12/09/2018
Elrow Town, this time situated in Stratford’s Olympic Park was a colourful delight of music, confetti and inflatables and has to be up there as one of my favourite festivals of 2018! The British weather was on our side (as it has been for most of the summer) as we smashed through the Sunday of the 2 day festival and the organisers did not disappoint!
Despite the huge numbers of people expected at the festival (roughly 15,000) entry queue was fast moving and well organised and personal searches were relatively quick. From the first moment we entered the park to the very last, the atmosphere was electric! A top highlight was Shy FX (and dynamite MC) playing some old school classics in the main tent. The tent resembled that of an amazon rainforest, with flowers, vines and trees surrounding the stage and giant animal puppets dancing through the crowd during the performance. To top it off hundreds of giant inflatables crowd surfed the audience and only encouraged the already charged atmosphere.
Throughout the day and covering the whole festival there were larger than life interactive performances and colourful stage productions, all with a carnival vibe. Giant robotic grasshoppers danced their way through the crowd with acrobats performing off them, showering everyone with confetti and brightly coloured balloons.
Festival go-ers did not disappoint either – dressed for the occasion with carnival themed outfits, from glitter to glam, eccentric to bizarre, it was a beautiful spectacle to see and to be a part of. The park had not seen this much excitement since the Olympic opening ceremony in 2012!
Elrow Town has produced an exciting and unique experience, not even mentioning the music! Throw into the mix a bit of Claptone, Idris Elba and Fatboy Slim - Elrow thoroughly lived up to its reputation of being the ‘wildest dance music show on the planet’. Under a kaleidoscope of neon lights and a final flurry of confetti, Fatboy wrapped up his set with his ultimate 90’s classic “Praise You”. The showman towered above the crowd while spinning his decks at the bottom of an enormous four-story stage, fashioned into a miniature set of shops. Something caught your eye on every level and in almost every window a performer, under the guise of an ‘Elrow Town’ resident would go about their random, interesting daily business. Showing us a snapshot into the goings on in each flat. The performance was mesmerising and dramatic and fully interacted with the crowd who absolutely loved every minute of it.
Elrow Town was a defining festival of 2018 and it really cannot be compared to any other. We genuinely cannot wait until next year to relive the experience all over again and see what other surprises the organisers magic up in 2019!