IRATION; photo Andy Ortega
One Love Cali Reggae Fest held its 4th annual 3-day music festival once again at the grounds next to the Queen Mary in Long Beach. This year there were returning bands and artists such as Iration, Pepper, Stick Figure as well as some new bands on the rise in the reggae scene.
Arriving to the festival grounds is pretty easy since there were plenty of lighted signs directing you to the surrounding area where there were several parking structures. If you arrive during the day, don’t hesitate to head for the main parking area since it’s not crowded and easy to get into. Once you’re parked, there’s a short walk to the shuttles that run every few minutes to take you over the bridge to the peninsula where the event is held.
Once at the entrance, there is strict security which has become the norm at any large event – even at events called “One Love”. In any case, you’ll be glad to know that there’s many precautions made by the One Love event team to be sure we have a good time while being safe. Although you’ll see people getting wasted on various concoctions at any music event, it’s reggae and it’s such a chill environment with families and even children and babies! Be sure to read the list of prohibited items before getting into the festival since I did see someone getting their bottle of booze confiscated.
Inside the festival, you’ll find plenty of ways to satisfy your hunger, thirst or shopping desires. There was food provided by restaurants and food trucks such as The Jamaica Place, Fat Dragon, and The Pink Taco truck. Just about every band had a merchandise booth so you could dance the night away in your favorite artist’s T-shirt if you wanted to.
ATMOSPHERE; photo Andy Ortega
February in SoCal usually brings rain, and this year it rained each festival day and I was able to spot out the newbies pretty easily. They wore white canvas shoes with insufficient tread and not enough upper body clothing. I’m glad you feel cute, but the One Love Festival is serious business and you’ll need to prepare for partying in cold downpours. I’m talking hiking boots and multiple layers, plus a hat or even better, a beanie and gloves. On the first night, I wore two thermal long sleeve shirts and a hoodie, but I was still cold. Hey, we’re Californians and we forget how cold and rainy it gets in February sometimes.
Hiking boots will give you special privileges and abilities at this festival. There are pockets of muddy and slippery areas even though the event staff laid out some turf material over much of it to prevent slips – I still saw people fall in the mud and everyone would cheer (and help them up of course). It was awesome. But with hiking boots, you can walk right through muddy areas where no one else dares venture. You can have your own private area in the middle of a giant puddle if you want!
There were a few performances that really stood out for me this year. While Dispatch isn’t quite reggae, their show on Saturday afternoon was filled with energy and it was contagious. Iration never fails to attract large crowds. As their set began, even though I wasn’t anywhere near the front of the stage, my personal space dwindled away with more and more people trying to move closer until I could barely move without bumping into someone. Another artist that turned lots of heads was Atmosphere. He’s a rapper from Minneapolis and he doesn’t mumble. You can actually understand everything he says, and you’ll love it. Atmosphere took the energy at One Love and turned it up about three notches. We needed it too because it was freezing but there’s nothing like being next to the California ocean, palm trees silhouetted against the sunset and rocking out to your favorite artists.