Elation Professional took to the 3rd incarnation of the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival, which witnessed Arcade Fire, Bassnectar, Halsey, Travis Scott, The Flaming Lips, Snoop Dog, and Khalid among many others – attract a wide range of music fans.
Rob Ross, site lighting designer for the festival and president of Rob Ross Design, designed and oversaw the installation of the site lighting at the festival and chose to highlight one of the most important symbols of the festival in dynamic lighting, a can’t miss 90ft tall fire tower. The fire tower, which displays prominently in the festival’s branding, including website, posters, pamphlets and site maps, can be seen from across the festival grounds and therefore serves as a gathering and meeting spot for guests.
“It was important for us to keep the fire tower at the forefront of our lighting design so that it would stand out and remain a symbol onsite, integrating the festivals marketing materials with the onsite guest experience,” said Ross, who has been involved with Okeechobee since its incarnation. “We used 16 Elation Professional Paladins at the base of the fire tower to light up the structure and used the very bright lights to really give it life.
“What was really great is that these fixtures are cost effective enough that we were able to use 16 of them at the base of the tower, in a project where our budget is spread across an entire festival site,” Ross said, adding: “It’s a delicate balance deciding how to spread out the gear.” The lighting rig was programmed by Rob Ross Design’s lead designer, Alejandro Fajardo.
With the tower dressed in a wash of colour, the only thing missing was a crowning beacon of light which Ross accomplished by topping the fire tower with 8 Elation Professional Platinum Beam 5R narrow-beam fixtures. “We used these to create various beam effects in the sky that could be seen from throughout the site,” the LD stated. “We had a couple of fun effects going on up there; my favorite was a lighthouse type effect that was modelled after the searchlights atop the Eiffel tower.”
Ross began using Elation Professional lights about 6 years ago when he started working with The Design Oasis on some of their site lighting projects. He again called on the full service cross-rental company to support his team for the Okeechobee Music Festival. “The wonderful team at The Design Oasis has supported us throughout much of our work. Their encouragement and dedication have allowed us to continue creating successful designs, despite any technical or logistical difficulties,” he concluded.