Ubbi Dubbi EDM Fest Day 2 Was Good While it Lasted

The seventh edition of Ubbi Dubbi Fest, one of the largest EDM festivals in Texas, was a good time until reports of funnel clouds caused an early cancellation of the festival. We’re fortunate to be alive, and we’re also fortunate to have gone to an after-party in Dallas.

It was a hot and dry afternoon when we first arrived at Ubbi Dubbi’s festival grounds at Panther Island Pavilion on Saturday, April 25. Around 4:30 p.m., early acts such as Skilah at the Ubbi Stage and Funkbox at the Dubbi Stage played before the storm rolled in.

The Ubbi Stage, where the bigger, more progressive house and big room sounds were hosted, featured DJs like TikTokker Xandra. The Dubbi Stage, meanwhile, was definitely made for the wubs and fans of anything dubstep, with acts such as Tinykvt taking the stage. The Zoom Room leaned into hard techno, giving us a small taste of Berlin-esque sounds from acts like HØLDËN.

All of the stages were fun, and the festival had a row of vendors selling pashminas, pins, fans and everything in between. There were activations from brands like Monaco, a bottled-cocktail brand and the juicebox-style wine brand BeatBox.

There were several shaded areas that provided important relief during the early sets. We cannot stress enough how scorching hot it was during the first half of the festival. Security blasted the front row of Xandra’s 5 p.m. set with ice-cold water with water guns. It was the most refreshing thing imaginable.

Honestly, it saved us from nearly passing out. But those are the kinds of logistical issues and environmental challenges at a festival in Texas in spring.

After a few sets at the mainstage, we headed to the Zoom Room to catch DØMINA, a Los Angeles-based hard techno artist, who put on an incredible set full of energy.

People were passing kandi, the handmade bead bracelets regularly exchanged at raves, to each other, carrying festival totems with memes, funny messages and other debaucherous art. Some groups at the festival were dressed as characters from popular TV shows like Attack on Titan and SpongeBob. The colorful chaos of the crowd is what made the festival feel so alive.

The Beginning of the End

As the sun began to set, the wind picked up. At first, the breeze helped offset the scorching heat beating down. But as time went on and we returned to the main stage to watch Loud Luxury’s sunset set, the sky grew darker, and the wind started to pick up even more.

Eventually, all festival activities had to be suspended. A sign appeared on the main stage instructing attendees to evacuate the festival grounds, stay calm and follow staff directions to the exits.

“Fuck the weather,” Loud Luxury said as his set was cut short.

Soon, the festival’s security took over the PA system to guide people off the grounds as winds intensified. As we were being herded out of the festival grounds, lightning began illuminating the sky.  

While some chanced waiting out the storm, the Observer felt evacuation was the wiser choice, especially since the weather forecast called heavy rain and strong winds. Plus, just 30 years ago, a hailstorm hospitalized 60 festival attendees at the 1995 Mayfest, and we were not planning on reliving history. A tornado was reported near festival grounds, so it felt like the odds of the festival reopening were very low, anyway. The main attractions of the day, Bunt. and Zedd, were eventually canceled.

To make up for the last-minute cancellation, SILO, an EDM club owned by the producer of Ubbi Dubbi, scheduled a show from Cloonee, who was scheduled to play the mainstage at 10 p.m. The SILO iteration was extended to 11:30 p.m., and it became the highlight of the night. He kicked things off with his new banger “Free Your Mind,” and quickly flowed into tracks like “XTC.” He played a variety of edits, including some of his signature reggaeton flips, along with hits like “Sippin’ Yak.”

After his set, he thanked Dallas and spent a few minutes greeting fans, signing merch and taking pictures. A night that had seemed almost completely ruined was ultimately saved for the lucky few who experienced the afterparty.

Hopefully, Ubbi Dubbi gets its redemption next year. This seventh edition simply could not compete with the weather, but the beat goes on.