I have been looking forward to Sun God Festival since I committed to UC San Diego two years ago. After last year’s cancellation, I have had a lot of time to build up unreasonable expectations. I had heard from friends that, in past years, Sun God had headliners like Kendrick Lamar, Dayglow, and Doja Cat right before their big break. Given that these are some of my top artists, I was very excited to see who would be headlining this year. I don’t listen to house music in my free time, so I was a little disappointed seeing the EDM-heavy lineup — it didn’t match the vibe I was expecting. However, I hoped going to Sun God would be the perfect way to listen to house music for the first time. 

While planning my schedule for the day, I read on Reddit that getting in line around 12:30 p.m. would leave me waiting two hours before getting in. With that in mind, I was impressed that I got to the entrance just an hour later. During my short wait, I hyped myself up for the amusement rides. I assumed the rides would be free because the entire event was advertised as such for UCSD students. However, once we got there, I realized they were not, which slightly dimmed my excitement for the whole event. 

My friends and I instead decided to find a viewing spot in the grass to watch Sun Room, Slayyyter, Duckwrth, and Disco Lines. I enjoyed listening to Sun Room and felt it brought my energy back up. I didn’t know who Slayyyter was before seeing her at Sun God, but her captivating energy made me invested in her performance. Duckwrth’s set was electric, and his energy radiated off the stage — I guarantee he will be in my Spotify Wrapped this year. Finally, it was time for Disco Lines. Before Sun God, I had never heard of him, but after his performance, I fell in love with not only him but house music in general. His visuals and lasers were fun to watch and enhanced his performance. Even though I only stayed for a portion of his set, it was extremely entertaining. In all, even though the performers weren’t my usual taste, I still had a blast.

Though the music was the highlight, the crowd killed my mood, specifically during Duckwrth’s set. People’s lack of spatial awareness and tendency to shove others to get to the front ruined my thrilled state. The mosh pits pushed people toward me, making me lose my balance. I was more focused on maintaining my balance than listening to the music. Physical discomfort is common in concerts and big crowds, but there is typically a sense of maturity and watchfulness that the Sun God crowd lacked. I found myself enjoying the music more while sitting toward the back and watching on the big screens than when I was in the crowd.

Sitting in the grass and watching the performers made me realize that, even if things aren’t perfect or exactly as you had hoped, you can still have a good time. Despite my issues with the crowd, the music and artists changed the entire experience of the event for me and gave me lots of good memories to reminisce about. I have always been a person who tries to have low expectations for anything to avoid disappointment, but this Sun God taught me that I shouldn’t measure how much fun I had based on whether my expectations were satisfied, but rather if I had a good time overall. This experience will forever be a cherished memory — one that I will rave about for years to come.