All About Imagine Festival

Atlanta, United States

Open air / Outdoor only / Field

XXL – 50k+

Electronic

$$$

Alternative, Pool, International

3+ Days

Imagine Festival is an energetic wonderland for electro-heads.

Part of the festival world since 2014, the Atlanta-based Imagine has taken place all over the city. Couple Glenn and Madeleine Goodhand founded Imagine, whose one defining feature is its love of green fields and wide horizons.

Here’s everything you need to know about Imagine Festival.

How Imagine Festival came into fruition

Driven by sheer passion, business partners Glenn and Madeleine Goodhand founded Imagine Festival after working in the nightclub scene.

Glenn Goodhand had already established IRIS Presents Inc. – the company that manages Imagine – in 1996, but left it on the back burner to pursue his law degree in 2005.

In 2011, the Goodhands picked the company back up as it became a leading event and promotion organization in Atlanta. The couple remained dedicated to their vision – creating a music festival that would present EDM in a unique light.

As Georgia’s longest-running music festival, Imagine first saw daylight in 2014 when it kicked off a two-day event in Downtown Atlanta’s Historic Old Fourth Ward Park.

The ex-industrial neighborhood’s park was a good start, but the founders could only see a brighter future.

Imagine later developed into a three-day event in 2015, drawing tens of thousands of partiers. With headliners like Adventure Club, Seven Lions, and Infected Mushroom, it was a no-brainer that the festival wasn’t a one-hit wonder.

The Atlanta festival is big on names

The EDM-focused music fest dons a massive and impressive lineup with over 50 artists scheduled to perform each edition.

Industry titans like Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, and Tiesto have performed at Imagine, leaving crowds itching for more.

While the festival usually sees a crowd ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 attendees, its largest event was in 2022. With over 100,000 festival-goers and a lineup including over 100 artists like Andy C, Illenium, and Excision, Imagine had a ‘who’s your daddy?’ edition.

The magic of Imagine is in its landscape

Imagine Festival’s first two editions were held in Downtown Atlanta’s historic Old Fourth Ward Park.

In 2016, the mega-event migrated to the Atlanta Motor Speedway, a NASCAR race track and event space spanning more than 3,000 square meters. Alongside the relocation, camping options became available, adding to Imagine’s popularity.

Imagine oscillated between the Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kingston Downs, a farm where the now-history electronic festival TomorrowWorld took place. One thing that remains unchanged is its open-air concept and wide horizons for a setting.

Imagine Festival’s acts unfold on top-notch stages

With up to six stages, Imagine takes its festival-goers on an aesthetic journey of trance. The main stage, Oceania, encapsulates the festival’s aquatic theme to the core with its beach-inspired installations and trippy visuals.

Amazonia is another aquatic-themed stage at Imagine Festival, where artists like San Holo spin the decks. Though not as large as Oceania, Amazonia is an elaborate setup with jungle-seasoned decorations.

The Aeria and Disco Inferno stages give off a grungier, more industrial aura and play host to artists like Andy C and Dombresky alongside back-to-back acts.

Imagine has a Russian doll-type situation with its VIP Club, which grants an up close and personal main stage view.

The Ocean View is a private lounge offering table service to festival-goers, but it doesn’t favour VIP ticket holders only.

Everyone is welcome so long as they pay the big bucks.

If you’re looking to show off your bod – remember every body is a beach body – head to Imagine’s Aqua Day Club holding pool parties, worth wandering off from the stages.

Camping spices up the quintessential Imagine Festival

Caravan, car, and tent camping options (with separately bought tickets) spoil festival-goers as they’re free to make their pick.

If you want to bring your tent and like late-night stargazing on the grassy fields, don’t worry about getting run over. Imagine has tent-only and car-only camping grounds.

For those who prefer to stay close to their vehicles, note that external generators and packaged fuel aren’t allowed.

Another important disclaimer is that you won’t be able to move your car until after the festival ends for safety.

Imagine Festival is a feast for your senses

Circus acts and amusement park rides are very much on the table at Imagine fest, so you can unleash your inner child in a vibrant setting. If you’re in the mood to reminisce about your university days, beer pong and cornhole games take over the picturesque Atlanta fields.

The pool parties, ticketed separately because of their limited capacity, are what define the days at Imagine.

If you decide to take a break from the madness in the middle of the fest, meditation and yoga workshops are a big hit at Imagine as they allow festival-goers to re-center after all the partying.

Imagine Festival is a colorful affair

If you’re walking around the Atlanta festival’s grounds, it’s no rare occurrence to come across live painters bringing murals to life.

For those who want to snap Insta-worthy shots at the fest, installations doubling as picture backdrops add just the right amount of artsy elements to Imagine.

The art scattered throughout the pastoral fields is as vivid and beach-inspired as the mega-event itself, so prepare to be immersed in aquatic-themed decorations.

The Atlanta festival warrants its time in the limelight

Production company White Sky Visuals, in collaboration with Carmel Ceravolo Films, found Imagine’s journey and process worth documenting – and their project saw daylight in 2017. It’s no surprise that Ceravolo took an interest in the festival, considering his background as a DJ, producer, and instrumentalist.

The Imagine Nation movie follows devoted attendees backstage at the fest while it dissects its art direction, lineups, and overall vibe. Illenium and Tiesto’s Imagine performances are the cherries on top of the film.

Those who have watched the movie consider it a deep dive into Imagine, but also festival culture. If you’re short on money yet want to live the festival’s happenings, Imagine Nation is your key to euphoria.

The options are endless at Imagine festival

The menu at Imagine keeps dietary restrictions and preferences in mind as vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free food booths are in abundance. Free water stations are spread throughout the festival’s main areas, so make sure to drink up and stay hydrated.

For our more forgetful friends, booths selling festival gear like sunglasses will save your butt (and eyes).

While lockers are available on a reservation basis, there is plenty of room for everyone to ditch their belongings and embrace the chaos. Shuttle buses are also part of Imagine’s planning as they move every 30 minutes from the festival location to hotels collaborating with the event.

Imagine fest is an eco-conscious softie

Given the current climate crisis, Imagine isn’t one for causing further harm. Car Camping tickets are sold per vehicle to encourage carpooling and aid in reducing festival-goers’ carbon footprint.

To highlight its humanitarian efforts, the festival launched Imagine Gamer Lounge, a gaming project to raise money for a local charity, the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

DJs and popular gamers like WAX MOTIF and Jericho were part of the charity event.