Elements Sure Brought The Elements
Way up in the mountains of the Poconos, Elements Music Festival surged crazy beats and vibes for attendees. This versatile lineup had a bit of something for everyone, from house to DNB to dubstep. The name of the festival speaks for itself and its stages, as each one is uniquely designed to represent one of the four elements, earth, wind, air, and fire. Artists such as Excision, Sara Landry, Subtronics, Matroda, and many more took the stage to throw down at this huge event.
Courtesy of Elements Festival // Andrew Rauner (@ajrphotos)
It wouldn’t be too out of character for some of the natural elements to be present at this festival, as there was a lot of water and wind present on day zero and one. If you were on social media, you may have seen some of the chaos that happened. Many people and their campsites were put through the wringer by Tropical Storm Debbie as she made her way up through the area late Thursday and all throughout the day on Friday.
While the festival did its best to try and get things running on Friday, the festival was forced to cancel due to weather. We all know that the festival cannot control the weather, but it was disappointing, to say the least. I know they were unprepared for this so hopefully the festival learns from this experience. It was a challenge as many of the staff were not on the same page. For example, I needed my car towed and I got three different phone numbers for a tow company from the staff. I had to get my own tow truck which security tried to turn away at the gates and then they made the tow truck wait in the long entry line rather than letting them in a side gate. When the festival was forced to cancel, there wasn’t strong communication. There were a lot of rumors swirling about and there was no update from the festival. They would send out notifications and then delete them from their app. I found out about Friday’s programming being rescheduled from a Reddit post.
Courtesy of Elements Festival // Lo Morell (@laurenmorell)
I did appreciate that the festival worked hard to make sure there were wood chips inside the venue but I wish it would have extended to the campgrounds, which was a muddy mess.
Once the storm passed, the sun came out and the weekend was amazing. Elements had a wide array of things to offer attendees such as a hidden speakeasy, unique art installations, many of which were made of recycled materials, and a forest full of hidden goodies. I think that the design team really came through, this was one of the best festivals I have ever seen in regards to design. Another notable part of this experience was the community within Elements. Throughout the hardships of the weekend, the people were what kept each other going by passing out trinkets, dancing like no one was watching, and all around keeping spirits high. The people of Elements really know how to keep the feeling of family alive and it is one thing that makes this festival stand out. Elements might not have gone the way it was planned, but that didn’t stop the ravers coming from all over the country from going hard and enjoying the festival. This was most definitely a memorable experience, and we can’t wait to see what next year has in store.
Courtesy of Elements Festival // Lo Morell (@laurenmorell)
A few things to note that the festival should think about fixing for next year- will call. The lineup was over 3 hours long. And I had to wait for over 2 hours for the security line. Hopefully, next year, the festival can fix these aspects. I was luckily able to catch Of The Trees- but many people missed the pre-party.
Another consideration is the popularity of an artist. I went to see Subtronics and he was at one of the smallest stages in the entire festival. It was so crowded and I couldn’t get in or out. Subtronics is a huge artist and I feel like it was an inappropriate stage. Hopefully, the festival takes these ideas into consideration.
Elements 2024 was a wild ride. While there are things that needed to be fixed and obviously the festival cannot the weather, the festival was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the final two days of the festival, the community, and the overall design of the festival. And really, the name of the festival was appropriate, am I right?