Written By: DeAnna May
Don’t underestimate a party in Palm Beach. These locals know how to have a good time! In the heart of Downtown WPB, the We Belong Here music festival set the vibes and gave memorable moments for life. For this one unforgettable weekend, vibrant souls gathered on the Intracoastal Waterway at The Meyer Amphitheater with the unified intention- have one heck of a time dancing to feel-good house music. Vendors with hip festival apparel, WBH merch, nutritional meal preps and a curated pop-up wine tasting (nothing short of the refined Palm Beach area) were all this intimate yet perfectly proportioned festival needed to keep the crowd intrigued when they needed a break from the dancing grounds.
Zoe Gitter kicked off the evening with some tech-house mixes that really got the party started. As the sun began to set, Oliver Helden‘s hit mixes got everyone on their feet. Jumping, swaying, bobbing, shuffling, all were moving to the beat and singing along to his hits like “Gecko” and “Turn Me On”. I think it’s quite safe to say for those who came to see him, the expectations were exceeded. Especially after his appearance jumping on the booth in his silky matching leisure set, shuffling it out to his own set…the crowd went crazy. Le Youth kept the vibe alive but altered the mood just enough, giving the perfect chill-house yet upbeat energy. Then to close out day one came headliner, Kaskade with one of his classic techno-house dj sets. The mood shifted and bodies were moving in rhythm to his drops.
Food vendors were lined up to fuel those who had danced off their lunch, or just wanted a tasteful bite. The Smorgasburg Food Village gave an array of options that made it hard to choose. Thankfully, the lines were just long enough to give you time to decide but not get impatient. Kaskade finished the night strong, leaving everyone that was returning excited for day two.
Sunday unfolded flawlessly. Supertaste came out jamming with just the right super-chill vibes for the house music lovers of Palm Beach. It wasn’t long before Bakermat followed in impeccable timing taking the stage and turned the energy up. Bakermat’s soulful jams couldn’t have made the sunset any more perfect. Mixing up his popular hits with an incredible live saxophone player, the energy was unmatched and everyone was feeling it. Who doesn’t love to vibe out to the perfect combo of house and sax? SG Lewis stole my heart and took control of my feet. He delivered groovy drops in better timing than my same-day Amazon orders. All the shufflers came out of the woodwork for his set.
Finally, Axwell took the stage to shut the place down and man, he did not disappoint. He turned the energy all the way up. His soaring synth melodies and progressive house playlist had bodies sweating and heads spinning. With nonstop energy, unhinged lasers, and big-room beats it’s needless to say the people of WPB danced till they dropped.
We Belong Here- Palm Beach proved that you don’t need a massive sprawl to create a massive experience. From golden-hour to late-night grooves with ‘hands-in-the-air’ moments, the weekend struck the perfect balance between intimate and electric. It was the kind of festival where strangers became dance partners, the music felt personal, and every set left you wanting just one more song. If this weekend was any indication, West Palm Beach isn’t just carving out its name as an EDM city, it’s confirming to all the locals and visitors alike that they belong here.
XO, Dancing Dee