Home > Blogs > Festival Fever > Festival Fever: Decadence

Festival Fever: Decadence

March 20, 2012

INK Entertainment Presents: Decadence at the Guvernment

Welcome back to Festival Fever, our weekly feature that covers the most prolific Electronic Dance Music Events in Canada and around the globe. This week, we preview Decadence, an event which takes place in Toronto every Easter weekend. Put together by the almighty INK Entertainment and hosted at their flagship property, the Guvernment/Kool Haus Entertainment Complex, this celebration, as always, promises to be memorable. INK Entertainment sets the trend in social style, hospitality and entertainment with world-class music, mouth-watering food and a diverse clientele that includes celebrities, musicians, artists, professionals and corporate partners alike. Established by nightlife innovator Charles Khabouth, INK is committed to developing all areas of the scene in Toronto. His company currently owns and operates a hefty list of successful bars and restaurants and has recently acquired a country club in south Miami named ‘The Coral Gables’. INK has clearly defined itself as a leader and bringing in many of the biggest names in the industry has helped them grow the EDM scene significantly in eastern Canada. Having put together some of the biggest and most successful shows, the team behind these extravagant productions will not leave you hanging with Decadence.

Fans come together every year to celebrate in an atmosphere like no other. The Guvernment has been regarded as perhaps the largest and most successful club in Canada for years now and is currently ranked #18 by the public on the DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs Poll, up 13 spots from last year. Consisting of several different venues and stages scattered throughout the enormous building, it is very easy to get lost between the rooms and the maze of hallways connecting them. This mega club is open after hours for all the fans who want to dance until the sun rises, the shows that go on here are always packed and usually run late into the morning. Whether you are partying inside Chroma, Surface, Skybar, Kool Haus or the main room famously known as Guvernment, you will certainly catch a glimpse of the amazing visuals on display throughout the night and be submersed into an atmosphere unparalleled by any other in Canada.

Many of the world’s best DJs have graced the decks for Decadence in the past, although for the last few years the line ups have been consistently more superstar heavy. In 2010 David Guetta’s performance left the fans reeling for more, and while David was busy at his craft so was Armin Van Buuren in the other room. As usual, Armin had the crowd going wild with his driving trance lines. Stepping it up again last year, Decadence featured another all-star cast and the anticipation was through the roof as this event was clearly gaining immense amounts of popularity. Last April the fans were treated to stellar performances by Kaskade, Chris Lake, Tiga and Boyz Noize. A warm welcome then awaited the popular Calvin Harris as he proceeded to blow the crowd away with his progressive mega hits. The headline of the night was easily Axwell, all the hype behind the Swedish House Mafia last year created a massive fan base for the talented producers. Branching out and also focusing on solo performances helped them keep their reign among the top acts of the industry. Needless to say, Axwell’s set lived up to his reputation and sent the fans home with incredible memories. Check out this video of last year’s action.

On Thursday April 5, fans will be lined up, anxiously waiting to get inside the mega complex and let loose to sets preformed by many of their favourite artists. Featuring four separate stages in different rooms, Decadance 2012 has all the right ingredients to be one stellar party. Fans inside Chroma will experience sets from Nave C, Mike Toast and Flipside. Inside Surface Greg Gow, Jay Force, Joee Cons and the Canadian scene veteran Deko-Ze will keep everyone’s hands in the air with captivating mixes. The two larger rooms will surely be the main attractions as the international talent coming into Toronto to play this show is outstanding. The new 27,000 square-foot Kool Haus will be packed with over 2,000 excited fans as Manzone & Strong lead off the show before Otto Knows gets his turn to wow the crowd. Alesso then takes the stage, his unique style and ties to the Swedish House Mafia has rapidly shot him into stardom with smash hits including Pressure which is considered one of the most globally played songs of 2011. Fittingly, Sebastian Ingrosso, will have his turn to follow up on the energy Alesso creates inside this elegant venue. Ingrosso, one third of the SHM is known for impressing fans with his high energy tracks and mixes, a perfect way to end the show. Over inside Guvernment, Mark Oliver and Jochen Miller will throw down gripping sets and set up the night for the superstars to come. EDX will bring his uplifting vocals and hard drops before young sensation Arty jumps into the mix and lays down his own hot singles. Last but not least, inside Guvernment, the famous Sander van Doorn will grace the stage with his presence and have the fans going wild. van Doorn is currently ranked 16th on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs poll and is notorious for exhilarating the crowd with his music.

This event is clearly successful for a reason, the fans want to see their favorite DJs, and with the backing of such an established company, Decadence will likely continue to grow year after year. Keep an eye out for upcoming announcements from Guvernment on their website and buy your tickets for this event now before it’s too late. If you happen to be in Toronto for Easter weekend, we suggest you try really hard not to miss this party.

Next week seeing as it is the last Tuesday of the month, we feature an international festival for the second time. Electric Daisy Carnival takes place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the month of June and is expected to be yet another great three day festival produced by Insomniac. Log on next Tuesday to here all about it.

See you next week!

Stef Abrek