By Alejandro Cardenas |Staff Writer|
It was Valentine’s Day and romance was in the air.
While many were treating their dates to intimate dinners or cinematic productions, I was taking mine to the sold-out Crush event.
Crush is an annual electronic dance music event presented by Insomniac, the organization that gained popularity over the past few years because of its world-famous Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC).
The event took place at San Bernardino’s National Orange Show (NOS) Events Center and I showed up just as the last few rays of sunlight made the sky glow and set the mood for the Valentine’s night.
The event began at 6 p.m. and, as I spoke to numerous people waiting to get in, I learned that many of the attendees had come from all over California.
“We came last year,” said University of California, San Diego student Kevin Fowler. “We drove all the way from La Jolla for Crush and it’s becoming kind of a tradition for me and my friends.”
At this event, even the line to get in was entertaining. Looking around, I could see hundreds of couples and groups of romance seekers dressed up in elaborate gear, taking selfies, and mingling with one another.
Once I finally made my way through security, the sun finished setting and I walked into a large lawn where I could already hear the music booming from inside a massive hangar that was the venue for all the dancing.
The lawn area just outside the hangar was meant as a chill zone where food and beverage stands satisfied the thirst and hunger of all the party-goers. Numerous tables provided a spot to rest and a brightly lit wall with the Crush logo as a red-carpet style, picture-taking zone.
After grabbing a drink to stay hydrated, I made my way into the hangar, which at first seemed much too big for the event. I walked passed lots of empty space and finally made my way into the small crowd, that formed around the opening DJ duo, Lost Kings.
I thought the event might have undersold but as the third DJ Mercer began his set, wave after wave of neon-lit bodies had filled up the massive hangar and I realized I had become immersed in an ocean of flailing arms and dancing feet.
Around 10 p.m., DJ Alvaro took the stage as hunger kicked in. As I made my way out of the jungle of bodies, I realized that in the short amount of time I had been there, the hangar had almost completely filled up.
After enjoying some tacos from San Bernardino’s own Leno’s Tacos, I returned to the hangar and enjoyed the rest of the night dancing to the high energy music of The Chainsmokers and Tommy Trash until almost 3 a.m.
Overall, Crush provided a successful place for a Valentine’s date. Although it may not be as quiet and intimate as a romantic dinner, I could not imagine having this much fun any other way.
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