Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s nighttime alter ego, is jumping on the music festival train.
On October 6 and 7, the ROW DTLA shopping mall in Los Angeles will host the first ever Adult Swim Festival. This is not to be confused with the Adult Swim on the Green Experience, the free, off-site Comic Con event. This fest will be completely new, centered around music and comedy, and hopefully presented in Adult Swim’s quirky, sui generis style.
Since 2001, the network, often shortened to [AS], has been a unique home for dozens of original shows like, Family Guy and Futurama, as well as beloved anime series, Samurai Jack and Metalocalypse. While many of the popular shows AS started with are no longer airing, the Adult Swim community continues to push the boundaries of what a television network can be.
Adult Swim was built on audience participation.
Fans of the network could write in and interact with the programming in a way they couldn’t with other networks. Adult Swim played a big role in changing television by providing a home for shows that were cancelled or soon-to-be cancelled on other networks. The network’s style was groundbreaking for its time, packaging programs in memorable ways that stuck out to audiences around the country. Viewers were encouraged to send in original artwork and music for a chance to be featured in a sketch, promo, or show on Adult Swim. It was in this way that music producer Steven Ellison, known on stage as Flying Lotus, got his start. Lotus gained recognition after sending Adult Swim an original beat which was used in a promotion for their cartoon, The Boondocks.
Now, Flying Lotus is one of many featured artists in Adult Swim’s annual Singles program. Through the project, artists like Migos, Run The Jewels, and Brian Eno release new songs each week, for an entire year. 2017 saw the release of 52
songs, by 52 artists. Adult Swim has long been a friend of up-and-coming musicians, and the new festival will give them an even bigger opportunity.
This year’s festival:
Includes previews of fans’ favorite upcoming programs, unique games, merchandise from bands and the Adult Swim network, live comedy, and of course, live music. Acts like, Com Truise, Zola Jesus, and Thundercat are on the official music lineup. Comedians like Hannibal Buress and Ahmed Bharoocha are slated to perform comedy as well. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
Sure to be an exciting and interesting experience, the first Adult Swim Fest will hopefully be an epic opportunity for developing musicians, artists, and comedians. Weekend passes are being sold for $230 and single day passes for $75 (before fees).
Check out the fest’s official website for more information on ticket payment plans, the official lineup, and how to get exclusive experiences the night before the fest.
