Making Time ∞ Returns to Fort Mifflin This Weekend
Sure, there are music festivals, Philly is no stranger to that. But there are music festivals, and then there's Making Time. For one weekend a year, a Revolutionary War-era fort on the banks of the Delaware River trades its cannon smoke past for fog machines, while Philadelphia's most devoted dance music community shows up and shows out, in order to prove that DIY spirit and world-class production aren't mutually exclusive.
This Friday through Sunday, September 18–20, Making Time takes over Fort Mifflin for its sixth year at the historic site, and if you haven't locked in plans yet, here's everything worth knowing before you head down to Hog Island Road.
Sourced via Making Time’s Instagram
The Lineup Is Stacked, Even by Making Time Standards
Headlining this year's edition are Northern Irish DJ duo Bicep, former Sonic Youth member Kim Gordon, Detroit house producer Theo Parrish, Philly's own shoegaze outfit They Are Gutting a Body of Water, and German producer Skee Mask. Beyond the marquee names, more than 120 DJs and live acts will take the fort's stages across the weekend.
Now, Making Time is no stranger to class acts, as founder Dave Pianka, throughout the years, has booked the likes of The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and Charli XCX alongside DJs, and this year he's brought more live performances back into the mix than ever before.
Making Time has earned a reputation well beyond Philadelphia. The festival bills itself as one of the most ambitious DIY events in America, built around the mantra of "Peace, Love, Unity, Respect and Transcendence," or PLURT, with Resident Advisor going so far as to call it one of the best festivals in the country.
Should You Go?
If you've spent any time in Philly's underground dance music scene, this is likely already circled on your calendar. And if you haven't, this is about as good an entry point as it gets: a tight lineup, a setting unlike anything else in the city, and a festival that's managed to stay true to its DIY roots even as it's grown into a nationally recognized event.
Just don't expect a typical festival weekend. Between the fort's fog-lit ramparts, the food vendors, and a lineup built by someone who still thinks like a party promoter first, Making Time is less "festival" and more the best warehouse party you've ever been to, if the warehouse happened to survive the Revolutionary War.
See y’all at the Fort.
Not Into Music Festivals?
Making Time isn't the only thing happening in Philly this week. Spooky season is ramping up too, as Craftsman Row Saloon's "Nightmare Before Christmas" pop-up opened last weekend with an all-new haunted forest entrance, themed cocktails, and those over-the-top milkshakes fans crave.
