Lights, music, and the arts coalesce under Sherwood Forest’s canopy of towering pines for a truly unique festival experience unlike any other.
Created as an outlet for free spirits and a retreat from normalcy, Electric Forest is an annual four-day event held during the last weekend of June with festivities spread across a vast expanse of wooded ranch-land in rural Rothbury, Michigan.
From June 26-29th, the festival grounds of the Double JJ Resort were transformed into the enchanted forest realized, full of unique audiovisual experiences, psychedelic artwork, and some incredible musical performances. And, with 2014 marking the festival’s fourth year as its current incarnation, the magnitude of the production and creativity invested seems to have reached new levels of wonderment.
As music is one of the main focal points of the event, artists and fans representing the electronic dance music scene and jam band circuit come together to create a truly diverse amalgam of performances and dance parties throughout the venue.
Some of the top billed acts for this year’s festival include: The String Cheese Incident, Steve Angello, Umphrey’s McGee, STS9, Zedd, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Cut Copy, Flying Lotus, Moby, ScHoolboy Q, Matt & Kim, and Stephen Ragga Marley.
However, unlike the majority of other summer festivals, while there is still an obvious emphasis on music, Electric Forest is much more than just a music festival; it is a celebration of life. With an unmistakable focus on the overall experience, there seems to be a resilient spirit of community engagement and good vibes among festival-goers.
While there are many activities for revelers to partake in, the most popular attractions can be found inside Sherwood Forest. During the day, festival-goers relax in hammocks hanging between clusters of white pines. But at night, the forest is transformed into an enormous party full of extravagant light displays, interactive performance art, and surprises around every turn.
Electric Forest has lived up to its intensions and continues to encourage everyone to choose their own adventure, and with more than 35,000 people from across the country and beyond attending the first day alone, this year’s event set the bar for years to come.