Drifting Away At Bonfire Music Festival
Nestled in the Driftless Region in Wisconsin, amongst the jutting rocks and pseudo mountainous treeline, is Driftless Music Gardens hosting Bonfire Music Festival 2024. Driftless is one of those venues you have to see to believe and will have you asking yourself “Am I really in Wisconsin right now?”. When you drive into the region, you are immediately cut off from cell phone service (I had to rely on a paper map!). You have to trust yourself to navigate and weave through the narrow gravel back roads that are occupied by rusted farm equipment and dairy cows. Once you see the famous “pink house” you know you are getting close.
When you enter Driftless Music Gardens, you are immediately greeted with a family vibe. The whole venue has a certain DIY element to it that festival goers of a larger scale will notice immediately. There are no amusement rides, no 24 hour food, silent discos, or extra amenities. What Driftless does have is an incredible view of the stars, a beautifully curated garden with original sculptures, a total connection between you and the moment, and a brand new stage they unveiled for Bonfire 2024, a true labor of love for all of the volunteers and family that help make Driftless a reality.
This year, Bonfire Music Festival 2024 was boasting some major headliners, such as resident band The People Brothers Band, Cool Cool Cool, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Andy Frasco & The U.N., and Dogs in a Pile. While the headliners are what attract many fans, it is many of the undercard acts I’ve never heard of that I was looking forward to. I trust Driftless’ judgment. The headliners did not disappoint, with Cool Cool Cool being my top act I was looking forward to. As a major fan of Turkauz, it was soul refreshing to see Sammi and Shira share their chemistry on the stage yet again. They had an almost all original set with new music being released soon. Old Shoe is a long time favorite of mine and even covered some Widespread Panic. Shout out to Cribshitter, a new band I hadn’t seen before. Their music boasts an absurdist comedy with creative samples and feel good vibes all around. Closing the festival was Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Dogs in a Pile, and Andy Frasco who ended the festival in the most Andy Frasco way.
If you are looking for a hometown, close, family knit vibe, make visiting Driftless Music Gardens a must. They are home to three festivals, Bonfire, People Fest, and Boogiedown. Lucky for you, you still have a chance to attend Boogiedown 2024 with headliners such as Armchair Boogie, Dumpstaphunk, and Chicago Farmer. At People Fest 2024 expect to see funk legends Galactic and Lettuce headlining along with my personal favorite and my long time homies, Sun Stereo.
While I was packing up to leave, I needed help securing a ratchet strap. I walked to the first kind “dad vibes” looking man I saw. I said, “Excuse me, Sir, you look like you know your way around a ratchet strap. I’m sorry to ask this of a stranger, but could you help me?”. He politely replied with a heavy Wisconsin accent, “We aren’t strangers, we are Driftless folk.” And we hope you will be, too. Check out all of the photos of the weekend HERE as sometimes the formatting gets changed in these galleries.
