MWA Live: Electric Forest 2019

The pilgrimage to Electric Forest Music Festival is guaranteed to change you before you get back. Something about the energy at this festival sets it apart from every festival 1,000 miles in any direction. This year, the Fest returned to a one-week affair, after two years of two-week runs began to damage Sherwood Forest irreparably. It’s not a coincidence tickets sold out in record time, after only two days of loyalty sales.

Electric Forest is about more than putting on a good show and making good money. The people who run it care about the crowd, the community they work with, and the planet we live on. There’s an undeniable feeling of family and community all around. When you boil things down, that’s what this music thing should be all about.

The festival in Rothbury has been known for impressive lineups since its inaugural year in 2008, and this year was no exception. Some of the heavy hitters included three nights of String Cheese Incident, 12th Planet, Bassnectar, Claude Von Stroke, Bob Moses, Ganja White Night, Gramatik, Hippie Sabotage, Zeds Dead, Tokimonsta, and Birdhouse artist Walker & Royce.

Arriving at the festival grounds in Rothbury is a euphoric moment, when months of anticipation and planning finally pay off as you cross the threshold into the campgrounds. You are then ushered through a long conga-line of cars until you are directed to your campsite. You might not realize it at the time, but the people that are parked around you are about to become your family. You will share your resources, stories, laughter, and all the highs and lows of a four-day camping festival.

See below for a photos from Electric Forest 2019: