FYF brings headliner Kanye West to Exposition Park


Thousands of Angelenos and USC students spent this weekend at FYF Festival in nearby Exposition Park. What was expected to be an enjoyable yet understated indie rock affair proved to be a well-run festival that appears to be on the brink of exploding in popularity over the next couple of years.

This is FYF’s second year in Exposition Park. Though last year there were complaints over a crowded venue and plagued with the long lines that are standard for many music festivals, this year’s festival was much more organized. The five stages were well-marked and divided by genre. For example, the Trees Stage had the more relaxing acts — perfect for Mac Demarco or Tobias Jesso Jr. — and the Woods Stage showcased the more punchy acts like Savages and Death Grips, the Arena had most of the DJ and electronic sets such as Flying Lotus and BADBADNOTGOOD, and the Main Stage was well equipped with crowd pleasers including Flume and Kanye West. Once it was established which genre of music was at which stage, navigating between them felt very natural. One thing that was problematic was that the Lawn Stage, which was located right at the entrance of the festival, was a good distance from the other stages at the festival. But at the same time, it was nice to hear live music immediately after entering the gates.

The quality of the lineup was the main attraction of FYF, and it did not disappoint. Sampling all of the stages turned out to be an interesting activity, especially considering talented musicians were located everywhere. The distance between some of the stages, however, usually led to either leaving most sets 10 minutes early or arriving at other sets 10 minutes late if there was an act at another stage. To navigate around that, the most effective way to get the most out of the festival was to stay at a particular venue to get closer to the most coveted acts. For example, just staying at the Main Stage for about an hour helped with getting to the front row for Kanye West. Though there were other acts in between different stages, being really close to the front for two to three acts made for a better experience than being near the back or middle for four to five acts.

The weekend had the feel of a watershed year for FYF Fest. The lineup that was brought in this year far exceeded the lineups the festival had brought in the past, and acts like Kanye West, Flume and others have increased the word-of-mouth of the festival more than ever before. From here, it will be interesting to see how the festival grows in the future. Whether or not Exposition Park will be the venue of the future for FYF is questionable as the festival hasn’t been known to stay in the same place for too long. For now, USC students are encouraged to take advantage of the event while its close to home.