All My Friends Returns To Downtown LA

Christopher Polk/Getty Images – All My Friends 2018
Jamie XX performs during the All My Friends Music Festival on August 19, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

All My Friends, the downtown Los Angeles festival launched last year by Gary Richards and LiveStyle, is coming back for a second run to ROW DTLA Oct. 19-20. Early bird tickets go on sale Friday (May 10) at 10 a.m. PDT at the festival’s website.

The inaugural 2018 AMF featured three stages headlined by RL Grime, Gucci Mane, Jhene Aiko, M.I.A., Jamie XX and Armand Van Helden among others. It reportedly drew more than 20,000 dance music aficionados to ROW DTLA, on the edge of L.A.’s Arts District, a creative space and shopping destination.

The announcement follows that of the inaugural All My Friends Seattle taking place July 4 with Chris Lake, Justin Martin, Destructo, Noizu, and Vnssa at Seattle Center’s Mural Amphitheater, and the second annual Friendship music cruise, which sets sail about Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ Navigator of the Seas January 6-10, 2020.

– AMF

While the festival landscape is fraught with risk, especially for first-time outings, Richards has found success with his dance formats starting with his role at HARD Events, which he sold to Live Nation before launching a new company, AMFAMFAMF, in partnership with LiveStyle, the former SFX now headed by industry vet Randy Phillips.

“When you come up with a good idea that works, everybody tries to copy it. I like to say, often imitated, never duplicated. You got to give people a compelling reason to spend their money; there are just so many options,” Richards told Pollstar prior to the inaugural All My Friends. “For me, starting something new is a little tough, but at the end of the day, if we manage it correctly, and give the audience something they’re not getting, we’ll stand out as something different and unique.

“My formula remains good music. I try to A&R and find good, new acts, and new ways to present dance music to the masses. I’m pleased we didn’t bite off more than we could chew. It took me 10 years to get HARD to what it became. Rome wasn’t built in a day. There has to be more of a reason to do this than just making money. I’d want to come see this event myself. That’s why I’m doing it,” Richards said.