Photos: HFStival in Washington, D.C.
HFStival was always a much-anticipated music festival in the Washington, D.C. area from 1990-2006, and was held by the WHFS radio station each year. When the radio station was canceled, the festival went along with it until 2010 and 2011, when the festival was revived for two years. Unfortunately, I was never lucky enough to attend when it was around initially, so when I heard it was coming back, I knew I had to attend.
The festival lineup was stacked with acts like Bush, Incubus, Death Cab for Cutie, and Postal Service.
Lit opened the festival for the crowd, who brought a lot of energy early in the day. Following Lit was Filter, Tonic, and Violent Femmes (an absolute favorite of mine). Girl Talk brought a group of fans on stage to dance as they DJ’ed and blew toilet paper rolls into the audience with a rigged leaf blower. Jimmy Eat World was next, and they didn’t disappoint. Liz Phair, a legend for female empowerment in music and the only female lead singer of the day was also incredible and a great lead-up to Bush.
Bush has been a band that I’ve been a fan of for decades, and getting to see them and photograph them was incredibly surreal. Gavin Rossdale has the most distinct vocals and being able to see him perform was epic.
Incubus put on the kind of show only Incubus could put on; moody and ethereal. They’re another band I’ve been aching to see for years and it was incredible to witness their talent.
Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service closed out the night with epic performances, the crowd having the best time as they sang along to their biggest hits.
The festival had various activities throughout the day as well, including a cupcake eating contest, a Guitar Hero contest held on stage, flash tattoos, and tarot readings around the venue. The energy at the festival was off the charts, even as the rain hit during Incubus’ set. It was a perfect day for the HFStival comeback, here’s to hoping we see another one next year!
I also wanted to say a thank you to everyone who works for the festival and I.M.P. Every single person who took us to and from the stage or answered questions went out of their way to make it the best day ever. I can’t express how appreciative I am to the staff for making the day so easy and for being so excited about the festival and the music.
See photos from the festival below: