Life in Color Festival, also known as DayGlow Festival, was an electronic music festival known for its bright explosions of paint and color. The festival began in 2006 and quickly grew into a popular EDM event staged across the United States and around the world. However, in recent years, Life in Color has largely faded from prominence. So what exactly happened to Life in Color Festival and where is it now?
The Rise of Life in Color
Life in Color Festival was founded in 2006 by Sebastian Solano, a club promoter in Miami, Florida. The first event was held at a small club in downtown Miami and involved spraying fluorescent paint onto dancers. This novel concept, combining electronic dance music with high-energy paint throws, resonated with attendees and quickly attracted interest. Within just a few years, Life in Color expanded into a large-scale touring festival, bringing its fluorescent party experience to cities across America.
By 2012, Life in Color was staging massive events at venues like Madison Square Garden in New York City, with headliners like Hardwell, Steve Aoki, and Calvin Harris. The paint-splattered parties also spread internationally to countries like Canada, Brazil, France, and more. The festival was providing a unique sensory experience and attracting tens of thousands of EDM fans to each event.
The Peak Years
The pinnacle years for Life in Color were likely 2013 and 2014. During this period, the festival expanded to over 100 events globally each year. Locations ranged from Miami and Las Vegas to more exotic sites like a beach in Thailand. Life in Color brought leading DJs together with circus performers, acrobats, dancers, and wild paint celebrations. The events were described as euphoric and high-energy, with non-stop music and’$O0,000+ worth of paint per show.
By 2014, Life in Color had established itself as a major EDM festival brand. That year, it partnered with IMG Productions, an entertainment company that manages festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC). This partnership enabled Life in Color to scale up the production value and secure talent like Tiesto, Afrojack and Krewella as headliners. Revenues and attendance totals reached new highs.
Challenges Emerge
Despite the rapid growth, some challenges started to emerge for Life in Color around 2015. Critics began to complain that the festival had strayed too far from its underground roots and become too commercialized. There were also organizational struggles behind the scenes as Life in Color cycled through different investor groups and production companies.
In addition, the concept itself seemed to be losing appeal. As one music journalist explained, “Dousing crowds with paint was novel at first, but it may have lost its cool factor.” Rave culture began shifting away from the fluorescent, sensory overload themes that defined Life in Color. Younger EDM fans were seeking out different experiences.
The Decline
By 2016, attendance and energy around Life in Color events started to sharply decline. That year, Life in Color brought its tour to just 15 cities, down from over 100 cities two years prior. The event lost money and struggled to draw crowds. One show in Tampa, Florida in July 2016 only attracted about 1,000 fans, despite having space for over 10,000.
Life in Color continued to have challenges in 2017 and 2018. Some events were canceled last minute. Other shows went on but had embarrassingly low turnout. The brand stumbled along with a thin roster of domestic dates and no real media buzz.
Life in Color Today
Currently, Life in Color continues to exist but is a shell of what it once was. The number of annual events has dwindled to less than 10. Most shows are now held internationally in locations like Bolivia, Paraguay, and the Dominican Republic. Life in Color has retreated from its former strongholds in the U.S., where it once held massive festivals but can now barely draw a crowd.
While Life in Color still has official social media pages, they have paltry engagement, with posts getting less than 100 likes. The brand feels stale and forgotten, especially compared to the current giants of the EDM festival scene like EDC, Ultra and Electric Forest.
Why Did Life in Color Decline?
There are likely several reasons why Life in Color slowly lost its prominence:
- The novelty of paint throwing wore off
- Younger fans lost interest in the fluorescent aesthetics
- Mismanagement and organizational instability
- Competition from other festivals
- Failure to keep up with latest music trends
While the paint parties were originally unique and exciting, they seem to have become gimmicky and tired. And as EDM evolved, Life in Color did not adapt or refresh its brand effectively. Other festivals stepped in and stole the momentum.
Could Life in Color Make a Comeback?
Many longtime fans still have nostalgia for Life in Color and wish the festival could regain its peak form. However, given the current low-energy state of the brand, a major comeback seems unlikely. Life in Color would need an infusion of new creative vision and business leadership to rebuild itself into a top-tier festival again.
That said, nothing is impossible. With enough investment and the right strategy, Life in Color could potentially rehabilitate its image and carve out a renewed niche. A resurgence likely depends on identifying untapped demand and differentiating itself from competitors. But for now, Life in Color remains a faded star in the EDM galaxy.
Legacy and Influence
At its height, Life in Color helped grow the EDM festival scene and provided fans an exciting, sensory-overloaded celebration of electronic music. The large-scale paint throwing parties were genuinely innovative in their time. Life in Color served as a bridge between underground raves and the big-budget music festivals we know today.
Life in Color also launched the careers of several DJs who went on to become leaders in the industry, like Diplo, Afrojack, and Carnage. It holds an important place in EDM history, even if newer fans are unfamiliar with the brand.
While the festival itself may not have sustained its success, it inspired and evolved into many other events. EDM fans today still enjoy wild costumes, bright colors, eccentric performers, and high-energy party atmospheres that trace back to the origins of Life in Color.
Conclusion
Life in Color Festival emerged in the late 2000s as an exciting new concept combining EDM with colorful paint blasts. It experienced rapid growth for nearly a decade, becoming a major national and international festival brand. However, Life in Color’s popularity eventually faded due to oversaturation, mismanagement, and failure to keep up with trends. The once-leading festival has declined to just a handful of small international events each year.
Life in Color made its mark during the early boom of EDM festivals and influenced subsequent events. But the paint throwing antics seem to have run their course. While a big comeback is unlikely, fans will remember Life in Color as a fun, wild part of EDM history.
