Cascadia Promises An Artistic, Communal Festival

Dance music, on the whole, is headed into a more corporate direction. While underground warehouse parties still exist, the idea of a clandestine rave has been replaced by massive, heart-stopping productions. While there’s nothing wrong with that, there’s something to be said for a more personalized, communal experience.

Fortunately, a new music and arts festival, Cascadia, is taking place through the 23^rd and 26^th of July. We wrote a little about the festival late last year, but as the event organizers revealed more and more information, we figured it was time for an update.

Taking place in Granite Falls, Washington, Cascadia is a music and arts showcase, which already sets it apart from other purely musical events. From visual art to fire-spinners and interpretive dancers, some of the best northwest art will be on display. From what we’ve heard through the grapevine, it seems likely that legendary psychedelic body painter Allie Hanlon may be doing a showcase there as well.

In addition, Cascadia takes an extremely unique approach to camping out. There are four different ‘villages’ open to the public, each with a unique theme and artistic focus; Genesis, Technosis, Ecotopia, and Mythica. Participants in each village are encouraged to connect with each other in a Facebook group to plan and coordinate for the event, and through a joint proposal system, can have a direct impact upon the festival itself.

It’s bringing a communal spirit into the northwest, and sounds more or less like the best summer camp of all time. Plus, that’s not even mentioning the music. At most electronic festivals, the lineups are all eerily similar, featuring little more than the hottest names in pop EDM. At Cascadia, however, the lineup is much more diverse, featuring independent musicians like Tipper, Bleep Bloop, Sixis, and many more.

It’s an interesting premise for a festival. Our local scene has been sorely lacking something like this, and the tickets are available now. Let us know if you’re planning on attending on Facebook or Twitter; we’d love how many people are interested in this type of event!