and others with enough time for attendees to run between stages to see their favorite artists. 

The most memorable stage was the Dude Wipes sponsored stage: Trip to Uranus. Entering through a porta-potty, attendees could encounter a small but mighty stage with heavy bass. On night two, there was a dancing Dude Wipes container mascot that caused chaos in the audience. 

The GEEK BAR silent disco was another hot stage for attendees. Given a pair of headphones with three stations, Goldrush attendees could adjust their volume and choose which station they wanted to listen to. The headphones would light a different color based on the channel it was tuning into, showing who was listening to each station. 

Red Bull’s indoor stage gave attendees a small break from the dust kicked up from the thousands of attendees. There were also Red Bulls available for purchase, as well as free airbrush and glitter tattoos. 

The largest stage, the one that hosted headliners Alesso and Martin Garrix, was Golden Gorge. It was the first stage seen upon entering, and it gave attendees a grand opening as they made their way around the festival grounds. 

As attendees moved around the festival, the Weird and Wonderful performers wandered the grounds and supported some of the acts. From cowboys on stilts to cowgirls swinging on hoops, the night brought unique entertainment. 

Night one closed out with DJ Alesso at the Golden Gorge, and Boogie T hosting the after party, which ran until 5 a.m. 

As night two began, attendees could wander to every stage as the sun set yet again. At the Beatbox stage, there was a live caricature artist, Phoenix Caricature, who drew free digital caricatures for attendees to keep. 

Compared to the first night, the second night had many more attendees, making the larger stages like Golden Gorge and Pioneer’s Peak more difficult to navigate around. 

Having more attendees created a better atmosphere for the smaller sponsored stages. The Dude Wipes stage was packed nearly full for some DJ’s, and the Red Bull indoor stage was more packed, making it an even crazier experience. 

The western themed festival brought new angles of fashion a bit different from regular raves. There were the typical rave outfits, the ones that make cropped tube tops seem conservative, but many of them had a western twist with boots, cowboy hats and cow print. 

The most common fashion statement amongst Goldrush-goers though was the kandi, handmade bracelets made out of pony beads and string. This brought the rave tradition of PLUR to Goldrush. 

The final night closed out with Martin Garrix, writer of popular songs “Animals” and “In the Name of Love.” Though, the party wasn’t finished there. 

Artist Valentino Khan was the final act of Goldrush, running the after party from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. 

Despite having a long day before Goldrush, having had a pop-up Cheba Hut performance and his festival performance, Khan was excited for the after party. After years of being a music artist, he’s gotten used to the busy schedule, and loves working with the crowd and others in his career.

“It's cool to just show love and show respect and have this connective energy between myself and the crowd and people like me,” Khan said. 

At the end of it all, the ninth Goldrush festival brought new and experienced music artists together for a run of late night fun and dancing. It provided a space for ravers of all experience levels to enjoy a night of EDM and hype music.