While summer is officially over, the first weekend of fall was anything but uneventful. A beloved, recurring celebration of house and techno music returned to Waterfront Park: the September edition of San Diego’s CRSSD Festival.
Saturday
Slightly unusual for CRSSD, Saturday’s City Steps lineup brought variety to the traditionally techno-driven stage with sets from MPH and Marlon Hoffstadt. Fans showed up to support the recently in-demand acts, with particular excitement for MPH’s new Anti Up collaboration and Marlon Hoffstadt’s ‘Makina Time.’ Later, I Hate Models and VTSS closed the stage as the night’s techno powerhouses.
Over at Ocean View, Ayybo and Notion carried their mainstage house energy into the sunset, then ceding the stage to the eclectic horsegiirL. Mochakk’s day one closing set leveraged the stage’s incredible production capabilities and incorporated custom construction-style signs as a playful part of the visual setup.
Year after year, the Palms stage continues growing in popularity and Saturday’s crowd was no different. Energetic audiences danced without rest through ChaseWest and Layton Giordani’s intense tech house sets, and Sonny Fodera closed out in a more melodic fashion, incorporating iconic tracks from Calvin Harris and Rüfüs du Sol.
Sunday
Chris Lorenzo took to the Palms stage Sunday afternoon for a special guest performance, filling the festival grounds early before handing the decks off to Genesi. Mathame, Helena Hauff and Boys Noize each played powerful techno sets at the City Steps stage, located right next to San Diego’s City Hall. Standout U.K. stars Prospa brought out possibly the biggest Palms crowd of all time and more than delivered on the hype, playing a set of their massive hits (including ‘Free Your Mind’) and several exciting IDs.
Disclosure and Chris Lake wrapped up the night with an electric B2B at Ocean View, opening with a recorded custom San Diego intro from Leven Kali instead of his usual vocals on ‘one2three’. A thoughtful mix of each artists’ hits followed shortly after, including Chris Lake’s ‘Piano Hand’ and Disclosure’s ‘F For You.’
The two also premiered a new collaboration, allegedly “made yesterday,” to an enormous reaction from the crowd. A light drizzle began during the set, just enough to amplify the visuals and cool off the field without being overwhelming. Dancing to ‘Turn off the Lights’ and ‘Latch’ in the rain perfectly wrapped up an already magical day.
Thoughts and Experience
After over 10 years of twice-a-year events, CRSSD runs like a well-oiled machine. Regular attendees know what to expect and where everything will be. Some people could navigate the festival with their eyes closed. Despite the festival-not-rave atmosphere, people tend to be friendly, positive and welcoming. As a consequence, some groups can be notoriously chatty, something the organizers try to discourage on the dance floor.
Great food and drink options permeate the grounds, making it easy to grab more of anything you want. During peak hours, certain areas become difficult to navigate, but with CRSSD’s relatively small footprint, switching sets and moving between stages remains plausible. Overall, CRSSD doesn’t miss. Strong lineups, sunset views and picturesque environments in the heart of San Diego keep people coming back season after season.
