Electric Forest – Rothsbury, MI
When: June 22 – 25 and June 29 – July 2, 2017
Weekend 1 Headliners: The String Cheese Incident, Bassnectar, Odesza, My Morning Jacket, Above & Beyond. Dillon Francis, Big Gigantic, Nero (Live), Claude Vonstroke, Oliver Heldens, A-Trak.
Weekend 2 Headliners: The String Cheese Incident, Bassnectar, Flume, DJ Snake, Dillon Francis, Big Gigantic, RL Grime, Thievery Corporation, Lotus, Claude Vonstroke, Hi-Lo, A-Trak.
Electric Forest gives us two weekends packed full of talent. The festival originally spanned only one weekend back in 2016, but is expanding to two weekends in 2017. Electric Forest is always an attraction for its lineups, but what struck us in our research is the overwhelmingly consistent rapport with festival management. While EForest expanded to two weekends, they actually cut ticket sales by about 10% to make the experience smaller and more intimate for its attendees. This is not always the common trend amongst festival management companies, which shows their consideration for creating a unique artistic experience.
Tickets are currently $297.50, with layaway payment plans until January 15. Flying costs can be a little pricey to get to Grand Rapids, MI, but an Electric Forest shuttle will take you to the festival grounds, with complimentary early Wednesday entrance and no car camping close to the venue entrance. If you are considering driving, be wary. A repetitive comment for drivers on the Reddit thread is that there are frequent stops by law enforcement on the way.
Bamboo Bass Festival – Jaco, Costa Rica
When: February 17 – 19, 2017
Headliners: Ekali, Mala, Space Jesus, Illgates vs. KJ Sawka, Psymbionic, Lost City, Truth, Perkulator, Stylust Beats.
The farthest festival destination on our list, Bamboo Bass gives a lineup full of different styles of bass. Along with the list of first wave international headliners, Stylust Beats & Friends are having a Sleeveless Records takeover on Sunday. With so many different styles, there’s a little something for every bass-head. Plus, Bamboo Bass festival takes place in Jaco, which is a beautiful beach side city. Nestled in ancient jungle trees, and about a ten minute walk to the ocean creates a unique festival experience.
Besides getting down to some bass, Bamboo Bass Festival offers an array of daytime activities on-site. Some activities include, zip-lining, aerial canopy tours, and more. When the lights go down you’re able to dance the night away in a Costa Rican jungle, which is a feat not a lot of people can say. Tickets to the festival are $174.50 USD after taxes. Flights from Seattle to San Jose range from about $450-$580 round trip; $530-$590 if leaving from PDX; and about $440-$615 if leaving from YVR Vancouver . There is available camping for $20 when you arrive to the festival, but there are also a range of beach-side hostels for a steal.
https://soundcloud.com/chemjallday/live-la-selva-stage-bamboo-bass-festival-2016
With so many festivals to choose from across the continent where will we see our PNW fam at this year? We’ve got DMNW crew headed to Bamboo Bass Festival, Bass Coast Festival, Lightning in a Bottle, and Electric Forest Weekend 2 in 2017, so make sure to say hello! Are there other festivals that you think deserve a mention and are worth the travel? Share your responses with us in the comments below!
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