Dandelion Music Festival takes downtown by storm

Dandelion music fest takes downtown by storm

DJs Nicky Romero and Deorro headline Syracuse's first-ever EDM festival that drew thousands to Clinton Square on Saturday night.
Published: October 3, 2021
The EC Twins perform on stage during the Dandelion Music Festival in Clinton Square in Downtown Syracuse, NY on October 2, 2021.
The EC Twins perform on stage as the sun sets during the Dandelion Music Festival in Clinton Square.

Lights danced over a packed Clinton Square for the Dandelion Music Festival on Saturday night as thousands converged in downtown Syracuse for a seven-hour concert featuring energetic sets from big-name electronic dance DJs like Nicky Romero and Deorro along with Kryoman, EC Twins, SVNF8, and Talia x Tadeo.

Entry was free for all, with some guests pre-registering for tickets while others joined the crowd as they were walking by. With no security or COVID regulations, people flowed through the square with vibrant costumes, stilts, and glowing juggling pins and whips. The event even had a $1,500 cash prize for the best costume.

Andrew Moore, a.k.a. Kryoman, is the entertainment director for the festival as well as a headlining act and worked closely with Ted Farnsworth, co-founder of Zash Media and Syracuse native, to put on the festival.

“It is a feel good, giving back concert, bringing electronic music from all over the world with international acts, Burning Man installations, and Cirque du Soleil performers,” Moore said. “It’s something cool that Syracuse has never seen before all in one place.”

Moore said the concert was also about giving back to the city and that Zash Media also donated $25,000 to Redhouse Arts Center to continue to support the arts in the area.

Scenes from the Dandelion Music Festival in Clinton Square in Downtown Syracuse, NY on October 2, 2021.
People in the crowd go crazy during the Dandelion Music Festival's DJ performance.

Talia and Tadeo kicked off the festival at 4 p.m. to as only a few hundred had arrived at Clinton Square for the early performers. Their electronic house music filled downtown and could be heard several blocks away. Kids came through with their families to dance and play on the art installation by Jen Lewin called “The Pool” that featured circles of white pads on the ground that changed color when stepped on.

As the sun set on downtown around 7 p.m., the party atmosphere continued to build momentum. Kryoman’s set got the crowd dancing with light-up foam sticks and bass resonating through thousands of bodies in the crowd. Trampoline artists in glowing outfits danced on stage along with giant robots with arms that blasted fog in the air and women dressed as cyborgs.

Strangers danced together, complemented each other’s colorful outfits, and exchanged handmade bracelets and necklaces. Fans moved freely, caught up in the music, seemingly enjoying every beat drop.

The Dandelion Music Festival hosted multiple side acts from the main concerts on stage. One of them was a trio that performed a double sided trampoline wall show during different times of the day in Clinton Square in Downtown Syracuse, NY on October 2, 2021.
The Dandelion Music Festival hosted multiple side acts from the main concerts on stage including a trio that performed on a double-sided trampoline wall.

Deorro’s set included many fan favorites like “All I Do is Win,” “Teach Me How to Dougie,” and “All the Way Up,” ending the night by playing his hit with Chris Brown, “Five More Hours.” His visuals on stage included Tina Belcher’s classic twerking dance from Bob’s Burgers and the strobing colors in Jellyfish Jam from Spongebob Squarepants

Dutch DJ Nicky Romero, who flew into Syracuse from Amsterdam, closed the event with his hour-and-a-half high energy set that ended the night with a bang. At its peak, Clinton Square was filled with an estimated 5,000 dancing fans plus an additional 1.8 million viewers watching the live stream on Zash Media’s app Lomotif.

A stitched panorama shows the attendance of the inaugural Dandelion Music Festival. The free show, on October 2, 2021, neared a sell out in Clinton Square according to their website.

Although the concert was put together in only two months, dance music fans are hopeful it has the potential to grow with the right promotion and other top artists.

Syracuse promoter Andre Young said he helped spread the word with fliers and social media during the two weeks leading up to the festival.

“With more advertisement and time the event could move to the fairgrounds,” Young said. “But ultimately, this was a complete success. People are here, people are dancing, people are into it.

“Hands are up, I can’t believe it.”

Deorro performs his final sing at the Dandelion Music Festival in Clinton Square in Downtown Syracuse, NY on October 2, 2021.

Deorro performs his final song at Saturday's Dandelion Music Festival.

Headliner Nicky Romero, a dutch DJ, raises his hand while performing on stage during the Dandelion Music Festival in Clinton Square in Downtown Syracuse, NY on October 2, 2021.

Dutch DJ Nicky Romero raises his hands while performing during his headlining Dandelion Music Festival set.