Hard Launch’s 24 Hours at Shaky Knees Music Festival 2025
By Rylea Anacleto | September 22, 2025
Ever wonder what it’s really like to work a music festival? This article isn’t just about the sets we saw or the bands we love — it’s about giving you a backstage pass into what working a music festival really looks like. We wanted to pull back the curtain for once. This is a behind-the-scenes look at how two creatives from Hard Launch spent 24 hours at Shaky Knees. The unglamorous parts. The chaotic parts. The moments of pure magic. Think of it as a diary of one day where passion, art, and music collided — told from the perspective of two people who were there not just to watch, but to create. We decided to write this article about Sunday (the last day) — our personal favorite day of the festival.
Photo by Emily (Mily) Ward @mily_media
Pre-Festival Rituals
9:00am- Wake up, slightly hungover but ready to shake my knees
10:00am- finally finish bed rotting and get in the shower and start getting ready; pound a redbull. 11:00am- final touches; lacing my boots and packing my photography equipment and camelback for the day. Overwhelmingly excited for the endless possibility that awaits.
11:10-11:30- Uber (quick ride)
11:45am- Arrive at festival and drop gear off at the trailer
*internally freaking out because we will be shooting for The 4 Non Blondes in a few short hours*
12-2:30pm- Walk around and explore the backroads of the festival with Mily, we even got a golf cart ride to the Artist Bar.
2:30-4pm- Get the equipment all set up to shoot for 4NB and go over overall plan: aesthetics, vision, stage layout and coverage, etc with Mily, of Mily Media.
4-5:00pm- Incredible performance and shoot for 4NB.
5-6:30pm- Editing and learning from Mily in the trailer
Photos by Emily (Mily) Ward @mily_media
7-8pm- Went and watched Alabama Shakes absolutely touch souls during their set
8-9pm- Was absolutely transcended during Vampire Weekends set and handed out stickers for Hard Launch in the crowd beside Mily.
9-10pm- Went out with an absolute bang with Blink-182 and their absolutely raunchy crazy amazing set.
10pm- Leave festival…extremely sad to be saying goodbye to Shaky Knees 2025, but incredibly grateful and thirsty for knowledge and creativity.
10:30-11:30- Play pong with friends until I eventually fall asleep on the couch & Mily goes back to her hotel to finish editing today’s content
