CHAUVET Professional Gear Deployed for We Belong Here Festival

	"Key to our vision for the design was the concept that production will not live on just the stage but will surround the audience," says Baskin.

Starting only five years ago, We Belong Here has quickly established itself as one of the EDM world's fastest-growing festivals. This year, the event expanded from two days to three, featuring artists like Kaskade, Chris Lake, Gorgon City, and Tiesto.

Held at Virginia Beach Park, the event immerses fans in an environment that allows them to move freely between its three stages with plenty of special spaces between them.

Supporting the vibe throughout the grounds and on the three festival stages, including the 360-degree main stage, was a thoughtfully crafted lighting design that featured over 100 CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied by Technical Arts Group.

"Key to our vision for the design was the concept that production will not live on just the stage but will surround the audience," says designer Moshe Baskin. "By placing lighting elements throughout the site around the main stage area, pathways, and surrounding structures, we created the feeling that the production wraps around the crowd rather than just being something they look at from a distance. It helps the audience feel fully immersed in the environment and makes the entire festival space feel like part of the show."

Creating this supportive atmosphere and maintaining it throughout the event was a major goal for the entire production team, including Baskin, festival production manager Riad Feratovic; L1: Michael Salvatore; house LD Jeffrey Giancaspro; lighting techs Mokishini Luis, Jean Pierre ("JP") Pesantez, Nicolas Moreno, Randy Castro and Joseph Eskew, as well as laser vendor: Coherent Desi, and laser operator Will Kent.

Also high on the list of objectives was creating a versatile rig that maximized creative options for visiting LDs. "We created a playground of eight different fixture styles, and staggered configurations specifically for versatility," Baskin says. "We also focused on creating a balanced blend of video and light. A big part of that was restraint. The lighting rig was designed to complement the lasers rather than compete with them. We avoided over-saturating the stage with LED output during laser moments and made sure the beam fixtures and atmospherics supported the laser effects instead of washing them out."

Contributing to the lighting part of this equation were 58 COLORado PXL Bar 16 motorized battens, 22 of which were arranged on the overhead rig to deliver top lighting for the performers. By utilizing the 90-degree tilt of these fixtures, the design team accented the architecture of the stage and the nearby floral installations, so they did double duty. The remaining batten fixtures were positioned on towers to provide immersive lighting at the festival site.