When you and your friends are crammed into a parking lot of a concert venue for a weekend there are a few ways to handle the experience. The 5th annual Beach Goth festival put on by The Growlers was a lot of things; it was exciting, memorable, hot, wet, crowded, fun, a wicked warm-up for Halloween, and, above all things, diverse. Held at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California, this was the biggest Beach Goth yet, with a lineup so delightfully all over the place that it drew everyone from fans of Gucci Mane to devotees of venerable rock n roller Patti Smith.

The festival attendees, the music, the food, the smells, and the sights all varied around every turn. When the weather took a turn for the worse with rain most of the day, it changed the vibe of the festival and, in a way, I think brought people together through their mutual misfortune. While some wore ponchos and hid under blankets and jackets, others accepted the sweet nectar falling from the sky as cleansing, and danced in it as long as they could. It seemed the veterans of the festival stood out and stayed optimistic while some of the newcomers, myself included, were skeptical about how the festival would keep running. But, through it all, Beach Goth 2016 trucked on through Sunday night – though unfortunately without Grimes closing out the outdoor stage. Her set was cancelled on account of the weather earlier that day. It’s hard not to feel bad for the countless ticket holders who came to see Grimes and were let down, or were expecting a more spacious environment to see their favorite artists. Lessons were hopefully learned, and hopefully Beach Goth can come back strong this next year.

Below, enjoy our gallery of Beach Goth portraits bravely captured by Conner Coughenour amidst the deluge.