What it was like at Vortex Fest 2022 by Gala Darling in Los Angeles
When was the last time you did something wild and over the top just for yourself? For me, it was this month when I went to Gala Darling’s Vortex Fest, a one-day high vibe event for the secret online community called The Vortex.
As you might know, I live in Vancouver, Canada, and I've been in The Vortex for two years now – just signed up to join for my third year in a row.
When the opportunity came to go to Vortex Fest in person for 2022, I set my cap towards it nearly an entire year in advance. I just knew it was something I wanted to do.
I felt like it would be a celebration of all the work I’ve put into myself over the last year, and it would be like a graduation party for me and our entire cohort. It would be like a wild physical manifestation of magic. I wanted to put myself out there, meet others and make connections, and show the universe that I’m here living my best life and ready for more incredible things to happen to me.
Going to Los Angeles
I went to Los Angeles with my boyfriend. Even though I was going to LA just for Vortex Fest, we decided to take advantage of the getaway to turn it into a fun, romantic city break together.
We stayed at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles and had a great time together experiencing LA. Our highlight was a sunny day trip to Santa Monica and Venice Beach. It was such a vibe.
Finally, Saturday came around, and it was time for Vortex Fest.
The outfit
So, first was the outfit. I hemmed and hawed about what I was going to wear. Gala Darling told us to show up dressed as our future selves, but she also said to be comfortable.
So I took those two pieces to heart, and I think that my outfit met in the middle – halfway between where I am now and where I see myself going in the future.
I wore like this all-pastel purple outfit. I wore my favourite butterfly tie-dye T-shirt from Earthbound Trading Co, I bought a new micro tennis skirt from Aritzia in a similar icy purple colour, and then I wore my purple platform plastic “barbie” shoes from Ardene. I love these shoes. They are so cute, just a tiny bit over the top, and I always get compliments on them.
While I was getting my tattoo, Gala Darling and Kat Williams (from Rock and Roll Bride) came over to check out my ink, and they loved my shoes, too.
So, that morning, I got dressed up in my perfectly purple outfit, added some rhinestones to my face, dropped by Egg Slut at the Los Angeles Public Market for a quick breakfast with my boyfriend, and then went on my way to Vortex Fest.
Going to Vortex Fest
I arrived early and joined a small lineup outside the US Bank Tower. Everyone was dressed up, there was so much pink and purple.
Clearly, everyone had put a lot of effort into the way they looked and it was so nice to see. So, we lined up along the steps of the US Bank Tower, and probably more than 100 of us waited to go inside.
I started to chat with another woman in the line and we instantly had a lot in common. We connected and hugged each other within like five minutes of talking.
Then, winged angels (yes, really) welcomed us inside, and we went up to Capture Studios on the 59th floor.
When we went inside, I was instantly, so excited because everything had this beautiful glowy purple hue to it, and we walked in through this kind of pink carpeted tunnel of balloons that opened into a bright festival area. There was the merch table, a tarot reader, the tattoo artists, a bake shop, and a couple of photo op areas.
Then, in the next massive room was where the Vortex Fest talks would happen. It was filled with clear acrylic chairs, there was a pink barbie radio dj booth, and a stage.
All the women that had been in line with me and came up with me in the elevator promptly marched to the very front row and put their bags down on chairs. And I was like, “Oh, my gosh. Okay. We’re really sitting in the very front row for Vortex Fest.”
Then, another voice said, “Why the fuck not? Why the FUCK not? I’m here. I spent so much money to get here, I took time away from my life and my home to be here, I’m going to sit in the front fucking row.”
I talked about how I met someone in line and they were amazing. Well, all the attendees were amazing. And each one had a cuter outfit than the next!
For example, I’m Canadian and we don't have Venmo in Canada, but to buy merch at the merch table, you had to send money via Venmo. So I actually asked one of the people sitting in the front row with me if if I could give her cash, and she could buy me something by Venmo and she said of course.
And that's how I got my high vibe honey sweatshirt! It was the same colour I wore that day and I literally cannot wait for the weather to cool down and for fall to arrive so I can wear the shit out of it each and every day.
Getting a tattoo at Vortex Fest
I also signed up to get a tattoo, and another person sitting in the front row with me helped me by accepting money via paypal and paying for my tattoo with venmo for me.
Once you said “Hi” to someone at Vortex Fest, they weren’t a stranger anymore.
Here’s my tattoo, by the way; I can’t wait for it to heal. It all happened so quickly; from realizing I could get a tattoo to getting one on my body happened fast, and it was really exciting. It felt like a manifestation practice. Bryan Black was the artist, and he was fantastic.
It’s a little rose – As in Mystic Rose, of course, but also rose is my middle name. I also share that middle name with my mom and sister.
So I picked this one out of all the ones on the flash sheet because I thought it would be kind of timeless, and I have a deep connection to roses. I think they are lush and feminine. I always stop to smell the roses in my neighbourhood all the time!
Gala Darling at Vortex Fest
The actual conference was just really exciting and fast-paced. It was thrilling to sit in the front row in a room full of people who’ve been working on themselves alongside you for the last year. I definitely recognized more than a few of them from our Zoom calls over the last couple of years. So, I was so happy to welcome Gala Darling to the stage with applause alongside the rest of the vortex cohort.
My first impressions of her were that she had her pink hair done like Jessica Rabbit – i know that’s one of her icons!
She had a hot pink, short, sleeveless dress with big glittery tassels. She looked like a present! I was amazed by how tiny she was, too, because I’m five foot eight, and she was not anywhere close to my height, even in her heels.
But it was cool to see her in person and see her in 3D. Seeing people in person after seeing them online for so many years is trippy, especially since I’ve been following her since 2015.
Oh, I should probably mention how I first got into Gala Darling and followed her life and work.
How I got interested in Gala Darling
In 2015. I moved to Vietnam by myself. I lived in a small, very off-the-beaten-track city called Tam Kỳ and when I first got there, I was totally overwhelmed.
I didn't speak the a single word in the language, nobody around me spoke English, and I was really confused about how to do even basic things like buy water and find food because this city was so different from my hometown and I was overwhelmed.
I had culture shock. I didn't know what to do. I had a panic attack. I even had such a tearful, emotional call with my boyfriend back in Vancouver that he thought for sure I would be getting on a plane and coming home that week.
But I did last, I stayed there for eight months. Part of the reason why I succeeded was because I found EFT tapping, and I used it to help calm down my nervous system when I was really overwhelmed. Gala Darling had lots of tapping videos YouTube and back then she also used to read tarot and do tapping together – i loved that combo! So i’ve kept her in my orbit since 2015 but I started buying programs from her and joined her Vortex community in 2019/2020.
So I've been learning from her, watching her and listening to her voice for years before I got to meet her in person.
What it was like at Vortex Fest
So, here’s what we did at Vortex Fest,
Colin Bedell came up and welcomed us, then he introduced Gala
Gala Darling welcomed us, and we did a short tapping together
Helle Weston + Lukis Mac of Owaken Breathwork led us through their signature breathwork process
Poet Chelsie Diane gave us one of the most impassioned pep talks I’ve ever heard in my life
Colin Bedell talked about astrology and polarity in relationships - omg he is just the funniest, most intelligent, most realist guy ever I love hearing him talk.
Grace Smith - wasn’t there in person, but she recorded a hypnosis that they played for us; I took this time to walk around the rest of the festival and get a cinnamon streusel muffin and relax and kind of reflect on what I’d heard already that day – knowing that I could listen to the recording later
Angel Phoenix talked about death and transformation
Panel: Everyone from the day got together and answered some questions, this was probably my favourite part of the day because hearing them speak candidly about some of the stuff we’re up against and facing as conscious folks who want to better themselves and better the world
Then, Gala darling gave her closing thoughts and then was completely blindsided by a surprise sexy dancing performance with erotic dancers and money guns spraying pink benjamins everywhere!
Finally, we all then went to sit on the couch for fotos, where we all lined up like kids in the mall to see santa claus and get our pics taken with her
Meeting Gala Darling
I was super excited to meet her. I told her I was so happy to meet her, I’d been following her since 2015, and that it felt like i was meeting my big sister. She said it was nice to meet her younger sister and we got these photos together!
My thoughts on Vortex Fest
Even though I did meet like a dozen amazing babes at Vortex Fest, I was still definitely a bit on the shy side. It was a completely immersive and overwhelming feeling to be there, I didn’t leave the room at all during the whole conference because i wanted to steep in the high vibes for as long as possible. I wish I had taken more photos of myself, I had originally expected my magical morning partner to be at vortex fest and be my photo buddy but she suddenly and sadly couldn’t come. Still, I did get a photo of me at the photo booth, which I love.
And I got a couple of other pics, too!
Would I recommend vortex fest?
I would totally recommend that if you are considering going to Vortex Fest, you just fucking do it. People pay hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars for a one-day event like this with expert talks. And since Vortex Fest is NOT open to the general public, the attendees there are just as committed to their growth and living big, juicy lives as you. It felt like I got to go for free to this wild, one-of-a-kind event and meet a hero or two.
I will be going back to Vortex Fest next year! Whether it’s in LA, Las Vegas, Bali, Vancouver, or on a boat in Antarctica, I will find a way to make it happen.
See you in the Vortex!
