Miami’s Hocus Pocus Halloween event just wrapped up its 5th year at Factory Town and ushered in a brand new era for the venue. Oddly enough, it was Hocus Pocus that hosted the very first event at a very different Factory Town in 2021. With that in mind, it’s appropriate that the event, now a full-throated festival, launched the new era for Factory Town. The Factory Town of 2021 was still an abandoned mattress factory space where stages were being trucked in and parties were being thrown. Now, Factory Town is an entirely new category of venue. It’s a purpose-built festival venue that stands ready all year round, boasting 5 varied stages, merch locations, ample restrooms, numerous bar locations, and impressive VIP amenities. It was the perfect setting for an outstanding Hocus Pocus 2025.
The Reimagined Factory Town
The dream of a permanent music festival has been tossed around many times over the years, but it had never been truly realized. There are some multi-use event venues scattered around, but nothing at this scale. Perhaps the closest analogue is Tomorrowland in Belgium, because the festival works hand in hand with De Schorre Park to construct permanent upgrades that improve the festival experience, such as pathways, bridges, massive staircases, and expanded grounds. Factory Town has taken that concept to another level, accomplishing what Brooklyn Mirage tried and failed to do. Insomniac controls the venue via a multi-year lease, and Pasquale Rotella recently told us that he loves the venue so much he thought it was a shame to use it only a handful of times per year. Thus, Insomniac invested millions into reworking Factory Town from the ground up. The plan was to retain the industrial warehouse aesthetic, but permanently build the core parts of the festival infrastructure so that the venue could host events at any time. No longer would stages, bathrooms, vip areas, barricades, signage, and more have to be rented and constructed for Halloween, Art Basel, New Years, and Miami Music Week.
The overall concept was based on the site itself, with stages and an overall look and feel designed to make it seem like they already existed within Factory Town. Think metal and rust combined with tons of lights, LEDs, art fixtures, and lasers. The look was inspired by things like Printworks and Kappa Futur Festival, but with its own distinctive flair that will make it instantly recognizable in photos. This reimagining left no stone unturned. The new look hits you right as you arrive, with a new entry and facade design, featuring LED signage and multiple entry locations that are now built in rather than requiring booths and tables out front.
Stages
The reimagined Factory Town features 5 stages that you’ll recognize right away. Infinity Room is the “mainstage”, but now there is a towering stage at the front, boasting a capacity for 8000 people. It’s modular, so it can be adapted to a variety of show types and situations. It can be covered or uncovered and feature various LED screens or none at all. The VIP has been greatly expanded also, with permanent steel decks and stairs added on either side of the stage, and slightly above, so that VIP gets a great view of the action. Another great addition to VIP is on the left side, where there is now a viewing area at the very front of the stage, so you don’t have to be next to or behind the stage to watch the action. Now you can also enter the crowd from this point as well. Beyond that, there are 2 rows of huge columns which feature pyro and lights that extend all the way to the middle of the crowd area. The production is upgraded throughout with pyro and lasers.
The Park Stage, the second biggest with a 5500 capacity, is the stage reminiscent of CRSSD in San Diego, featuring a covered lattice structure which could potentially hang greenery or screens or a some type of cover in the event of rain. It also features added LED screens and production that make it every bit as grand as Infinity Room.
The Warehouse got the most TLC (tender loving care) during this renovation. The Warehouse now features AC (YESSS!), built-built in bars, a narrow LED wall on the ceiling, and a stage which is now oriented in a different direction so the crowd can go back further rather than being spread out wide. It’s now a full realization of its potential, and we can’t wait to see more techno in there with 2000 of our friends.
The Chain Room continued the changes that were instituted last spring, adding a recessed built-in DJ booth lower ceiling made of steel beams with lights along them. So it really has the look and feel of an an abandoned warehouse space, but with everything you’d want for a party. This also holds 2000 attendees.
Finally, the Cypress End stage features a wood-looking stage that evokes the simpler stages from the very first Hocus Pocus. This one features trees and greenery throughout with a capacity for 900.
Odds & Ends
Like we said, the upgrades touched everything. Even the GA restroom areas are large and feature clean modern restrooms with lights, beyond your typical portapotties. The merch areas are permanent and feature decoration and signage. Speaking of signage, now there is ample and well-lit signage everywhere so it’s much easier to find your way from one stage to another.
Factory Town promises that this is only the beginning, and we’re excited to see the future of the venue. There is some room for improvement around cell phone data connectivity and ridesharing pickup, but that’s nothing major in the grand scheme of things. The huge crowd of people frequently results in a weak cell signal, and the area is normally industrial, so the influx is expected to overload the cell towers. It’s generally good enough for texts, but photo/video is spotty. As for rideshare, it’s often a mad dash to leave anytime after 6am and any rideshares that arrive are redirected due to street closures, making it hard to locate the car you called. Compounding the issue, Uber and Lyft both prevented users from scheduling a ride in advance from 7am to 8am. So a ride back to Brickell at the end of the night was around $50+. A dedicated rideshare pickup area, or one of those Uber shuttle options from some key areas, would be very helpful.
Hocus Pocus
The event itself was well received all around, racking up rave reviews. The lineup featured a broad mix of underground sounds, from tech house to melodic techno and hard techno, and attendees were floored by how nice all of the upgrades were. The venue really lends itself perfectly to the spooky Halloween vibes, and there were some thoughtful touches throughout. Some outstanding sets include Adriatique, Cassian, Camelphat, Vintage Culture, and Jamie Jones b2b Seth Troxler. We can’t wait to return to Factory Town for Art Basel in a month, and we’re even more excited for year-round events there. One thing keeps getting repeate,d and that is “this is just the beginning”, so we’re psyched for what comes next.
Reaction from Pasquale Rotella
To celebrate the occasion, we asked Insomniac’s Pasquale Rotella a few more questions about the Reimagined Factory Town.
EDMTunes: In thinking about the work that was done to upgrade Factory Town, what was the plan and what were the goals for the end result?
Pasquale: We’ve brought in new production gear and creative pieces that are interchangeable, allowing us to transform the space in different ways depending on the event. The industrial warehouse aesthetic and rawness are what make Factory Town so special. The goal is to keep it flexible, creative, and always inspired by the music and the people who fill it.
EDMTunes: What’s something new or different about Factory Town that you’re really excited about?
Pasquale: What excites me most right now is the creative freedom we have with Factory Town. We’ve added some new production pieces and made logistical changes that open up new possibilities for the space. Hocus Pocus only offered a first glimpse of what we are doing. There’s so much more art, design, and surprises still to come. This is just the beginning.
EDMTunes: This year, Hocus Pocus is being treated more like a festival than just a Halloween party. Is that intentional?
Pasquale: Hocus Pocus is the annual Halloween party at Factory Town. The big difference this year is that we’ve increased the level of production and that’s something we plan to keep doing for all Factory Town events. The goal isn’t to make it bigger just for the sake of it, but to make it more immersive and unique for everyone who comes.
EDMTunes: Anything else you consider important to mention that you’d like us to publish?
Pasquale: The team and I are genuinely grateful for all the support from our staff who’ve been with us since day one to everyone who continues to show up at Factory Town. It’s an amazing space that we’ve wanted to activate more often and now that we can use it year-round, we’re excited to bring it to life in new ways. Our goal is to contribute to the community, support local talent, and share the kind of experiences that make us love dance music. We care deeply about the details, the music, and the people who make this scene what it is. We’re just excited to be creative and create special moments for everyone.