My words are tangled among the electrifying beats that are raging from Marshmello’s set. You can hardly hear a word over the ocean of sound, but my festie-bestie smiles and shouts, “I know, this is unreal!” 

Imagine Music Festival (IMF) 2019 was one of the most magical festivals I’ve ever experienced. This deep-sea adventure pulled me out of the hustle and bustle of my regular life and plunged me headfirst into a weekend of magic, mystic and (of course) a tidal wave of wicked music. 

Imagine is held in the beautiful city of Atlanta, Georgia. I live all the way up in the Great White North (Canada), but I had heard so many amazing things about this festival that I knew this was one trip I absolutely had to take. Let me tell you, I could not be happier with my decision. 

On the first day, walking through the venue gates of the Atlanta Motor Speedway, I immediately felt a rush of magic floating through the air. As I looked out from the stands of the raceway, I could see a fairytale world that was created with one purpose in mind: to bring people together through a love of music. 

(Photo Credit: @dvphotovideo // Photo provided by Imagine Music Festival)

From the glowing lights of the Ferris wheel to the four (and later, five) raging stages, to the food trucks, art pieces, pool parties, performers, vendors, lasers and everything in between, the vibe was perfect at IMF and I could not have been more impressed with the entire production. 

Pulling into the parking lot of this underwater fantasy, I could see an entire village of vehicles and tents filling in the campground area. Known as the "Captain's Quarters," and sponsored by homegameauction, what was once an open field was now a community of peace, love, unity and respect as it became a home-away-from-home for many Imagineers. There was no shortage of adventure in this mini-makeshift town — ever been to a silent disco afterparty? Picture the perfect amount of party rage without waking up your neighbors. From workshops and yoga classes to craft and food areas, the party-energy gushed from the campground and flooded the fest (in a completely magical, not a plumbing issue type of way).

As I walked through the gates and my black combat boots clanked down the steel steps, I could feel the anticipation flowing through my veins. Stepping onto the pavement, I could see the smiles from a wave of ravers light up as bursts of fire shot into the sky from the Disco Inferno stage. It was go time.

First things first, let’s talk festival fashion. I fell madly in love with all of the bold and beautiful outfits I saw at Imagine. The amount of self-expression and individuality the crowd had to offer was captivating. From colorful wigs to neon leg wraps and everything in between, everyone looked like they were one of the glorious art pieces scattered throughout the venue.  

I rocked homegameauction for my looks for all three nights, and I have to admit I felt fierce as hell with my maxi skirts and fringe dress flowing in the wind. Check out my fits here:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Speaking of the crowd, the vibe at IMF could not have been more spectacular. Everyone had a mountain of energy and was filled with loving good vibes in the form of smiles and smudging glitter across my cheekbones in the bathroom line (Thank you to the sweet beauty queen who helped bring out my inner mermaid!). 

From the rad new pals we made at our hotel to the lovely souls we sat beside during our bike-taxi adventures, the IMF crowd was filled with love all around.

As I said, I live in Canada which is quite far from Southern California, so it was also great to finally meet the Director of Marketing of homegameauction, Amanda! I was so pumped to meet this beautiful rave babe, so of course, we had to snap a picture to save the memory! Check us out: 

By Saturday, Imagine had five stages open and ready to rage: Oceania (the main stage), Disco Inferno, Amazonia, Six Feathers, and Techyes. 

Each stage brought its own unique element to life. Although, I will admit the flaming art at Disco Inferno was by far one of my favorite aspects of the entire event, shooting rivers of fire into the sky from giant metal art structures. 

The artists at IMF were truly outstanding. No matter which stage I was at, I felt a level of energy and hype flowing from the speakers and enchanting every twisting, turning and shuffling body in the crowd. 

I have to give a special shoutout to Alison Wonderland, Zeds Dead and Marshmello. After my soul was brought to church by A.Wonderland, Zeds Dead followed her killer performance with another raging set. I danced my heart out in the grass field of the Oceania stage, living my best life as my gold skirt danced around my legs like diamonds in the water. 

Photo Credit: @dvphotovideo // Photo provided by Imagine Music Festival

Marshmello closed the Oceania stage on Sunday night in the most memorable way possible. Now I don’t mean this lightly when I say his performance was one of (if not the) very best sets I’ve ever seen. The amount of energy pumping through the crowd could be felt for miles (or kilometers, if you’re Canadian like me). A sea of oversized glow sticks flooded through the hands of crowd, splashing rhythmic waves of color like a neon hurricane. Mixed with endless streams of lasers, fire and fireworks, the black Georgia sky was brought to life. Overlooking the crowd from the tops of bopping shoulders, I felt a true sense of happiness that can only be described with two words: truly magical. Just when I thought my heart couldn’t get any fuller, the words of the Beatles Imagine flooded my eardrums and tears welled up in my eyes. Pure happiness.  

Of course, no mystic adventure would be complete without filling your stomach with tasty bites of heaven. The smell of delicious temptation twisted through Imagine’s main street with a glorious line of food trucks ready to make your tastebud’s wildest dreams come true. In my case, this meant taking down the most delicious basket of chicken strips I have ever tasted for three nights straight. No shame. Shout out to the food truck, Pie Daddy, for being my personal superheroes for the weekend and hooking me up with golden crunchy goodness. 

On Sunday night, my Unity Travel shuttle bus pulled out of the event parking lot for the last time and I felt my wave of enchantment slowly transform into picture-perfect memories. I could still hear the explosion of Marshmello’s set mixed with the laughter of my festie-bestie dancing through my ears, and in that moment I couldn’t help but let a smile spread across my cheeks. 

Imagine, you were one for the record books. I finally found what lies deep at the bottom of the ocean. What is it? You’ll just have to meet me at Imagine 2020 to find out.  Check out the offical day 3 recap video here:

In short, Imagine Music Festival is a four-day aquatic adventure filled with circus acts, pool parties, transformative workshops, art, wellness classes, silent discos, field games, electrifying performances and more. If you’ve taken a look at this year’s lineup for Imagine Music Festival (IMF) in Atlanta, Georgia, you know this fest is jam-packed with talented female artists who are showing what it means to be a boss babe in the EDM world. 

I’m stoked to see every single incredible woman on the lineup this year. However, there is one industry queen who is the sole reason why myself, every artist and the entire staff and fanbase will be diving deep into our underwater wonderland this September. 

Meet Madeleine (Maddy) Goodhand; a boss babe, industry influencer and the founder of Imagine Music Festival, along with her husband, Glenn Goodhand. 

Photo Credit: Maddy Goodhand

I had the privilege to sit down with Maddy and discover what it means to be one of the masterminds behind the nationally-recognized wonderland. 

Originally from Finland, Goodhand is no stranger to adventure, growing up in Switzerland, Beijing, and Hong Kong. 

“My family moved to the States to Atlanta in '99 when I was 12. I speak both Swedish and English,” says Goodhand. 

While working in the nightclub scene, Maddy and Glenn decided they wanted to break through their current mold and create shows without any creative restrictions or barriers. 

“We did not want to have any walls, we wanted a blank canvas that we could create the exact environment that we had envisioned,” says Goodhand. “We wanted to choose our staff and work with the best people in the industry. We wanted to radiate positive energy and spread light, and believed that by creating a good team and a group of individuals that believed in what we were doing we could create magic and a festival that felt different from the others.”

That’s when the aquatic fairytale was born. 

Image Courtesy of Imagine Music Festival + Facebook

Imagine began as a two-day festival in the middle of Atlanta, Georgia. Goodhand shares that starting an electric wonderland didn’t come without its fair share of challenges, one of which included losing the fest’s original venue.

“[The biggest challenge was] being able to fit our big dreams into our small budget,” she explains. “Also, that first year we lost our venue four months before the event. It ended up being a blessing because we ended up at the Historic Fourth Ward Park in downtown Atlanta, which was absolutely beautiful.”

Imagine quickly began to explode in popularity, and after its second year, the fest had already outgrown its first home.

“We didn't want to move, but if we had to, we wanted to choose the biggest place we could find so we had infinite room to grow. Going to Atlanta Motor Speedway and adding camping AND a third day all in the same year made a statement to the world the type of festival we wanted to become,” states Goodhand. “It was a huge undertaking at the time, and was very challenging, but I'm glad we took the leap and pulled it off.”

Image Courtesy of Imagine Music Festival + Facebook

The festival is independently operated by the Goodhands, with help from their hand-selected team members rallying beside them. 

Maddy says that herself, Glenn, and the rest of the Imagine team have spent each year improving the festival’s production, making it more and more memorable for guests. 

“We keep a close ear to the ground and are always asking our guests and friends in the community how we can improve...This constant tweaking and paying attention to what our guests want, we feel, has led us to experience such rapid growth,” states Goodhand. 

This year, the festival is expected to be the most mystical adventure yet, with new themes and experiences to elevate the underwater world to the next level.

“This year we have introduced the theme “What Lies Deep at the Bottom of the Ocean” inspired by Seven Lions track, "Ocean." Our stage designs and festival decor are playing off the theme which is super cool,” shares Goodhand. “We have also switched up the layout and are adding some fun new areas with different fun things like pop up performances, vendors, themed bars, and games. We are also working closely with the artists to develop some really neat Meet & Greet opportunities and new VIP experiences.” 

Goodhand adds that while it hasn’t always been easy to earn respect as a young woman in what she describes as, “a man’s world,” she is using her platform as a successful woman in the industry to boost her fellow females.

“When I have the opportunity to talk to our entire staff and inspire other young women to be in a leadership position, it’s very rewarding as I feel I have broken through the struggle,” she says.

In addition to promoting strong female staff, Goodhand is showcasing the fierce female talent in the industry through this year’s stellar lineup. 

“The lineup is awesome, [I] can't wait to see our stacked female lineup with Rezz, Alison Wonderland, Leah Culver, Anna Lunoe, Nora En Pure,” shares Goodhand. “And of course I'm excited for Diplo and Tipper.”

(If you haven’t had a chance to read all about how Leah Culver plans to bring the house down this year at IMF, you can do so here). 

Goodhand says that she is thrilled to see the fest come together this year, and describes the entire experience as “humbling and exciting.” 

“I feel like I'm watching this magical moment in the universe - to see a vision come to life and so many smiling faces and guests having the time of their [lives],” she explains. “I'm proud of us [for] being a homegrown, independent festival and being compared to the biggest festivals in the world. Personally, I'm proud of overcoming many challenges and being able to grow from those experiences. I think its a mutual pride we share with our whole community.” 

Image Courtesy of Imagine Music Festival + Facebook

Goodhand adds that she sees no limitations to what Imagine may become in the future.

“We are still in our early stages, so the possibilities are really endless for where we can go and the type of festival we will become,” she states. 

Tickets to Imagine are selling out fast! Join me and thousands of other underwater dreamers as we express our inner mermaid realness on September 19 - 22, 2019. Grab your tickets here.

Psst...want to know what lies deep at the bottom of the ocean? Discover the magic for yourself here: