Soul Thrive With Round 2 At Solshine Reverie

Have you checked out Solshine Reverie yet? The creators behind Summer Camp Music Festival have
just released the star-studded Phase 2 lineup for their new festival concept: Solshine: A Music and Arts Reverie, which will be an awesome change! If you want to know all of the differences, check out Savannah’s article on the changes between Solshine Reverie and Summer Camp.

The event’s inaugural edition will take place at Summer Camp’s beloved venue of Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois from Friday, May 24 – Sunday, May 26, 2024, with a pre-party on Thursday, May 23. Most people tend to arrive on Thursday, so you know this is when you should arrive if you are able! This is one magical venue that includes a gorgeous forest and so much more!

All photos taken by Savannah Rae.

Solshine Reverie’s Phase 2 lineup will welcome acts such as Philadelphia-bred jamtronica outfit The Disco Biscuits, who are returning to the festival following their electrifying 2023 performance, as well as the festival debuts of Femme House-boss LP Giobbi (performing a Dead House set), and Gaspar Benegas & L.A Argentinians from Indio Solari.

These additional acts join previously-announced headliners Goose, John Summit, The String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s McGee, moe., STS9, deadmau5, Big Gigantic, and SLANDER.

Summer Camp has always had a strong partnership with both legendary jam rock band moe. and iconic genre-melding progressive rock band Umphrey’s McGee. This tradition will continue at Solshine Reverie as I’m sure many fans are thrilled about!

Solshine Reverie has also added a bevy of support talent, including debut festival performances from Josh Teed, Vampa, Venbee, Bad Snacks, Blue Future, DJ Logic, Esseks, Mantra Sounds, Thought Process, Night Tales, and Alika.

Summer Camp veteran performers like SunSquabi, Buku, A Hundred Drums, Artifakts, COFRESI, Motifv, 20Twenty, Charlie Otto + His Gear and Henhouse Prowlers also join Solshine’s Phase 2 lineup.

While so many things about Summer Camp will be staying the same, the festival will be updating the layout to create a true reverie or dreamlike state. These changes are done intentionally as Solshine is a strong theme throughout the festival. If you are familiar with SCamp in past years, you’ll know that the Solshine tradition of sustainability, volunteerism, and their amazing workshops.

Solshine Reverie has updated Summer Camp’s previous stage layout to create a more fruitful, efficient experience for guests. For example, instead of three mainstages, there will only be two. The festival chose to remover the Sunshine and Starshine Mainstages as Solshine Reverie is fostering a greater emphasis on the Moonshine Stage and the Campfire Stage (which is being elevated to the size of the previous Starshine Stage). This consolidation allows for a seamless transition between genres on both stages, and allows for less overall overlap so attendees can see exactly who they want. With only two stages, your feet will certainly thank you!

Additionally, all workshops will now take place at the SOULPATCH. This has always been a staple of the festival as an interactive garden space and natural amphitheater. By committing this area to the event’s non-music programming, festival-goers will have a familiar, centralized space to attend various offerings and activities before heading back to the stages to check out more music. Past years have included yoga, glass blowing, hooping, volunteer row, collecting enough stamps for the Everyone Orchestra, and so much more. There’s a little something for everyone.

In other exciting news, the festival’s official mainstage curfew is now being extended from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. This additional time will allow guests to experience even more music at Solshine’s biggest hub, before heading back to their campgrounds. This is great news as we used to bop over to the Illumination Woods to enjoy the music a little bit later.

Despite these changes, Solshine will ultimately retain Summer Camp’s core ethos of building an inclusive community around music. I’m personally not a huge jam band person and never have been. However, Summer Camp has developed an intentional community that I find myself coming back year after year. Through its mission of sustainability, the festival will aim to inspire attendees to live a life of intention and purpose in order to create a positive impact on the world. To capture this spirit, the festival will host the coveted experiential art area The Illumination Woods and the aforementioned permanent garden SOULPATCH as a dedicated area to increase knowledge of permaculture and sustainability. 

Located in The Illumination Woods, Frick Frack Blackjack will return to Three Sisters Park for Solshine’s debut edition. The no-cash, no-limit game has become a fan-favorite across the festival landscape for its unique gambling experience. I’ve seen some pretty wild things get traded and I heard that Andy Frasco actually lost his shoes one year… it happens!

In addition to its music programming, Solshine will offer a variety of workshops, food and craft vendors, community-building initiatives, and activities – the heart and soul of what made Summer Camp a ‘home away from home’ for attendees who returned year after year. I’m telling you, this place is a magical one. Everyone should experience this festival at least once.

Solshine’s programming will include Summer Camp’s beloved Field Day, which will take place on Saturday afternoon for the 14th installment. The Color Wars-style games will include four teams participating in games such as tug of war, giant twister, dodgeball, donut eating contest, and more. That’s always a BLAST to take part in or watch if you’re not feeling it.  

The Summer Camp Music Festival Community Contribution Fund will be a vital part of the new festival concept as well. For every full-price admission ticket purchased for Solshine: A Music & Arts Reverie, $1.50 is set aside and put into the Community Fund to directly benefit the City of Chillicothe and surrounding cities. A committee consisting of local Chillicothe area residents will recommend how the funds will be distributed. What a neat way to get involved in the local community.

There are a plethora of ways to get involved with Solshine Reverie. Applications are now open for anyone who would like to volunteer, become a vendor or performer, set up a workshop, create an art installation, or work with SOULPATCH. There will also be future applications for those who would like to partner their non-profit with the festival or create a live art gallery. Applications and information on how to get involved is available on the Solshine website here.

The inaugural Solshine will continue the brand’s longstanding Memorial Day Weekend dream at the lovely Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois. The private park provides a natural amphitheater and a stunning landscape that creates the perfect scenic playground for festival goers to explore. Attendees can also camp within the festival grounds, further elevating the festival’s community-oriented make-up. I can’t stress enough how this is one of the best festivals I have ever attended.

All Solshine tickets will have camping included. There are a variety of additional add-ons available including VIP upgrades as well as RV and car camping spots (DO NOT SLEEP ON CAR CAMPING, TRUST ME!) The VIP upgrade includes exclusive amenities, access to the Thursday pre-party, VIP camping and viewing areas, VIP lounge, air-conditioned bathrooms, and more. Ready to join the fun?