The festival started out strong on the 12^th with both A-Trak and Mala set to headline (yes, you read that right). Opening up was RedBull Thre3style 2009 winner and Azealia Banks’ touring dj, Cosmo. He more than fulfilled his duty by warming up the crowd, jumping up and down in the snow to Battle For Middle You was a great way to start off what was sure to be a fantastic few weekends. A-Trak took the stage in a seasonally anachronistic fedora and greeted the crowd in French, then proceeded to have as much energy behind his decks as the crowd did in front of him. Our toes started to freeze so we went off to explore the rest of the venue, which is seated at the edge of the water at Jacques Cartier Quay. The most accessible bathrooms were portapotties which felt similar to using a toilet carved out of ice. The bars served a combination of the usual fare along with spiked hot drinks – the special hot chocolate became a go-to once people started finding their beer freezing into chunks. After A-Trak dropped some sort of rap mash-up of Avicii’s “Levels” he wrapped up his set, and following a very long and awkward transition, dubstep legend Mala took over to steer things in an entirely different direction. He delivered a set that was above satisfactory for all of his diehard fans that waited so long for this rare appearance. The crowd wasn’t as big as what Mala deserves, but not much else could be expected on a Thursday night. For those who did make it out, it was an opportunity to be remembered.