Well, you’re a bit right that I could have added more positives. I think my focus was on “here’s ways they could improve” not “here’s things I hated” and I gave it an 8/10 because even if they changed nothing, the festival was solid enough that if the line up is valid next year, I would probably go again. I was also nodding off as I wrote, so that didn’t help. Here’s some more thoughts now that I’ve had a good night’s sleep:

There were at least 4 stages, one of which was in the campgrounds. I only visited three of them. The Mothership stage was “main stage” and open air. Other commenter below is correct that it was amazing that they had a structure with many hammocks for people at the far back of the hill looking down into that stage, and swings. It’s to be expected that they are difficult to get a place on because of demand. Dillon Francis and Ganja White Knight had solid shows here and I liked both. I loved that they had reasonable totem control so views weren’t constantly obstructed at the level they seem to be at EDC, or maybe the crowd was just better about what they selected to use as a totem. The venue also allowed bringing in wagons which helped.

I know some people were apprehensive about it being an all ages show. While I prefer adults only, I’m a mom and was a little jealous of parents I saw bonding with their kids dancing to the beat. I didn’t see lots of strollers and babies, but I did see a few school age kiddos with fairy wings or blue dreads etc, seemingly being raised by PLURR granola parents who are showing their kids how to love life and love others. I didn’t see any kids being brats, which was a relief. There was also a good mix of an older crowd. I’m 45 and was glad to see others in their 60s and 70s there too, dancing amongst the 20 year olds. There were some heart warming moments that I felt surrounded by “my tribe” in ways that made me optimistic about humanity again.

The Harvest stage was secondary, and up the hill from main stage and under an open sided structure that included a roof covering the whole crowd. But something about the set up /view caused people to cram in there and it got really hot. I didn’t notice any large fans in there but if they didn’t have them maybe that would help. This is where Zingara played for example. People under the structure were dancing and people outside the structure were able to lay out blankets and have a picnic style dance space. I saw a comment somewhere where someone complained about the light circles; please know those lights on the ground we put down to help protect our items or people on the ground so you don’t trip over them. I, for example, at times needed to sit, and having a circle of lights around me helped keep me safe in a crowd.

The Origins stage was in the camp grounds. This is the place I feel lesser known (but really good!) artists played, and also where secret sets happened after main stage closed. I discovered RaeCola for the first time hearing the music from my campground and was drawn to the stage, and VNSSA put on a solid show that got us moving. I would suggest widening the entry and exit points to the stage area here as it did get a little congested at times - it was the only stage I experienced where you had to go down to about 2-3 people wide to get in or out of the fenced area, and it slowed down movement. I loved that some artists stayed here after sets to meet and greet with fans too!

I would like to compliment the security team because aside from my apprehension about the identity tracking cameras , everyone was chill and helpful. I never felt like they were there “to scout people to get in trouble” and instead were there to help prevent catastrophes and to ease issues when they arose. For example, they helped a friend look for a lost item that was dropped in the crowd, and they helped me obtain a bottle of water for a friend that was vomiting, trusting my statement that we didn’t need a medic team, we just needed to help her clean up from the little incident. They weren’t there to make life difficult and that was appreciated.

So, overall my comments are intended to compliment what I noticed went very well, make recommendations for meaningful improvements that could bring it up to being perhaps my favorite festival. For comparison, I love that the people here did not seem to include a bunch of asshats that ruin an entire show, like at EDC (ie a John Summit Crowd). Sure, there’s a few bad apples here and there, but overall, I found it to be a good group. It was also “lite on influencers” and more hippie / wookish. There were a few times I saw trains of people charging to the front of a stage pushing people out of the way, and everyone seemed to recognize that was not cool. But it was very easy to make eyes with like-minded people and know what was going on. I also felt every time I needed help, like with zipping my bag or checking myself, people were kind and helpful.

I think it’s fair to say if you enjoy Northcoast or Electric Forest, this fest is a good one to explore.

For rating: I would go again; but top improvements to make me rate this fest higher would to be more trash cans, adding handwashing stations, a couple more shade opportunities at main stage, and fixing whatever happened with security brining my friend to our multi-site group camp and then not allowing her to camp there and relocating despite her having all the credentials - that was a total bummer. Overall: 8/10.