IMAGINE FESTIVAL WEEKEND | UNIMAGINABLE FEST / DEF GLOBAL - SHIBA SAN + TREASURE FINGERS / PARALLAX [PHOTOS]
Written by Elizabeth Windham and Matthew Demarko
Saturday of Atlanta’s Music Week took us just about as far out as Chattahoochee Hills to start our adventure, under a downtown bridge to continue it, and into a photo studio warehouse to finish it off.
Unimaginable Fest, held in Monroe, GA, gave us burner vibes as the whole collective worked together to build (and constantly creatively improve) an entertaining, nourishing environment. We knew it’d be authentic when we pulled up and were graced with a vision of portapotties. The camping substitute for people looking outside of clubs and venues to fill their Imagine fix, this mini festival promised knife throwing and adventure. Free water, elderberry lemonade vendors, 3 hour trance sets, beer pong, and puppies made this an incredibly unique, heartwarming experience. Although we didn’t get to stay past sunset, we felt a pull back as we drove back towards the city for madness.
Transitioning from nature (and a camping community guarded by gnomes in trees) towards downtown Atlanta was quite a jolt. Headed towards an ominously and ambiguously named area of downtown Atlanta, The Underground , we definitely remember the SOUND of getting out of our car after parking and being blasted with bass and lasers. Not being familiar with the venue at all, the site of an under-the-bridge concrete jungle got us amped immediately. Our jaws dropped, our hands unintentionally went up to protect our ears and we approached DEF’s Underground Atlanta popup thinking “surely this is illegal”.
Dope does need even begin to describe it.
Lastly, we headed towards the late night house stage where we got a true rave experience. Entering the nondescript photo studio, we were blasted with red and blue light bouncing off disco balls hanging from the warehouse ceiling. Fog machines, a bar with hype libations, and people passionate about dancing late into the night gave us an incredible minimalist adventure. By the time we left at 3:30am the line was growing and out the door confirming that Parallax is most definitely the late night spot.
All photos by Matthew Demarko
