By: Kerry McNeil

For Electric Forest’s first year, clearly the motto is “go big or go home.” With headliners The String Cheese Incident and Tiesto, Electric Forest is already off to a promising start. Add in Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Kaskade, Shpongle, Lotus, Excision, The New Deal, EOTO, Skrillex—among many more—and promising becomes a fantastic line up. And did we mention that there will be a 60,000 square foot indoor water park, an 18-hole golf course, horseback riding, and a beautiful lakeside beach? Electric Forest is much more than a festival with 70 performers, it’s an experience with fun activities for everyone, plus the musical talent to back it up. Prepare yourself for a wild weekend in Rothbury, Michigan’s Double JJ resort from June 30th-July 3rd.

Tickets & Camping/Lodging:

Electric Forest’s general admission Weekend Ticket includes a four-day festival pass, Thursday through Sunday, and onsite camping/parking. The 2-Day Ticket includes a two-day festival pass, Saturday and Sunday, and onsite camping/parking for those days.

Weekend Tickets are $239.50 (plus ticket fees)

2-Day Tickets are $125 (plus ticket fees)

Click HERE to purchase GA Tickets.

RV Parking requires the purchase of an RV Pass. Add an RV PASS at checkout for $125 per RV (plus service fees). Please note: every vehicle entering the RV camping area must have an RV Pass, every person entering the Electric Forest RV camping area must also have a Weekend Ticket.  

Children ages 3-12 can purchase a half price Electric Forest Weekend Ticket for $119.75 (plus service fees). As long as they are with a parent, the Electric Forest Children’s Wristband will get them anywhere their parent goes.

Electric Forest will begin allowing cars and RVs into the venue on Thursday, June 30th, at 10:00 am. Please do not arrive to the site before then, you will be turned away.  All vehicles and persons must exit the venue by Monday, July 4th, at 12:00 PM.  Upon arrival, you will be directed into the campsite to park. You will set up camp next to your car. Once parked, we ask that you leave your car at your campsite. If your friends arrive after you, it may be difficult to reach your particular site. Please plan on parking where indicated, then meeting your friends at the Information Booth.

Also available are a variety of Good Life VIP packages. All Good Life package options include access to the Good Life Lounge with a private bar and exclusive food vendors, premium viewing areas at multiple stages, open bar “happy hour” Friday at 4-6pm, and air-conditioned bathroom facilities. If you’re interested in all of those VIP amenities, all you have to decide is what kind of VIP lodging you’d like and there will be more specific amenities for each.

For $475 per person, the Good Life Village package includes a secured campsite next to the festival, early check-in on Wednesday night beginning at 8pm, a welcome party Wednesday night, on site shower trailers, and executive air-conditioned bathroom trailers in the Village campground. The Village campsite area is adjacent to the Big Wildcat Lake, as well as the concert venue, and it has it’s own private entry.

The Good Life Back 40 VIP package includes a choice between a log home ($1,639 per person), log cabin ($1,528 per person), or camping spot ($650 per person). Each package includes brunch every morning, an outdoor pool with a 150’ waterslide, a hot tub and zero-depth entry pool, access to an old western town with a bar and general store, unlimited use of the water park facilities, one complimentary horseback ride, use of the Good Life Express that operates 24 hours a day between the venue and lodging areas, and private entry/check in. Early check in and welcome party access on Wednesday will be available as an additional add-on to any of these packages. For more information on the specifics of each Good Life Back 40 VIP package, click here.

Starting at about $1,399 per person, the Good Life Frontier VIP packages are for those looking to stay at a resort during the festival. The Frontier package offers lodging in a modern and luxurious Thoroughbred Suite, brunch every morning, unlimited use of the water park, two 9 hole credits per person at the Thoroughbred Gold Course with preferred tee times, access to free yoga classes each morning, automatic/complimentary entry into the inaugural Electric Forest “Celebrity” Invitational, immediate proximity to restaurants and bars, as well as access to the Good Life Express. Early check-in on Wednesday will be available as an add-on to the Frontier VIP package as well. Electric Forest patrons who wish to purchase a Good Life Frontier VIP package will have a choice of the Billy The Kid T-Suite (starting at $1,399 per person), the Calamity Jane T-Suite (starting at $1,399 per person), and the Doc Holiday T-Suite (starting at $1,479 per person)—each of which comes with its own specific amenities that can be viewed here.   A half price Good Life Wristband will also be available to children ages 3-12 for $237.50 and will allow them access to anywhere a parent has access.

Stages & Vendors:

There will be a total of five stages including the Ranch Arena, Sherwood Court, Tripolee, Forest Stage, and Wagon Wheel.  Click HERE for the complete schedule by stage (Forest Stage TBA). See below for the complete lineup of artists.

Electric Forest will offer a wide assortment of food/drink, crafts, and other vendors throughout the festival site. Food vendors will include organic, vegetarian, and vegan options, and will only use compostable serving materials.

Facilities:

24-hour security, 24-hour medical services, port-a-lets, showers (for a small fee), and a General Store will all be available at the campgrounds. Water and ice will be for sale, ATMS will be available, and a wide variety of vendors will be dispersed throughout the campgrounds. Free water will also be provided by water trucks or wells. Guests with disabilities will have access to the Accessible Campground area, with details here.

Activities:

The Sherwood Forest

The Sherwood Forest, located in the heart of the festival grounds, is the pulse of Electric Forest. By day, the Sherwood Forest is a place to relax in one of the many hammocks that swing between the trees, explore the art installations sprinkled throughout the woods and meander down paths to discover plenty of surprises. At night, the Sherwood Forest comes alive! Witness the extravagant light display, stumble into surprise performances and parties in the depths of the woods, and gather with friends to enjoy the party.

Gold Rush Water Park

The Gold Rush Water Park, a 60,000 square foot permanent fixture of the Double JJ Resort, will be open 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. daily on Thursday, June 30th through Sunday, July 3. Tickets to the Water Park are $20 per visit, and include a shuttle to and from the Water Park, a towel and a shower. Catch the Water Park Shuttle throughout each day at the corner of Clay and Water Roads. Purchase tickets at the Shuttle Stop - cash and credit card accepted.

Thoroughbred Golf Club and "Celebrity" Invitational

Designed by renowned architect Arthur Hills, the Thoroughbred Golf Club is known for its beauty and solitude. With bent grass tees, fairways and greens, the Thoroughbred offers 18 championship holes that sprawl over 240 acres of rolling Michigan woodside. The strategic layout is challenging but rewarding to golfers of all abilities. Sign up for Electric Forest’s 1st annual “Celebrity” Invitational or schedule a separate tee-time. Visit back for prices, scheduling instructions, and more details.

Big Wildcat Lake

Enjoy beachfront music, BBQ and other festivities at Big Wildcat Lake. Lounge on the warm sand, partake in a game of beach volleyball, or swing on the old-school swing set and enjoy the view.

Horseback Riding

If you always wanted to be a cowboy, wondered what it feels like to be up there in the saddle, or if you just want to ride like the wind, then consider booking a horseback ride for you and your posse! Double JJ’s horseback experiences, available to both beginners and experts, include walk, trot and canter trail rides daily (weather permitting). Visit back soon for details on prices, schedules, and more.

(Glow in the Dark) Disc Golf

The Solar Glow Disc Experience, together with Bell's Brewery and Innova Discs, will be hosting a 9-hole disc golf course at Electric Forest throughout the weekend. While perfectly enjoyable by day, the course’s fairways will illuminate at night with an array of solar powered, multi-colored lights, and glow discs soaring through the trees. As golfers approach each hole, a black light shines on the tee sign, doubling as a charging station for discs. 

Appealing for players of all skill levels and open until 5am, look for the First Hole marker on the Electric Forest map once on site. Commemorative glow discs and other disc golf related items will be available at the festival.

Mousetrap

Yes, the board game…well, kind of.

For Life Size Mousetrap, the old-school board game favorite is turned into a life-sized spectacle; “A colorful assemblage of kinetic sculptures fantastically handcrafted into a giant 25-ton Rube-Gold-berg machine!”

This classic yet up-sized contraption comes to life on site at Electric Forest, with a vaudevillian style road show featuring dancing mice and live music by Esmerelda Strange. Also on the crew are well-dressed "Clown 'engineers" who endeavor to achieve a chain reaction using Newtonian physics and bowling balls. And, just like the board game, the action culminates with the spectacular dropping of a 2-ton bank safe from a 30 foot crane!

Natural Surroundings:

Located in the Double JJ Resort in Rothbury, Michigan, the Electric Forest Festival is treating its attendees to a festival experience unlike any other. With an indoor waterpark, miles of horseback riding trails, an 18 hole championship golf course, and much more, the area is ideal for a weekend jam-packed with fun activities. With an average highs in the 70s in the summer months, attendees are likely to enjoy warm, pleasant weather at the spacious resort. Though there is usually little rain in the month of July, patrons are warned to come prepared for all kinds of weather.

Social Awareness:

Teaming up with the Conscious Alliance to host an ‘Art That Feeds’ food drive at the festival, Electric Forest is asking its patrons to donate non-perishable and canned food items. Attendees who donate 20 or more non-perishable food items will be given a limited edition Electric Forest Conscious Alliance 3D poster. Drop off points will be located around the campground entrances.

Map:

Lineup:

The String Cheese Incident
Tiësto
Bassnectar
Pretty Lights
REO Speedwagon
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Stephen Marley
Kaskade
Shpongle Presents the Shpongletron Experience
Keller Williams
Galactic
Lotus
Conspirator
Railroad Earth
JJ Grey & Mofro
Skrillex
Excision
The New Deal
EOTO
Emmitt-Nershi Band
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
Kyle Hollingsworth Band
Toubab Krewe
Bonobo (DJ set)
Beats Antique
Zach Deputy
12th Planet
Big Gigantic
Chiddy Bang
Future Rock
Eskmo
Lettuce
Eliot Lipp
Paper Diamond
The Infamous Stringdusters
Zion I & The Grouch
Greensky Bluegrass
Feed Me
Reverend Peytons Big Damn Band
Mat.McHugh (The Beautiful Girls) Solo & Acoustic
Dieselboy
The Pimps of Joytime
Rubblebucket
Papadosio
Vibesquad
Archnemesis
Emancipator
That 1 Guy
Break Science
Porter Robinson
Two Fresh
Keys N Krates
Van Ghost
The Ragbirds
The Macpodz
Euforquestra
The Hood Internet
Lance Herbstrong
Cas Haley
Lynx
Zedd
Michal Menert
Kraz (DJ set)
The Treasures
Steez
The Werks
SuperDre
Panic Bomber
Dragon Wagon