Music
If you only go to one festival in 2019, it should be… Electric Forest
Lean, mean and beautiful in 2019.
Editor’s Note: As part of our ongoing Music Journalism Course, our music team was asked to choose from 10 U.S. music festivals and make a case for the best of 2019. c
Electric Forest is by far the best music festival in the U.S. in 2019. Not only because it is held in Michigan, (the most beautiful state in America) but also because it has a variety of artists with multiple stages and a unique yet attractive venue. /
Electric Forest’s main claim to fame is their huge EDM line-up, but this year they also host rappers, metal bands, and rock and pop acts. EF has over 30 camping areas for attendees over the weekend, June 27-30, with five main stages.
This year, EF is having over 100 artists play. Tickets are relatively cheap, the most expensive package being $700 and the cheapest being a little over $300, and all packages include camping/parking. The ticket pricing over the last few years has been very consistent, fluctuating only around $10-$20.
Sadly, this year has been sold out since it is only a one weekend festival instead of their usual two weekend endeavor. The reason for this is because over the past years, Electric Forest was having difficulties making money because not enough people would purchase tickets to go to both weekends.
Even though Electric Forest has a ton of popularity and many people crowding a not-so-large forest, it is in fact one of cleanest festival to date in the US*. The High-Five program takes students under its wing as volunteers and internships and creates fun and intuitive ways to get the festival-goers to clean up after themselves. When festival-goers don’t clean up their trash, the students buzz around the forest and can clean up the entire venue in just a few hours for the next day of concerts to be spotless.
Because Electric Forest is so clean, has an array of music lined up during each festival, and relatively cheap parking and tickets, it is by far the best festival in the U.S.
If you obsess over singers and bands, and are one of those people who make a playlist for every occasion, join CMN’s Music Journalism Course and get real-time experience, intense feedback on your writing, exposure to music industry insiders, and a great place to display build your portfolio. Get all the details on the Music Journalism Course here.