5) The All Friends Campsite After Party
Electric Forest has always been peppered with surprise shows and unexpected collaborations, but this year played that element up to the utmost degree, with everything from Lindsey Stirling joining the Everyone Orchestra to Skrillex jamming with The String Cheese Incident. Still, they can’t compare to the surprise shows that popped up around the campgrounds on the final night.
Titled “All Friends,” this natural extension of the weekend featured epic after parties in the intimate setting of the campgrounds. I’ve heard of other performances around the grounds, but my particular experience led me to the Big G and Cherub show at the RV lot. Following Big Gigantic’s massive headlining performance at Sherwood Court, Jordan of Cherub met up with Big G’s Dominic Lalli at the RV campgrounds for a final hoorah and what was most certainly one of the most memorable moments of the weekend. It’s really a manifestation of the overwhelming unity felt throughout the entire festival, breaking down barriers between genres, fans, and people of all walks, only to construct a new understanding of one another.
The beauty of Electric Forest is that no two years are the same, and no experience is comparable to another. In my two years of attending the festival, I’ve had two wildly different experiences, neither better or worse, simply different. It’s a festival that’s grown out of the humblest of beginnings and has continued to evolve and reinvent itself every year.
This change is the very reason why thousands make the exodus every year to return, and it’s a testament to the powerful nature of the place. There are countless opportunities for spiritual growth, enlightenment, and those four days can offer priceless guidance through difficult times. For many, myself included, Electric Forest is much, much more than just a music festival.