PHOTOS: Shaky Beats 2017 Friday Day 1

Highlighting some of the best in EDM, hip-hop and dance music, 2017 marks the Shaky Beats Music Festival’s second year and a return to downtown Atlanta’s Centennial Park. Last year’s festival was an out-of-the-box success with acts like Major Lazer, ASAP Ferg, Big Gigantic, Nas and Duke Dumont. Friday’s first day kickoff showed that this year’s festival is back and bigger than ever both in volume, lights and talent.

The festival’s first day landed on Cinco de Mayo and there was no shortage of sombreros, and Dia de los Muertos face paint in the attendance. In addition to that the rain fell and spritzed it’s way throughout the day while the temperatures stayed in the 50s for most of the day, making for a damp and chilly night. Yet the first day featured a ton of blistering and heavy sets from Ekali, PARTY FAVOR, Snails and a ton of other great acts that kept the crowd moving non-stop. Highlights included Alison Wonderland’s almost unhinged performance, Bonobo’s mesmerizing full band set and the pure ferocity of RL Grime’s visual and audio assault.

Check out John McNicholas‘ photos from Shaky Beats 2017 Day 1 kickoff: