702Day, Las Vegas

By *CoCojenkins

Photos by Gindi Shoots & Giselle D'Souza

I would normally want to write about an event in third person - I like to give general overviews of the vibes and views of the activities and happenings, along with photos to help illustrate the scene. But I literally can't because I didn't get to see the full footprint of the first ever 702DAY, Las Vegas. As an artist and event curator, sometimes you don't get to take in the full picture because you are IN the full picture. This was one of those times.

I received a call from Akeem or Valet, I can't quite remember who, let's say week 2 of June. 702DAY, literally July 2nd, was less than a month away, and they wanted to launch a whole festival to celebrate the city of Las Vegas.

With 10+ years of event production experience, less than a month is definitely not ideal, especially when permits have to be pulled and so many moving pieces have to come together.

But with those same 10+ years of experience, you also learn what's actually important and what's realistically possible in a short amount of time.

The people throwing this event—and the people they brought in to help throw it—were and are pillars of Las Vegas. I didn't know Akeem before this event, but I knew Valet had built a reach and an audience in this city that I don't necessarily have. More importantly, I knew he had earned the respect of a lot of people in the community. That trust, combined with the fact that there couldn't be a 702DAY celebration without the #1 source for #VegasCulture, There's Nothing to do in Vegas, made it an easy yes. I was all in before I even knew exactly what my role would become.

As @nothingtodoLV, I've been throwing an event called Underground Coloring Club for a year. We color and we smoke tree (it's all legal at a private location). It's a great event, and you should come. I knew that hosting an Underground Coloring Club pop-up at 702DAY would add value to the event, be a great source of promo for @nothingtodoLV, represent the underground subculture we like to highlight and be a place where people could slow down for a minute in the middle of the celebration. To make it even cooler, To make it even cooler, I asked to take over the back of The Gather House - a hidden little space connected to Fergusons Downtown - an IFYKYK space you had to find.

Yes, it was my master plan, but the way the community came together to help and provide in the space was the only reason it was such a vibe!!!

Every DJ was intentionally chosen because they represent a different piece of Las Vegas culture:

-DJ Tee Ahza, representing the Historic Westside of Las Vegas

-DJ Reevas, long time Vegas veteran DJ

-Rex From Vegas, #VegasCulture legend

-*CoCojenkins the DJ - that's me, founder of @nothingtodolv

-STAHYL - Las Vegas B-Boy representing Full Force & Jabbackwockeez !!

-Taylor the Curator brought a special 702DAY Photo Opportunity that we all got to color at the end

-Pink House Creation brought special, cozy, artistic vibes

-Serotonin and Jewelry Aksha brought amazing artwork

Shout out to:

Emma & Red for helping me organize and haul what felt like an entire art studio.

• Emma for helping me organize my brain and all of the supplies

• Red for helping me haul everything and set up at Fergusons at 7:02am on 7/02

• Justin, who helped with literally anything/anyone/everything (and unfortunately had his phone stolen that night... smh).

• Sin & Dejanay for being the best welcome committee.

• Meelah & Esmeralda for holding down Underground Coloring Club while I was running around.

• Art & Angel

And of course, huge shout out to Giselle from @nothingtodolveats for bringing all of her amazing influencer friends & capturing our night so perfectly ❤️

The vibes inside Underground Coloring Club were immaculate, you just had to be there! Here are some of the coloring sheets we colored!

Like I said, I wasn't able to see the whole footprint of the festival because I was busy managing our space. Fortunately my guy Gindi went around a got photos of some of the other SUPER COOL stuff - like car clubs and skaters -that was happening.

"My security guards said it was kind of weird - they were expecting at least a few fights but there were no issues" - Valet, after the festival had ended.

I personally had no expectation of that, at all. The networks came together to celebrate Las Vegas—our music, our art, our food, our businesses, and most importantly, each other. The day was a testament to the love of Las Vegas and a trust in the network.

This was a beautiful way to launch the first of many 702DAY celebrations.

We love you, Las Vegas.