Hi @missy & @rambo, Here is my homework for the week! Really enjoyed writing about this weeks topic!
5/4: What are you looking forward to?
~Electric Forest~
For the past two summers I have spent the last week of June in Rothbury, Michigan at a music festival called Electric Forest. I am once again gearing up to spend 6 nights away from home, 2 days driving (there and back), and 5 days camping in one of the most beautiful places I've experienced with some of the most amazing friends I've ever had! One month and 18 days.. I'll be on my way back to a place I call "home".
So this is what I am excited for. Ever been to a music festival?
They are one of my favorite experiences in life.
I bought my tickets when they came out in December and I'm excited for the day my actual wrist band comes in the mail! The festival sends them out in these really nice silk pouches with cool art and the Electric Forest logo printed on the front. Inside is a colorful wristband with a special chip that you register (that's how you get in and out of the festival) and a cool event sticker! I always buy VIP tickets because the perks are worth it and I can go glam camping. Less people, air conditioned & flushable bathrooms, free showers, special viewing areas for the 2 main stages, VIP after party shows and much more! I still camp in a tent and everything but I like not being a total grunge kid all weekend.
The drive takes about 12-14 hours, depending on traffic and how much we stop. I'm not typically a huge fan of road trips, but haven't had too hard of a time doing this one. I'm more excited than anxious about sitting in a car... maybe because of where I'm headed! When we get to Michigan we actually stay the first night at a friends house, because they live close to the festival. So we get a nice comfy bed after a long day of driving :)
The first day of the festival is “early-arrival kids” and VIP, and its basically a big BBQ and pool party. That's right, they even have a pool! The grounds for the festival is normally a ranch that you can book nights in and ride horses, so they also have a pool and playground area. Thursday through Sunday are the actual festival days, filled with music all throughout an actual forest, 40,000 beautiful Forest goers/attendees, amazing art and performing artists everywhere, and once it gets dark it's transformed into a whole new place.
Lasers and lights everywhere! The whole forest is lit up, no joke! Photos never do it justice, but I will attach some at the end for everyone to enjoy. Nighttime in the forest is one of my favorites because of all the lights and art that you can interact with. It's one of the coolest things I've seen anyone put together.
Last but not least, the music!! Electric Forest definitely has a heavy Electronic Dance Music influence throughout the weekend but they also have a ton of variety, with hip hop and jam bands scattered in the line-up. The main headliners every year are String Cheese Incident because it's basically their festival! My favorite artist, who is now a Resident Artist at Electric Forest (meaning they are a headliner every year) is Bassnectar. While he is mainly EDM-based he also throws a lot of variety into his music, and I love the experience he takes you through in every show.
There is so much to explore within the forest that even after being there 2 years there are still things I haven't experienced. I cant wait to go back home. Feel free to watch some of their YouTube videos to get a feel for the magic (attached below), and check out some of the photos I took on my phone!
Tell me, doesn't this place look magical?
The last one is me, rocking my MFC hat! ^
Official Forest YouTube Video:
Also a little video from a part of Bassnectar's set from last year, he packs a lot of powerful messages into his shows. Enjoy. Life is just a ride :)
