My first time at Ubbi Dubbi was spectacular, to say the least. In previous years, the festival has taken place at the Texas Motorplex, attracting over 60,000 attendees in its first rendition, and has featured household names such as Illenium, Excision, Dabin, Alison Wonderland, Blanke, Kill the Noise, and Dom Dolla. This year, the 2-day festival took place at the intimate Panther Island Pavilion in Fort Worth, Texas, and has three stages – the Ubbi, Dubbi, and Zoom Room stages – across several genres: dubstep, house, melodic bass, progressive, and more. The weather was really nice for the most part, barring the light rain on Day 2, with fluffy clouds that were beautifully lit-up in the sky.

The name of the festival hails from a 1990s Cartoon TV show called “Zoom,” where “Ubbi Dubbi” is the name of an English Language game, one which Disco Donnie himself describes as “a secret language for kids.” And indeed, I saw some of this character shine through. On the first day, one of the first things that caught my eye were inflatables of Ubbi and Dubbi. I also saw other mascots within the festival grounds that were playful, cute, emotive, and unique in their own ways. They also had several cute shops which sold unique and intricate, handmade goods – from clothing and fans, to jewelry, pins, posters, and more.

During my time there, I mainly bounced between the Ubbi and Dubbi Stages, and had the privilege of hanging at the Production Booth for the Ubbi Stage. The Ubbi Stage is the Main Stage and featured acts such as Timmy Trumpet, Rezz, and Slander, and the Dubbi Stage featured heavier and darker music, such as the likes of Ray Volpe, Deathpact, and Haritage. As a whole, the festival curated genres such as bass, house, dubstep, and many sounds in between. It also featured all-star production, with awe-inspiring lights, lasers, visuals, drones, and fireworks. While I was at the Production Booth, I was inspired by not only the views, but also by the production team’s passion, dedication, patience, hard work, and talent. Before the festival even begins, the production team arrives about a week prior in order to assemble the stages, festival grounds, and make sure everything is set up and ready to go. They are truly unsung heroes in what often seems like a one-artist show.

Ubbi Dubbi also hosted official afterparties, which they aptly named “Clubbi Dubbi“, at the end of each festival day for those who were not yet quite ready to end all the excitement. These afterparties were hosted at a Warehouse venue within walkable distance from the main venue. The afterparty on Day 1 featured the likes of Ray Volpe, Jessica Audifred, Dr. Fresch, and Rizz0, while Adventure Club and Malware took the reigns for Day 2.

Overall, the intimacy that the venue brought, along with its quirky mascots, various handmade products, top-notch production, all-star lineup, and friendly crowd, makes Ubbi Dubbi was an amazing 2-day festival that has both character and passion, and an event enjoyable for those who are both getting started with, and are veterans in the EDM festival scene.