A Stroll Through The Electric Forest Festival

Entrance to the main gates e.Tree Photography

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Hoop performer in the forest e.Tree Photography

Live performance in the forest e.Tree Photography

Festival Goer hanging a hammock e.Tree Photography

Sherwood Forest e.Tree Photography

Mushrooms e.Tree Photography

Sol-Lun Art e.Tree Photography

The Solar DJ Booth e.Tree Photography

Sol-Lun Artists e.Tree Photography

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Night light in the forest Photo by Ben Slayter

The Solar DJ Booth Photo by Mike Silberman

End Galleria

ROTHBURY, MI – Steven, a Detroit-based photographer, looked over and asked me if I was about to cry. I wasn’t really sure what was going on, I was happy and curious, wanting to explore and touch every new thing I came across. For the first time in awhile I truly felt at peace with myself and my surroundings. I was back in the forest.

Day one at the Electric Forest Festival has already begun to stir up a lot of emotions. The entire check in process – driving back and forth from north gate, recovering my press pass, waiting to get in the main gates and sprinting after my car – took double the time it took my crew and I to drive here from Chicago. Yet after many hours of wait, I finally made it into Double JJ Ranch. It was a lot to take in at once: a styrofoam octopus, a “jank yard” turned into hand crafted treasures, a solar DJ booth, the Human Avatar Project back for round two, people handing out hugs, and enough hammocks to appease hundreds.

It was nice to have some alone time in the forest before the gates opened; I was most excited to be able to sway in a ENO without any bothers, the sunlight peering through the tall trees and falling lightly upon my face. At one point, while taking in everything new, I felt a refreshing sense of freedom. It was the kind of moment when everything felt surreal and I began to imagine all that I was about to experience in just five days.

Something I can guarantee to be a mind-trip is The Sol-Lun and The Solar Saucer created by the Jenkstar Production team. The eight person collaborative, based out of Salt Lake City, has created a mobile Solar Powered DJ Booth out of solar panels, batteries, and a lot of lights. The group stays true to their project, constantly painting, renovating and working as artists to create a truly unique experience for all of the forests guests.

I briefly experienced the live music that EFF had to offer for a Thursday night. The first day is always a hit or miss, you either allow yourself to completely melt into the scene or you crash due to over-excitement from the week leading up. If you can’t already tell, I didn’t make it through the late night sets but I’m ready to self-indulge tonight. I’m expecting a lot of EDM throughout the day and come night, SCI kicks off their three day rage. It’s time to get the party started over here on Double JJ!

One of the artists from The Sol-Lun and The Solar Saucer takes a nap while the other fabricates white and pink roses.

Photos by E.Tree Photography, Slayter Creative & Mike Silberman

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