Marking its biggest production to date, III Points took Miami by storm last weekend with its fourth-annual music, art & technology festival. Despite an initial hurdle that South Florida would fall victim to Hurricane Matthew, III Points was bestowed with clear skies and breezy vibes, and the community came together to honor a homegrown festival that was born through global visions.
With over 25,000 people in attendance from October 7th to 9th, the weekend was filled with epic performances by M83, Redman & Method Man, Thievery Corporation, Flight Facilities, Dixon along with countless staggering musical acts and local talent. III Points showcased the best of Miami with a new and improved layout at Mana Wynwood, where every corner of festival grounds was transformed into a haven of community, each complete with avant-garde installations and the diverse people that characterize the festival.
The passageway to III Points featured Container World, an installation of shipping containers created by Jeff Barones of Bonafida Design. Each container housed unique activations, such as a JoJo Tea tasting room and meditation area, with the exterior adorned by vibrant Surface Imagery video projections, curated by The Institute of Contemporary Art. NASA-backed installation, Mars 2030, debuted at III Points, courtesy of FUSION and virtual reality producer Julian Reyes. Transcending physical space with a multi-sensory 3D rendition of Mars, the virtual reality experience offered guests an immersive walkthrough of Mars. Experimental fashion innovator, Aileen Quintana, unveiled her latest other-worldly art installation, Sunset@Noon, a project that took Vaporwave culture into a physical realm, with Internet-based aesthetics and interdimensional audio components. Sunset@Noon lead to Door IV, an intimate stage filled with tremendous local talent, by Link Miami, Klangbox.fm and Electric Pickle.
On day one of III Points, Chrome Sparks had fans moving and grooving to his bass on the Main Frame stage, proclaiming to the audience that III Points was the best show he’d ever played in the US. KiNK gave a captivating live performance where he moved the crowd with his sounds, making people twist and shake on his command. The festival gathered to a culminating climax as Dixon took the Main Frame for a 3 hour set. His dark, sultry sounds had Miami yearning for more, and everyone danced for hours in true Innervisions fashion.
Wu-Tang legend Method Man appeared alongside his iconic other half Redman, throwing down one of the most energizing performances of the festival, with old school hip hop that teleported guests back to the nostalgic days of the 90’s. The duo blew the crowd away, and Method Man even thanked Miami for showing more spirit than he'd felt from an in the last decade.
Thievery Corporation displayed true musical versatility at III Points new Mind Melt stage, with an elated performance that went heavy on groovy reggae, dub and hip hop. Fans swayed in the breezy Miami air to smooth jazzy beats, and the band closed out with their biggest hit “Lebanese Blonde,” leaving the crowd mesmerized.
III Points 2016 finished out the weekend strong with its highly anticipated headliner M83, which marked one of the show-stealing performance of the weekend. Fans went wild as the French synth-pop group took the Mind Melt stage, playing some of their most popular tracks, complemented by fog and vibrant lasers. M83 opened with “Reunion,” quickly followed by “Do It, Try It,” and went right into crowd favorite, “Steve McQueen.” Flying Lotus spent his birthday with III Points on Sunday, dropping one of his signature, celebratory DJ sets.
Later on in the night, Australian DJ-and-producer duo Flight Facilities graced Miami with their debut on the Mind Melt stage, with an uplifting, harmonious blend of euro-pop and nu-disco, ona breezy Miami night. Miami’s own Trick Daddy also made a special appearance, in lieu of Earl Sweatshirt’s missed flight, with a performance in the Main Frame stage in true Miami style. Flying Lotus, Machinedrum and Cam'ron, also had stellar performances on Sunday night. German DJ Koze made a rare appearance at III Points, and closed out the Main Frame with harmonic minimal techno.
III Points did not fall short of food and beverage options, bringing the communal atmosphere to life with a dining enclave that offered festival-goers moments of escape from the action. A Becks beer garden provided comfortable seating and ambiance for guests, while Zignum had a customized mezcal bar with specialty cocktails, exclusively available at III Points. Additional beverage sponsors at the festival included Stoli, Fireball, and 1893 by Pepsi-Cola. Longtime festival sponsor, Shake Shack, came back for the third consecutive year, and hungry guests lined up for the classic ShackBurger, as well as local favorites COYO Taco, Harry’s Pizza and Cake Thai.
