THD | Eat the world
Disney World is one of my favorite places on Earth. When I visit, I feel like I’ve entered another universe. Reality is something, or somewhere else. Something I don’t have to deal with right now. All that matters is that there’s a Mickey ice cream cone in my hand, uplifting music in my ears and the promise of magic around every corner. It’s immersive in every way, and that’s what’s worth its weight in gold.
Being fully immersed in any experience is the only way to get the most value and enjoyment out of something in my opinion. Even at restaurants, I am picky with which table I sit at. I don’t want to be sat in a corner with no one else around me, or at the table next to the server station. I’ve come to relax, to eat, and to have an experience, dammit. I want the mood music, the good lighting, all the people around me talking and enjoying themselves, AND… I want the delicious food too.
But wait, isn’t this article about Electric Forest?
Yes, and I promise I’m getting there… now. The point is, promising the bare minimum, i.e. only having great rides at an amusement park, only having great food at a restaurant, and only having great music and nothing else at a music festival isn’t good enough for me anymore. I want to be immersed, I want to forget my life for a few days, and I want you to show me things I haven’t seen before. Dammit, I want to be impressed. And holy crap was I impressed at Electric Forest, more so than any other festival I’ve ever been to in my life, period.
So, what is it about Electric Forest that makes it better than any music festival I’ve ever been to? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Immersion.
From the moment I stepped into the forest I felt like I was far away. It was dark, and we walked beneath a canopy of illuminated umbrellas towards the central forest area. All around us there was ambient music playing, loud enough to set the mood, but soft enough to not interfere with any musical performances. What I would label as the equivalent of Disney cast members (employees of the fest) paraded around in character, directing, dancing and engaging with the Forest family.
There’s something about forests that really set the mood too. It’s not some giant open, cold space. It’s warm and inviting, and allows for intimate spaces to be created throughout. This is no exception at Electric Forest. Through the main forest area, there was a literal living room complete with bookcase, piano and chandelier, a trading post, a chapel, performance stages and other miscellaneous treats along the way. Not to mention, the variety and color of lighting is spectacular, as you can see in the video above.
Moving past the main forest area, you’ll arrive at The Hangar, which is technically a stage, but it’s so much more than that. Within the hangar, you can get a tattoo (don’t worry, they’re fake), a hair cut, a massage, go bowling, play ping pong and even watch a live cabaret in a theater that screams roaring 20’s.
The very best part about The Hangar though is the secret rooms you can discover. In the interest of not ruining future surprises for anyone (I don’t know how often they change these up), I’ll just say to ask around for hints, clues and tricks on what to say to whom. If you play your cards right, you could find yourself in something like a poetry brothel. Shit, did I say too much?
Obviously though, the thing that I most anticipate at these events is the food. And when I say “anticipate”, I don’t necessarily say that with excitement, not usually anyways. Up until recently, festivals like these have not been known for their food. An average cross section of festival food would’ve consisted of burgers, hot dogs and pizza in the past. Not that there’s anything wrong with those things, but I think we can all agree that they’re pretty boring.
For the most part, I’ve seen street festivals and sporting events stepping up their game when it comes to food. But after seeing all of the creative, fun and unique options at Electric Forest, I have high hopes for the future of festival food. Not to mention, I would totally come back to this festival JUST for the food, if that’s any indication of how much I enjoyed it. Observe the following reasons why:
The all night cereal bar was the centerpiece of Sherwood Court, the general admin campground social area. The bar has old fashioned furniture surrounding a retro TV that plays cartoons all day long. So not only are you eating cereal, you’re eating cereal… with ice cream… while sitting on a comfy couch watching Rick and Morty. It’s everything you want adult life to be.
In addition to the cereal bar, there were around 20 other food options. Which is way more than I’ve seen offered inside any campground in the past. You could pick from pizza, sandwiches, healthy, not healthy, sweets, burritos, you name it. Even Morat’s donuts was in the camping area. You could wake up and grab some donut nachos AND cereal a la mode before heading in for the day.
To go the extra mile, EF also scheduled events and experiences, some secret and some not-so-secret, within the camping areas, Sherwood Court and The Good Life (VIP). These included musical performances, of course, but then you stumble upon disco bingo at 3am and you wonder how you’ll ever not come back for this.
So, in conclusion, I’d like to formally thank Electric Forest for ruining every other music festival I’ve ever been to and probably will ever go to in the future. Between the ambiance, the staff, the music and the food, you truly are the Disney World of music festivals. I’m super pumped to come back to the #happyforest. I will also manage my expectations for any other festivals I decide to attend. Because after you experience something as exciting and immersive as Electric Forest, none of these other festivals will measure up.
I hope that this guide serves you well and makes planning your trip to Electric Forest exciting and fun! If you have any thoughts, feelings, opinions, recommendations, additions, etc for this guide or any others, please tell me about it in the comments below!
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And of course, don’t forget to stay hungry for all the food and fun, friends!
