Home Again at EForest.
It was truly magical seeing the Ferris wheel, the colorful pillars signifying Main street, and the inflatable lion and tiger to distinguish campsites. After 3 years of anticipating a weekend filled with unknown adventures, we were finally home. Coming in during Wednesday arrival meant that I was going to be spending 5 days at EForest, and boy was I ready. Something I’ve realized after my first forest in 2019 is that there’s an array of activities to keep you busy whether that be finding all 24 fairy doors, completing the Hanger scavenger hunts, or hanging out at the art shed. Having live musical performances at the forest was really just a cherry on top. Now, 5 days is a lot to write about. I’ve condensed my experience into 3 major highlights.
- Group camping: House Headass and Friends.
Yup, that was the group camp name. Going in, I only knew three people. Leaving, I left with a family. The vibes here are as such: Chaos at all hours of the day, constant laughter, music blasting, and cold ones cracking. There was also a wealth of knowledge about homeopathic medicine being shared that I was able to take home. House Headass and Friends is the #1 reason why I had such a memorable experience in the forest. I am eternally grateful to them for their hospitality and their love. If you can snag a spot in group camping, I would. You may end up leaving with a new family. - The Travel Agency (and more)
By the time 1:30 pm Thursday rolled around, there was a line starting from the Hangar going all the way back into Sherwood. People were lining up for the one and only Travel Agency Scavenger Hunt! Both quests had you scouring the Hangar for answers within places and posters, and at the end of both quests, you received a limited pin and access to a speakeasy with live music and a 50s feel. I spent two days on this mission because I wanted to take my time and really interact with the characters and spend time with my new friends. It was an awesome way to get to meet people, and stimulate your brain! - Porter Robinson playing on the grand piano ~ The Forest
Now, this was my biggest highlight. On Sunday as I was taking a nap in a lovely stranger’s hammock, I was abruptly awoken by “PORTER!!!!”. Luckily my hammock was within sight of the piano, and I was absolutely SHOCKED to see Porter Robinson on the piano. Full flesh, blond highlights and all. It was him. I definitely didn’t have the best seat in the house, but people were relatively respectful of my spot and didn’t stand in front of me. He played some new music from his Nurture set, and the rest of his fans were all serenaded by his pure talent.
Okay, this last thing isn’t necessarily a highlight, but I made a totem for this weekend and it was a HUGE hit (especially with the cops). Seeing people laugh, and hearing “GIBBBAY” made my cheeks hurt from smiling.
This is home for me. This is home for most ravers. These are our people. Our weird, kooky, crazy, loving, and caring forest family. If you haven’t made the trip to Rothbury, I recommend it over any festival out there.
This is the first time in my entertainment career that I’ve been blessed with a photo pass. I bought a used Nikon d3500, gave myself a quick tutorial on the settings such as ISO and F-stop and went straight to shooting everything I could. With that being said, I am by NO means a professional photographer, but it wasn’t until this weekend that I started truly appreciating this art form. Witnessing these beautiful and magical moments, both candid and staged, has been a transformative experience, and my fondness for this medium grew exponentially after every shot I took. I thank both the company that I work for and Electric Forest for presenting this opportunity to me.
Until then, happy EForest <3