I had been considering Forest in 2022 but was not prepared to solo travel for my first festival, with camping at that. Fortunately, in 2023, my cousin was eager to attend as well. We had planned to arrive while there was still daylight, but our shopping trips and general touring of Michigan had us getting in the line around midnight. The benefit was that the line of cars getting in wasn't toooo horrible. I've heard festivals like Shambhala taking over 6 hours before (literally just sleep in your car). The drive to the line I saw a person walking alongside the road. Some advice I had read for Forest on Reddit repeated itself to me, saying 'What you give you will receive', so I picked them up and gave them a ride to the entrance. My cousin and I were rewarded with the fattest hit from a dab vape I've ever experienced. We were coughing for 30 minutes afterward. Cue the cloudy haze from that, I was tasked with navigating a campsite of cars and tents in practical pitch blackness. At one point, my cousin and I stopped the car and walked around to get a better sense of what spots were available. Eventually we found a spot with some decent elevation, and enough distance (not too far, not too close) from the toilets. It was a fun introduction to the festival camping experience.
It was fun having the festival start on a Thursday rather than Friday. Since my volunteering started on Friday, I was able to fully explore and experience the festival along with every other patron. I made a quick friend, Ozzi, at one of the stages for Hugel, and got to have my first kandi trade. The shuttles from the volunteer camp to the entrance helped to save my legs, but inside the grounds is still incredibly vast. You can make a donation or find a gift at the informal giving tree, lay on an air couch in a vast open field while bass music reverberates through your body, or stumble upon surprise dj performances happening within the forest itself. The magic really comes alive at night here. Lasers dance in the trees, the art installations begin to morph in front of your eyes, and groups of hammocks gently sway as new friendships are made.
There were so many unique stage designs, with label takeovers happening frequently to set a tone in each area. One spot in the forest had 'wook nests' that my cousin and I lounged in. I loved sitting in a hammock near the Observatory, taking a cool second to relax and enjoying the atmosphere. Someone next to me whipped out their polaroid camera to snap a photo to sign and give to me. Forunately I had some cool trinkets to trade in return. Many people as well would see my frog hat, fish their hand into their bags, and whip out frog-related toys, key chains, finger puppets, and more to gift to me. Another moment of generosity I have was placing a sealed pack of gum on a little tree trunk as I waited in line for the silent disco. 30 seconds later, some people behind me discover it, and end up gifting me a piece of gum as well. I felt so loved by strangers who were giving so much with no expectation of anything in return. It inspires me to this day to bring that kind of spirit to every event I go to.
I spent many moments at this festival alone, but never felt alone. There were friends I had met, and then stumbled upon again at a future date. People with creative group themes were so easy to talk with while waiting in the few moments between artists to begin playing (particularly people with cat ears, it seemed). The MEEP community was so friendly that I threw my Camelback with the rest of their bags so I could dance unencumbered to Chris Lorenzo. Ozzi, what felt like seconds after meeting me, whips out his air couch for me to lay down on when I said I needed a moment to relax during Dr. Fresch. That, along with someone having a 'moon mat', gave me so many moments to just relax and enjoy the music.
Electric Forest, being my first camping festival, was overwhelming in so many ways. However, I always felt supported by the energy I found there; I could even feel it. This festival taught me that there can be a strong sense of community in these spaces, and that engaging with it, giving to it, and receiving from it, can create such a stronger impact than just hearing the music coming from the speakers. I came to this festival reading that it would be one of the best festivals I'd ever attend; it was the kindness of everyone around me that really made the difference and changed me forever.
Festival Advice:
- This festival is magical. Give your love, energy, creativity, and trinkets to the community and you will receive even more in return.
- The return roadtrip gets long. Plan breaks or ways to catch up on sleep because driving 10+ hours after a 4 day camping festival is not fun.
- Bring different shoes you can swap into. This festival covers a lot of ground and you need to give your feet ways to relax when you can.
- The dust is no joke; get a bandana. Fortunately they had some available for $10 at their merch stand.
- Be ready for any weather. Fortunately my cousin had lowered our canopy height and reinforced the stakes. A storm came through and blew many peoples' campsites away.
- I read the short drive through Indiana (between Illinois and Michigan) can be sketchy.
- Don't make it obvious your car is heading into a festival unless you're okay with being pulled over.
- CleanVibes volunteering for free admission, camping, food voucher, and showers was totally worth it. The true husslers learned to pivot and also found jobs at the vendor booths while at the festival. You may find some good ground scores as well if you keep your eyes pealed while cleaning up.
- There is a great Goodwill Bin store in Michigan you should hit up that's south of Rothbury.
- Bring a good cooler if you want your fruits, vegetables, and etc to last more than a day in the hot sun.
- Get early entry, and get there early if you want the best camping spots.
-A camping chair is such an underrated asset when you've been walking all day and want to just relax for a moment at camp.
-At the honeycomb stage, walk along the stairs at the perimeter to get an ariel view of the whole space.
-Create time to explore the forest during the daytime and try the various activities there.
-Embrace getting lost in the forest.
