Ranch Arena Stage area during Aloe Blacc
Sometimes something will happen in your life that you won’t
be able to put into words. Like, for
example when you witness or experience something incredible that gives you
chills and goose bumps. Or, when you
feel the urge to smile for no particular reason.
That is how I felt about the Electric Forest Festival. It is simply indescribable. Sure, I can link
videos and pictures but not even a video in 1080p will do the Forest the justice
it deserves. Nothing on a Forester’s
Snapchat story will truly be able to capture the moment that’s been
experienced— but you see, that’s the beauty of it.
There are countless festivals with their numbers increasing
every year. But what makes Electric
Forest Festival substantially different is the Forest itself. The Forest is a lounge, it’s a lightshow,
it’s a haven for ninjas and fairies alike.
It thrives on good karma, positive energy and embraces all Foresters in
a remarkable way.
By 9am on Thursday, the campgrounds were muffled with tents
and vendors. Foresters walked around toting
totems (a totem’s purpose is to act as a symbol
for members of a group to find each other).
Someone’s totem had the words, “God this place makes me frisky” that
drew many eyes. Another featured a gold
metallic blow-up doll on a pole with a blond wig that also caught my attention.
Tripolee Stage during Cashmere Cat
The Festival had three main stages: Tripolee, Ranch Arena
and Sherwood Court, along with some smaller stages located throughout the
Forest (Forest Stage and the Observatory, among the larger ones). Headliners included The String Cheese
Incident, Zeds Dead, STS9, Steve Angello, Zedd and ScHoolboy Q, just to name a
few. Genres at the festival were mostly
jam bands and electronic music, which drew a very diverse crowd.
Among the food vendors, it was heartwarming to see
gluten-free and vegan options everywhere I travelled. Poutine was a hotspot among Good Life Village
festivalgoers and Electric Avenue residents (I highly recommend “The Love” for
anyone who is willing to try goat cheese, balsamic and strawberries on their
French fries) and Spicy Pie tents were always buzzing with business.
Standing in front of Sherwood Court
Entering Sherwood Forest just when the sky would start to
turn black was stunning. Little wooden
huts and cottages hidden among the trees gave Foresters a spot in which to hang
out. I can honestly say that I did not
meet one rude or unkind person while at the Festival. Festivalgoers were so incredibly altruistic
and loving, which contributed to the contagious positive vibes that flowed
through the festival. From walking
through the Forest hearing people call “CARL?” to waiting in line for some
Spicy Pie, every person was engaged by your story. They wanted to hear about your drive to
Michigan, they wanted to know where you called home and who you were most excited
to see.
From June 26th to the 29th, Double JJ
Ranch turned into its own little world. Perhaps
little is not the right word since the festival drew a crowd of about 40,000
however, the festival felt intimate in a way (kudos to the production team for
making the Forest so magical and hospitable).
For four days, beautiful people surrounded festivalgoers and carried
signs of encouragement (I loved seeing “Everyone Loves You Here” signs).
Sunday night I was taken into the Forest and experienced the
Silent Disco (when you wear headphones and dance to different music) and watched
a show in a 1920’s-themed saloon. I also
caught a glimpse of Psychedelic Friendship Bingo at The Observatory in the
Forest, which was an unusual but intriguing interactive game show. While viewing the Forest from the elevated
area of The Observatory, I spotted Cashmere Cat mingling with Foresters.
There was never a dull moment at the festival. There were always Foresters to talk to, spots
to explore, shows to see and of course, food to eat. From Beekman Burgers to Peace Love Tacos,
vendors offered a plethora of options to entice Foresters’ taste buds.
The Forest at night
I’m not sure what my initial expectations were when I
arrived at Electric Forest. I guess I
anticipated some cool lights, great music and delicious food but I left the
Forest with a new outlook on life (sounds cheesy, I know). It probably sounds crazy to those of you
reading this who have never been to Electric Forest but it’s one of those
things where you “had to be there”.
That’s why no DSLR photo or recap video will do the Forest justice. It simply cannot be shared that way.
In whatever mindset I entered the Forest having (from being
nervous about attending my first festival to carrying some negativity with me
from the 2013-2014 school year), I was completely altered. The world, although confusing, cruel and misleading
at times, holds an inexpressible allure to it and Electric Forest Festival
helped remind me of that.
So as I sit back writing this review of the festival,
suffering from post-EF depression and sore feet from dancing, a smile will
always inch across my face reminding me of the indescribable beauty of this
past weekend.
Post-body paint
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