Awesome People We Met at Countdown 2016

It’s such a blessing to be able to cross paths with so many special people at each of our festivals. Our Countdown celebration was crammed with charming interactions and inspiring encounters with Headliners who made our two-day extravaganza an event we’ll remember for ages to come. As much as we’d love to highlight every single person we came across, here are but a few we were fortunate enough to capture.

Name: Jared, Sarah
Age: 27 (Jared), 30 (Sarah)
Hometown: Sherman Oaks, CA (Jared), Los Angeles, CA (Sarah)
Occupation: Sell heavy equipment (Jared), filmmaker (Sarah)
Number of Countdowns attended: First one (Both)
Please share your favorite memory from 2016.
Sarah: Making out with this guy.
Jared: Sure, I’ll take that.
What’s one thing you want to do differently next year?
Jared: Be more work-focused.
Sarah: Be a bigger part of the revolution, because this world is fucked. And if you’re not a person that’s a part of the revolution, then you shouldn’t even exist.
What inspired your outfit, and how does it make you feel?
Jared: I made my jacket for Burning Man. She made the hat for me for my birthday. I love wearing it; it makes me feel at home.
Sarah: My outfit makes me feel like a queen.

Name: Lizzie
Age: 20
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Occupation: Studying business at Sonoma State
Number of Countdowns attended: First
Please share your favorite memory from 2016.
I got a cat. She just turned a year old in November.
What’s one thing you want to do differently next year?
Study harder and do better in school. My mom would be proud.
What inspired your outfit tonight, and how does it make you feel?
The rain, first of all, because I was going to wear different shoes. [laughs] My outfit makes me feel like I wanna dance.

Name: Matt
Age: 30
Hometown: Anaheim, CA
Occupation: Programmer
Number of Countdowns attended: First one
Please share your favorite memory from 2016.
I reconnected with a relationship from four years ago. We just reconnected instantly, and it’s better than ever.
What’s one thing you want to do differently next year?
I went to Hawaii this year, so I want to continue travelling. I’m going to Sweden in May.
What was the inspiration for your outfit, and how does it make you feel?
It was just sort of a Mad Hatter kind of thing at first, and then these [points to pants]—these are just really fun. I took regular glowsticks and then sewed the connector pieces into the cloth. I feel amazing! It’s so fun!

Name: Esteban, Camilia
Age: 28 (Esteban), 26 (Camilia)
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA (Both)
Occupation: Events coordinator at YouTube (Esteban), Production manager (Camilia)
Number of Countdowns attended: First one (Both)
Please share your favorite memory from 2016.
Esteban: The anniversary of EDC this year. They had an LED tunnel where they were showing all of the memories from the past 20 years of the show and the inspiration Pasquale has had.
What’s one thing you want to do differently next year?
Camilia: Just keep moving up and toward my goals.
Esteban: I think 2016 was the year you built upon for the future, and 2017 is when you’re actually going to reach those same goals.
What inspired your outfit tonight, and how does it make you feel?
Camilia: I grabbed everything I love and believe in, and this is what came about.
Esteban: One of the nights was a lights night, and tonight is more of a sequins.
Camilia: I was going for the gold and silver theme; silver was last night, and gold is tonight.

Name: Nikki
Age: 24
Hometown: Oakland, CA
Occupation: I work for a parking agency.
Number of Countdowns attended: First one
Please share your favorite memory from 2016.
EDC. It was my first festival. I joined a Facebook group, EDC Vegas Solo Journey, and I met four or five other people. We roomed together. It was like EDC MTV. [laughs]
What’s one thing you want to do differently next year?
It started last year, and it’s going to continue on to next year. I want to be more honest with myself. I didn’t go to festivals for so long because I was afraid of how I would be judged by my family. I got tired of it. I was depressed, and then I went to EDC, and it was another world that opened up to me. I wouldn’t give it up for the world.
What inspired your outfit, and how does it make you feel?
Her [points to friend]. She was dressed super cute, and I wanted to get myself some fluffies. I feel amazing in this.

Name: Joe, Bianca
Age: 20s
Hometown: Newport Beach, CA (Joe), Huntington Beach, CA (Bianca)
Occupation: Student, training to become a pilot (Joe), student and creative designer at a tile and stone designer (Bianca)
Number of Countdowns attended: Two (Both)
Please share your favorite memory from 2016.
Joe: Looking forward to 2017.
Bianca: Coming to Countdown, of course, and living life!
What’s one thing you want to do differently next year?
Joe: I want to improve my health and fitness.
Bianca: Come to more festivals. I’ve been coming to Insomniac events since 2012, and I love EDC, but I missed it this year. I really want to go back, because I miss it!
What inspired your outfit, and how does it make you feel?
Joe: Inspired by the DJ, Marshmello. I think he’s one of the few DJs out there who knows how to get crowds going and vibe with everyone. I feel like at the end of the day, we should all be Marshmellos! The more people who join in, the better, and we can all just come together as one big Marshmello family.
Bianca: Basically to be warm, and a rainbow. I love dressing up and being creative, and I love coming to events and seeing how everyone’s dressed. It inspires me.

Name: David
Age: 20s
Hometown: Chula Vista, CA
Occupation: Going to school for business right now. I’m on vacation since I’m about to be President!
Number of Countdowns attended: First one
Please share your favorite memory from 2016.
Just living and being able to enjoy life! A lot of people don’t see that. People get too caught up on social media and politics. Just enjoy your family while you still have it.
What’s one thing you want to do differently next year?
I’m going to have my own business.
What inspired your outfit, and how does it make you feel?
I like attention when it comes to parties, so just what’s going to make people smile. I love making people laugh, so that’s what I do. My outfit makes me feel alive times ten!

Name: Michelle
Age: 23
Hometown: Originally from China, currently living in San Diego
Occupation: Graduate student at USD studying English, education and culture
Number of Countdowns attended: First one
Please share your favorite memory from 2016.
I have my graduate program going, and I will be graduating next year. I got to come back to San Diego from China to study.
What’s one thing you want to do differently next year?
I want to start to look for jobs. Because of my status this year, I couldn’t. But starting in 2017, I can actually look for jobs and be employed legally!
What inspired your outfit, and how does it make you feel?
I’m not wearing my whole outfit, because it was too cold, so I had to wear long pants. But the mask I wore to Escape, and I wanted to wear it again today to be sort of alien or kind of scary. It’s all about, “This is me, and don’t judge me.” If you like it, you like it. If you don’t, okay.

Name: Tyler, Andrea
Age: 21 (Tyler), 22 (Andrea)
Hometown: Ontario, CA (Both)
Occupation: Security officer (Tyler), behavior therapist for children with autism (Andrea)
Number of Countdowns attended: Two (Both)
Please share your favorite memory from 2016.
Tyler: Nocturnal—it was the first big festival I’ve ever been to. Toward the end, I was with all my friends watching Deorro finish his set, and that moment was life-changing.
What’s one thing you want to do differently next year?
Tyler: As part of the PLUR Foundation, something we try to do is spread the PLUR. Don’t go to events to escape the world; instead, go to enjoy the company of other people. In 2017, I want to be more of a friend of people who need that.
What inspired your outfit tonight, and how does it make you feel?
Tyler: Our squad is wearing gold. We were like, “Hey, why don’t we end the year in gold.” There’s like 12 of us.
Andrea: We’re gold vikings. [laughs]