The 2019 Mad Decent Block Party Festival is sure to be one of the hottest events of the summer
There are some events that are just quintessentially “summer:” Beach days, block parties, outdoor concerts and local carnivals are just a few that come to mind. So what happens when you combine some of these perfectly in-season events? You’ll end up with the biggest and best summer party of the season, which is exactly how one would define the Super Mega Ultra Giant Mad Decent Block Party Festival, taking place on July 20 and 21 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
So what exactly is this thing with a tongue twister for a name? This isn’t the first time that a Mad Decent Block Party has come to a city in the United States, but it is the first time that it’s come as a full-fledged festival. The Mad Decent Block Party was an event started by famed DJ and record producer Diplo back in 2008.
Mad Decent itself is a record company founded by Diplo in 2006 with a mission to introduce U.S. audiences to international dancehall music. The Mad Decent Block Party started as a way to promote this music, originally for free as a local block party in Philadelphia, where Mad Decent was originally based before moving out to L.A. in 2010.
In a video produced by Mad Decent to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Mad Decent Block Parties in 2017, Diplo himself explained his surprise at the success of the very first Block Party.
“We expected 100, maybe 200 kids, people that were our friends,” he said. “What happened was the street got shut down like any block party in Philly, the police barricaded it. But almost 2,000 kids showed up.”
What went from a small local block party in Philly with some barbecues, music and inflatable pools quickly became a huge touring outdoor festival that has reached over 20 cities across North America in the past 11 years. In 2016 alone, there were Mad Decent Block Parties in cities like Brooklyn, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Toronto, to name a select few.
The Mad Decent Block Parties always drew DJs from the EDM genre as well as some hip-hop artists. Recurring members of the lineup included EDM stars such as Flosstradamus and DJ Snake and Mad Decent favorites like Dillon Francis and Diplo himself. Hip-hop artists were more varied from year to year but included the likes of A$AP Ferg, Tyler, the Creator and even the occasional legend like Outkast at MDBP 2014.
However, in the last few years the Mad Decent Block Parties seemed to be slowing down. To celebrate the travelling festival’s tenth anniversary in 2017, there were only two summer shows: One in Denver and one in Philadelphia the birthplace of the fest. In 2018, there was one show deemed a MDBP in Brooklyn, New York.
Kodak Black will unfortunately not be able to join us at the festival. Finding a comparable replacement on short notice is proving to be difficult. Instead, we will be lowering weekend tix to $129.99, and single day tix to $69.99 with reduced fees for this weekend only. pic.twitter.com/LOvYvVDTqu
— Mad Decent Block Party Festival (@mdbpfest) June 7, 2019
For 2019, the MDBP is coming back in full force, albeit in a slightly different form. Rather than a series of outdoor concerts in cities all around the US, this year’s MDBP is a two-day festival taking place at Gillette Stadium. The 2019 MDBP boasts an incredible lineup of both EDM favorites from years past like Flosstradamus, Baauer and TroyBoi; DJ legends like RL Grime, Zeds Dead and Rezz; rappers like Pusha T, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and J.I.D.; and more mainstream headliners like Billie Eilish, G-Eazy and Miguel.
In addition to a lineup full of eclectic talent, the 2019 MDBP is still maintaining some of its unique block party-ness with fun attractions like the world’s largest bounce house, K1 speed go-karts and paintball.
With Gillette Stadium less than an hour and a half away from UConn, the 2019 MDBP is the perfect place for UConn students to indulge in some July summer fun. Not only will you have an incredible time seeing what’s sure to be some of the most high-energy sets of the summer and bouncing around in an adult-size bouncy house, but you’ll get serious bragging rights for attending the very first Mad Decent Block Party Festival of all time.
Feature image courtesy of @diplo
Lucie Turkel is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at lucie.turkel@uconn.edu.