Elements Was One For The Ages
Once again, Elements Music Festival has wrapped up, and it was one for the ages. Water was definitely the primary element this year as rain dumped down on the festival from the Thursday pre-party until Saturday afternoon, turning the Pocono Raceway into a water park. We braved the elements, though, and the music only stopped briefly to let the lightning pass, and the party went on late into the night. We arrived Friday morning after the first of the rain storms had passed, but there was more in store for us as it started to downpour as we waited in line for entry. A long weather delay couldn’t keep us down though, and everyone waiting on the race track got out of their cars and got Elements started right there on the race track! We were bumping music, making friends, and trading trinkets before we even got in the gates, and by the time we finally got camp set up, it was clear skies and cool weather to start our Friday journey into the grounds. By the time we got inside, we had missed part of Ganja White Night, who we really wanted to see, but it was awesome getting there just in time for a couple of songs while we took in the festival for all it had to offer as the sun set. And man, is it beautiful still! I knew from last year that the grounds would have some cool art, and I was still impressed by all the mural artists’ amazing work as well as the installations and the stages themselves. It was so much to take in, but our favorite artists were already playing, so it was a little overwhelming to do it all at once.
Credit: Julian Bajsel
Fortunately, the organizers used the weather delay to lay down a lot of mulch to soak up the rain, and the ground didn’t COMPLETELY turn to mud, although there was only so much they could do, and by the end of the night everyone was a muddy mess. I’m just glad we were able to walk around and get between stages still without getting completely stuck in the mud. Some of the smaller attractions, like the air stage and Fun Factory that were tucked into the woods, were harder to get to, and the mud made it so that we didn’t really get to check out everything they had to offer, but what we did see of the woods was some really interesting art and we met some really cool people, so it wasn’t all bad. In fact, there was even a positive side to the mud since a lot of people seemed to sit Friday night out; we had great views of the water stage that we didn’t check out much last year because of the big crowds and more breathing room for the later acts at the main stage than I had expected. We ended up turning in a little early after all the chaos with the weather and to get ready for the next day, but I did pop back in for the Mickman set at the end of the night, which was absolutely mind-melting. I can’t recommend a Mickman set enough, even if it’s in the middle of the night.
Saturday we got some rain again, but not nearly as much as the day before, and after recovering from the very busy day before, we were able to take it easy at first to prepare for the wild scheduling of Level Up, then Of the Trees, then Subtronics all at the same stage. The first set we caught was Probcause, and he was all over this festival! After his DJ set, it seemed like he was popping up all over everybody’s sets like an Elements Easter egg, no matter what stage we went to. We also had to catch some Louis the Child for the sunset vibes at the fire stage with its impressive pyro effects and amazing red stage design that let you see the DJ platform from the very back. Then we ran over to Sippy as a must-see at the water stage, where the sound was incredible, and the vibes were probably the best of the weekend. The water stage had Funktion One speakers set up, which made the sound INCREDIBLE, along with the awe-inspiring laser octopus design; I never wanted to leave. But we had to because the Level Up, Of the Trees, Subtronics trifecta was up next, and we stayed glued to the Earth stage for the rest of the night. Level Up put on a fantastic set to be the first of the three and has really leveled up her act since I last saw her back in 2019. If it’s been a while, definitely check her out! As for the rest of the night, the guys were amazing as always, and I’ll never turn down a set by either of them! The sets were nice and loud late into the night, which I’m sure upset the neighbors in the Poconos but made us some happy ravers!
Sunday was beautiful and full of clear skies, warm weather, and not only Griz, but TWO sets by both Daily Bread and LSDREAM! We started early in the day for the can’t-miss Lightcode by LSDREAM, though personally 11 am is not my favorite time to catch a set; it was a great way to relax and start the day with his mindfulness exercises and meditation. The cloud conductor set at the water stage was so amazing, and we had plenty of room for it too. Hearing dnb on those speakers was a highlight for me as a long-time fan, and despite being so far from Atlanta, the crowd went nuts for it too. After that, the excitement for Griz was in the air, so we got there early to post up, and it got wild fast. The people showed up big time for Griz, and he put on a beautiful, relaxing golden hour horn-filled set before throwing down with some bass music at the end. Short but sweet, never miss a Sunday chasing the golden hour show! We finished off the festival with some Daily Bread going absolutely hard for his main stage set, and LSDREAM taking the volume down a notch for his set after. We love LSDREAM, but I think there must have been some Sunday night volume considerations, because after 11 pm a lot of people were saying it got way quieter for his set, but it was still a hard-hitting set for sure.
Creadit: Don Idio
Was Elements amazing as always? You know it. Was it perfect? Not exactly. GA had a lot of issues with bathrooms not being cleaned, but the festival did tell us they were working on making it better, and by Sunday it did seem like they were getting cleaned and restocked more. That was the only major complaint I heard consistently, besides the rain and mud, which no one could really control. There were also some issues with untrained volunteers, which seems to happen at every festival, and ADA was understaffed on Sunday with shuttles not running at all most of the day, but besides these hiccups, it is an amazing festival with good organization and communication that gives back a great value for the attendees. You can really tell they try to make it as enjoyable an experience for everyone who attends. They make improvements every year for us attendees, and I really appreciate that! I would definitely be back, even if it rains again.
Elements has also announced its loyalty sale, which kicked off today, 8/18 at 10 am ET. The festival’s 2027 dates are August 6-8, 2027.