Best Festivals of 2016
…and what we’re looking forward to in 2017!
Now that it’s well into 2017 – we decided to really show out 2016 with some highlights of the year!!! And we’ll also go into our most anticipated festivals of 2017. It’s almost that season again. The beginning of the year is our second favorite season…lineup time!! Since the weather is cold and gross, it’s nice to check out upcoming lineups and imagine the warm, sunny season.
And it really was!! Every now and then, there’s a first time fest that is truly magical. One great example of this was CounterPoint in 2012. First time festivals allow everyone to be on the same playing field. No one is a veteran of that fest yet. Everyone is dropped into the same situation and gets to figure it all out together! Combine that raw excitement with a stellar lineup….you’re going to have a good time. Okeechobee is extra special because of the setting. Imagine the perfect weather of the beach but none of the pain of going to the beach! The festival incorporates the lovely Lake Okeechobee for an awesome lake-front stage.
Sunset Fest – Where the sun was BLAZING
Tampa is hot in May. That’s a given…but beer is cold ? Sunset Fest was another first for this crew but we made the most of it! Sunset is a purely EDM fest and is in Florida…so, it was full of Florida EDM fans. They’re great but they’re definitely a certain type of neon crowd. What was great about this fest was the production and the level of talent of the smaller event. Going in with an open mind, allowed us to have a genuinely good time enjoying some good ol’ electronic dance music. We also got really good tans because that sun did not stop!
#1 Fest Of 2016?
Suwannee Hulaween!!! That probably isn’t much of a surprise. We love all festivals at Suwannee Music Park in northern Florida! It’s a fantastic campground that functions incredibly well on varying scales of crowd sizes. Festivals run more smoothly when infrastructure is literally concrete and permanent. Suwannee has those pristine bathroom facilities throughout the grounds, along with roads and sidewalks to keep traffic organized. It’s commonly known that the campgrounds are top notch but what isn’t known unless you experience Hulaween is the atmosphere. Each year, organizers try to out-do themselves from the year before! This year, Spirit Lake was done up by artists from near and far. Light designers, set builders and actors were all part of the massive effort to transform the lake-side are into a magical wonderland.
Looking towards 2017 (now that we’re in it)…which festivals should we go to? Here’s a few that we’re looking at:
Tipper & Friends: The Nocturnal Edition (Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park – May 19 & 20)
Dave Tipper (2 sets)
Shpongle (Simon Posford) LIVE Twilight Set
LTJ Bukem DJ Atmospheric Drum and Bass Twilight Set
Cut Chemist (w/ Visuals)
Jade Cicada
HullabaloO
Detox Unit
Ovoid
Android Jones‘ Samskara 360 Projection Dome
Odeith Anamorphic 3D Mural
Shaky Knees Music Festival (Centennial Park in Atlanta – May 12-14)
Oregon Eclipse 2017 (Antelope, Oregon August – 17-23)
This festival is poised to be the biggest, most transformative experience of the year! The Gathering is being put on by the organizers of a handful of other quality events like, Bass Coast Festival (Canada), Envision Festival(Costa Rica),Hadra Trance Festival (France) Noisily Festival of Music and Arts (UK),Festival Ometeotl (Mexico), Origin Festival (S. Africa), Rainbow Serpent Festival (Australia), Re:birth Festival (Japan), Symbiosis Gathering (California), SONIC BLOOM (Colorado) and Universo Paralello Festival(Brazil)
Firefly Music Festival (Dover, Delaware – June 15-18)
We went to Firefly last year but it looks like the fest is trying a different approach for the first time ever! The festival has multiple categories that you can vote on and contribute your opinion. It’s a unique way to get fans involved. We’ll see if there’s much of an impact, when the lineup comes out and at the actual event! Here’s where you can share your opinion – https://fireflyfestival.com/contribute/
