I love Camp Flog Gnaw. A decade ago, Tyler, The Creator started the music festival accompanied by other members of the group Odd Future. Though the location has changed as the festival has gained popularity, it is always located somewhere in LA. The festival has expanded from one to two days, and consistently showcases genres such as RnB, jazz, hip hop and alternative. Between going to Lollapalooza, over 30 concerts and working at an amphitheater over the past five years, I have been to many concerts and festivals that work…and many that do not. I attended Camp Flog Gnaw last year and those days were possibly my favorite two days of the year. I have had many extravagant experiences over the course of this year, so I can’t say that the one day I attended Camp Flog Gnaw was my favorite day of the whole year –I went to the Amalfi Coast for crying out loud – but, I can say that Camp Flog Gnaw was efficient and ran very well given that thousands of people were standing in a parking lot. This is not to say that Camp Flog Gnaw should exist without critique; however, the overall experience was so entertaining that I can gladly say that I would return for my third year in a row. Here’s why:
Advertisement from a planning perspective - 7/10
CFG’s dates were announced on June 26th with the ticket sale starting the following day. The tickets were sold out the day after that. Coming up with the money for tickets on a day’s notice can be very difficult, which definitely questions the accessibility of the festival. Tickets for this year’s festival ranged from $372 to $1757. However, due to the fact that Tyler, The Creator has a cult following, the festival sells out with consistency.
The lineup was announced October 18, about a month before the festival. This means that people buy their tickets not knowing who they are going to see. I think this aspect of the festival demonstrates the trust the fans have with Tyler and the culture of going simply to enjoy the music and not see a certain artist (besides Tyler, who is guaranteed to perform). In the week leading up to the festival, the venue map, transportation plan and set times are released. While it can be difficult to make a plan for this festival as a consumer, most fans are aware of the time period that tickets will be released as well as the general weeks that the festival will be held.
Transportation - 5/10
When it comes to transportation for this festival, the phrase “It’s the thought that counts” comes to mind. I started off by taking two trains to Union Station, because it was advertised that there would be shuttles taking festival-goers to Dodger Stadium for free. When I arrived around 3 p.m. (only two hours after the festival began) there were easily 1,000 people in the line. The line was well into the middle of the station with people standing behind barricades, and there was security everywhere. While this was a very organized event, it was hard to contain the ever multiplying crowd. In addition, the security guards told me that there were already three fights that day.
My partner and I ended up taking an Uber. When we walked over to the rideshare lot, we found many other groups doing the same thing. All claiming that the line was too long, they wanted to get to the stadium earlier to see a certain artist and ordered Ubers that would get them there in a shorter amount of time than waiting in the line. The Ubers ranged from $20-25, with an Uber from USC being upwards of $42. The Uber took around 20 minutes, and as we approached the stadium we saw people walking up the side of the expressway and traffic getting much more dense.
I still had faith in the shuttle concept by the time the concert ended. We descended the mountain and quickly boarded a shuttle that would take us to Union Station. The wait in the parking lot seemingly took forever, until a security guard boarded the bus and stated, “Some people broke down the barrier and are flooding the street, so we can’t drive right now. You can either wait 25 minutes for it to be cleared up, or walk two miles to Union Station.” At first I sat and waited, but considering the fact that my phone was about to die, I chose to walk 1.2 miles to the Chinatown station that happened to take me directly home.
While the concept of free shuttles was good in theory, it failed in practice due to the amount of people that attended the festival. I did not speak with anyone who used the shuttle — everyone I interviewed either drove or Ubered – but I think that having a shuttle service from multiple locations would be more effective for the future.
App functionality - 7/10
The CFG app is a very nice touch for a festival. It allows you to register your wristband, check set times interactively, look at FAQs and more. After the festival, people could locate lost items through the app. However, the density of the festival caused the app to run slow. While set times were posted online, and there were screens that would show who is performing where at what time, the app is very helpful for planning out your day.
Safety and Cleanliness - 9/10
CFG works on a wristband system, where your wristband can allow entry into a certain section. You have to scan your wristband to enter the festival, which was very easy, and the baggage check was not excessive or invasive. You are encouraged to bring backpacks into the festival where there are storage lockers. There were also multiple water refilling stations and free Narcan -medication used to prevent opioid overdoses- with instructions for use. Artists would stop their shows to alert medics of an issue that was transpiring in the audience; a trend that has picked up in popularity since the casualties at Astrofest.
However, last year there were several announcements made about shining a phone light in the crowd and getting other people around you to follow suit if a person had gotten injured or sick. This year it was not enforced. Last year, I caught a water bottle while waiting in the audience for Tyler, The Creator to perform. I did not get free water this year, though that may be because I was bouncing around between sets. In addition, I was in the middle of most pits last year and chose not to do them this year, but last year they were fairly safe with people returning lost phones and helping up people who had fallen. This speaks to the festival’s culture.
The main stage of the concert had something of a sitting area all the way to the back. This area was created by festival-goers, and allowed people to sit down and enjoy the concert without the density of the crowds. There was also safety in cleanliness. While many people were eating and drinking throughout the festival, there was never trash on the ground. Employees would clean the trash in the food areas, as well as in the crowds, right as the concert dispersed which led to a very clean atmosphere.
Fun and Culture - 10/10
The fashion of CFG is arguably the most exciting part about being on the ground. The festival-goers come in costumes or Tyler, The Creator-esque outfits which can be very interesting to look at.
The general culture of the festival is one of happiness. In both years, the festival-goers, performers and employees were all happy to be there, and treated each other with dignity and respect.
Performances - 10/10
The performances are the best part of CFG, and obviously what people come to see. Doechii brought out SZA and gave a high-energy performance that had me hooked. Omar Apollo sang with a jazz vibe as the sun set. His stage presence was palpable, and the entire audience sang the song “Invincible” as the lyrics played on screen. He sang in Spanish and ended with a grito - a Mexican ululation. Kaytranda’s performance was a pleasant surprise. There was no live singing, but instead a house music vibe where he matched the audience’s claps to the beat he was about to play. People danced while looking at his insane visuals. However, my favorite part of the concert was obviously Tyler, The Creator. This is Tyler’s music festival and practically everyone there is a diehard fan. Some showed up in costumes based on music videos or photo shoots he had done, and practically the entire audience knew all the words to his “Chromakopia,” album – a project released only three weeks prior and has sat at #1 ever since. Tyler mixed his old music with his new discography and debuted St. Chroma, his new masked alter ego who displays his vulnerabilities about aging, parenthood, relationships and more in the album. His stage presence was absolutely insane with his movements being enough to see even when I was in the back of the crowd.
To my knowledge, Tyler curates the artists that will be performing. He usually has a song with them and they align with the festival’s aesthetic. While I was not able to attend day two of the festival, I know that those performances were amazing, as well.
Food - 8/10
I spent way too much on food and drinks.
The Red Bull watermelon margarita with a double shot ended up running me $37.23. There were many bars on site, but they all were run by the festival, not the individual vendor. While the margarita was good enough, it left me wondering why I spent that much for something that should have been under $20. However, I agreed to the price and tried it for research purposes. In regards to the bar, the festival administration was very adaptable. I did not receive a 21+ wristband upon entry, and many other people did not as well. Instead of sending people away from the bar, they brought over someone to do ID checks so people would not have to lose their spots in line.
During the day my partner and I ate hibachi chicken fries, chicken tacos and a churro. These stands were all operated by different people, so pricing was up to the vendor. I was pleased with the number of options that the festival offered and the frequency with which food would appear around the venue. The fries were good and garlicky and were very filling, but $23 was an over the top price. My partner ordered three chicken tacos for $17. They took 11 mins and were served on cold corn tortillas. They were flavorful enough, but the ones from LA’s local street vendors taste much better and are more cost-effective. While the area to eat was clean, it did not have any chairs, only tables. However, I can see how having chairs could be complicated, as this is a high-traffic area. Something I would like to see next year is more allergens listed, as well as allergens included on the app. My partner has a nut and shellfish allergy, but most menus did not mention if they contained allergens, if items were halal or kosher, or had any non-obvious ingredients.
Overall, CFG was an experience to remember! From the moment I arrived, the energy was infectious, and it felt like stepping into a living, breathing celebration of art, culture, and community. From the breathtaking performance by Tyler, The Creator to the other performances on the three stages and the festival grounds being packed with people of all ages dressed in his image. The sense of community at CFG was something special. People from all walks of life came together to celebrate, and the atmosphere was welcoming and inclusive. It was clear that the organizers put a lot of thought into creating a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone. I will definitely be coming back next year!