The tall pines of Sherwood Forest towered over me as I explored the vast fantasyland constructed for this year’s Electric Forest. Illuminated by hundreds of lights, the forest located on Double JJ Ranch in the small village of Rothbury Michigan came to life each night of the four-day festival. Boasting over 50,000 attendees this year, the show sold out over a month in advance and far exceeded last year’s attendance.
Unlike many festivals, Electric Forest boasts a unique variety of headliners including, Zedd, The String Cheese Incident, Steve Angello, Stephen Ragga Marley, and Lauryn Hill. Featuring five large stages, the days were packed with endless music, performances, and events. Opening each day at 11:00AM, guests were given a chance to explore the immense venue before performances began at 1:00PM. Immediately inside the main gate sat Tripolee Stage; the central area for Electronic Dance Music. The main path continued to wind through spotted
trees until it emerged onto the largest and most central venue, the Ranch Stage. Each night the stage was surrounded by thousands of neon clad youth eager to see the highly anticipated headliners, fireworks, giant inflatable beach balls, and endless dancing.
Traveling deeper into what seemed to be an endless venue, a small lantern lit path lead you into the infamous Sherwood Forest. At night the forest was transformed into something resembling Wonderland from Louis Carroll’s classic. Beams of neon light shot through the tall trees from every direction. The once open pathways now seemed suddenly more intimate as patrons socialized between the large round tables placed throughout. And whilst all this was taking place, all types of music echoed over the soft pine needles covering the forest floor. Sitting down on the balcony of The Observatory stage, the pagodas to my left and right glowed a deep purple as I listened to the beautiful melody of the violinist below.
In addition to the lights integrated throughout the forest, personal light art was very popular throughout the
weekend. When the evening approached, lights of all shapes and sizes appeared throughout the crowd. Varying from LED gloves to actual flaming torches forms of expression that proved to be the most beautiful aspects of the festival.
The festival continued for four days, making things like eating and drinking a necessity. Contrary to most festivals, Electric Forest boasts quite the delicious array of food vendors. Surrounding the outsides of each stage, anything from a roasted sweet potato taco to a Nutella and strawberry crepe could be found. Your stomach would never be empty. My meal of choice was a delectable organic beef taco from “Peace Love and Taco.” With the sun just beginning to set, a taco in hand, and The String Cheese Incident tearing into their first song, I decided there is no way I won’t be in the exact same spot next summer.
Hope to see you all next year!
