FVDED in the Park’s comeback story continues.
The Canadian festival, which reinvented itself after a 2023 cancellation, doubled down on last year’s revival. FVDED returned to its familiar stomping grounds at Surrey’s Holland Park on July 4th and 5th, 2025.
Its commitment to electronic music—after pivoting from hip hop—let organizers stack the lineup with world-class DJs and producers. Zedd, Tiësto, Subtronics, Kaytranada, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Rudimental, RL Grime, Lane 8, Disclosure and Loud Luxury topped a deep lineup with too many names to count.
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Among the many great performances were three sets in particular: EDM.com Class of 2024 artists Levity and Of The Trees, as well as the rising UK garage superstar Sammy Virji.
Virji’s reputation precedes him, but the sheer number of bass-heads we saw grooving to his set speaks volumes about his artistry. The “Cops & Robbers” producer remains a must-see at any festival, regardless of whether or not UK garage is your preferred genre.
The Levity trio keeps surpassing expectations. They sold out Village Studios on their last Vancouver stop and drew to FVDED’s Forest stage a flood of fans, who filled the dancefloor, walkways and outer edges of the stage. We were all swept up in Levity’s mission to make sure fun stays front and center.
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Of The Trees was one of Saturday’s four closers. Appropriately nestled in the Forest, the renowned producer wisely drew the crowd in with a higher pace before easing us into a slower, vibey end to the weekend. He remains one of the most refreshing and inventive artists in electronic music.
FVDED improved logistics this year, with water stations and bathrooms spread generously across the venue, especially along routes connecting the Pacific main stage and the Forest stage. Outside the music, a fleet of food trucks was stationed nearby as well. FVDED managed to maximize Holland Park, making the festival grounds easily traversable yet spacious.
A new Propagate stage bumped the festival’s total to four, hosting eclectic sets headlined by PARTIBOI69 on Friday and Rebecca Black on Saturday. The Northwest stage could benefit most from an upgrade. The tented stage has the best light production but falls behind in capacity, with the sound occasionally muffling and bleeding into the Forest.
Tech hiccups sometimes occur at the pop-up sites. The main stage had to work through an extended issue that cut Juelz’s set short, cancelled Uncle Waffles and ate into Virji’s time. Fortunately, everything recovered from there and stayed consistent through the second night of the event, a testament to FVDED’s team.
All said and done, it’s impressive witnessing what FVDED in the Park is becoming. There’s always room to grow, but the festival’s reinvention has delivered in back-to-back years. It’s fast becoming a must-see for a local scene that needs more marquee events.
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