This past weekend, Colorado saw a small glimpse of what to expect from Meow Wolf Denver that will be opening in 2021. The Santa-Fe based art group brought Dark Palace; a state-of-the-art three day psychedelic dance party in the dark, stacked with sets from amazingly talented musical artists, immersive rooms to get lost in – created by skilled local artists, as well as performance artists that graced their way throughout the venue.
The Dark Palace After Movie:
The sounds of Meow Wolf’s Dark Palace:
As 12,000+ fans flooded in, each night they were greeted with the atmosphere that welcomed the curious. With the theme of “Rave Against the Dying of the Night”, the vibes were that of an underground warehouse rave. The stages were captivating, designed by B1N4RY and Jon Medina; there was no shortage of projection, lasers, and LEDs.
The Main Stage consisted of installations that resembled pillars, triangles, and trapezoids, giving it a psychedelic Stonehenge vibe.
The Hall Stage was a bit darker and different, with an LED screen behind the decks, and a sheer screen in front that was decorated with trippy projections. Visuals were brought to us by B1N4RY, Psychojelly, Ethnograph, Mega.Pixel, Veggie Tempura, and more. Animations for the Main Stage were provided by Faiyaz Jafri, Chaerin Im, Steven Lapcevic, Mark Klink, and Ryan Wurst, while the Hall Stage animations were provided by Denver Digerati.
The halls were dressed with disco balls and luminescent lighting, as you wandered through, you’d come across different intricate rooms, each by a different local artist. You were welcomed to enter and absorb your own experience. Each of the featured artists went above and beyond to create a psychedelic space that made each person feel something different. We saw installations from Chelsey Crandell, Chris Coleman & Laleh Mehran, Collin Parson, Emma Balder, Matt Barton, Moe Gram, and Secret Love Collective.
The Chill Zone featured colorfully lit furniture and comfy spots to chill, as well as an aerial rig, where we watched a beautiful performance on silks by Rainbow Militia, also enjoyed performances by Psychopomps, The Girls of Denver Kiki Sessions, and Werk Out Palace.
Friday was filled with bouncing house, and tech house, and disco vibes, we saw the sounds of MK, Guy Gerber, J. Worra, Oona Dahl, Steve Darko, Jlin, Jimmy Edgar, and Option4, before finishing the night with an amazing set by Claude VonStroke.
Saturday was filled with future bass, funk, and out right weirdness with alluring sets by Nadasound, Lyftd, Vctre, Late Night Radio, Mikey Thunder, Shlohmo, Megan Hamilton, Mass Relay, and CharlesTheFirst.
Sunday was bass filled and funky on the Main Stage, we wobbled to to the sounds of Meso, Of The Trees, Shades, and Dirt Monkey, while Morgan G, Eli Escobar, and Krystal Klear threw down some groovy beats on the Hall Stage, we wondered over to close out the night with Lauren Lane.
Overall the event was a success, we danced with smiling faces and exchanged cherished memories with friends, while creating experiences with new friends in an awesome psychedelic environment. Denver’s historical National Western Complex held plenty of space across 600,000 sq.ft. for the whimsical event. We are anxiously awaiting the opening of Meow Wolf Denver; if you can’t wait until 2021, Santa Fe is still open, and the Las Vegas Exhibit will be opening in 2020 at Area 15!
Read more about Dark Place and keep up with Meow Wolf’s next moves via their social media handles and online presence.
