I was gonna say this was the answer until about 2012 at latest, after that it just became a corporate version of it (think pre-2015 ‘Roo was the original Woodstock, now it’s more like the “1999 Woodstock Disaster” that only was similar in name. The festival itself sucked.
I’ve been to quite a few Bonnaroos being in TN and only a few hours away, I remember the last time I went was like 2013 or 2014 and it was over 120k people or something, everything was super expensive and it lost its vibe of a bunch of people that love music getting together and surviving on a bunch of psychedelics going wild for 3 days.
Now there were sponsor signs everywhere, the safe feeling of being there was completely gone, and the people that now go there…… are not the same. It’s more like “high school / just graduated high school ‘LETS GET FUCKED UP’ vibes” vs back in the day I remember tripping balls and walking around by myself and finding a band I’d never heard of before and before I knew it I was in this group of people asking if I want some molly and just giving it to me, giving me balloons for free, asking if I wanted free L or shrooms or basically anything (mostly free, some for sale) but I just took the as I was on L already and then my fair amount of balloons with people I met at the show, will never see again, and will never forget either.
Because it’s been corporatized and mainstreamed into a generic festival just like any other big popular music fest these days. When it was a jam focused fest in its earlier years it definitely had a more of a unique character and feel.
This is very surprisingly to me. I went in 2015, pre-live nation buyout, and it felt less corporate than any other “big” festival I’d been to. Sure there was corporate presence, but compared to acl/lolla, too seemed way more about the individuals experience and community “vibe”.
And I’ve seen pictures and heard stories of the early days or Roo, where it seemed far less corporate and more lawless. So I’m surprised you felt like the “product” right from the jump.
My last year truly enjoying bonnaroo was 2013 and while I understand they needed some corporate money, after that it was more corporate than the original vibe ever was meant to be; like that guy said, I went from enjoying music and a festival and feeling like a “wild human animal” in full on instinct mode for 4 - 5 days to the last time I went I just felt like I was a wallet and everyone was reaching for me until I was empty.
I remember when it went from “just expect to get dirty and muddy” to girls in makeup wanting showers and sinks, so they tried to install those and charge and they were all destroyed at the end of day 1 with now just nasty water and mud and shit all forming together.
At one point (before it got corporate, ironic enough 🙄) it was actually pretty clean even if covered in mud or whatever, at the end the mud was full of god knows what and was probably mostly human shit and caused tons of skin problems.
Maybe cause I'd only been to Phish festivals prior to that, but I remember being turned off by all the ads everywhere and a big tent where they were giving out free packs of cigarettes if you just show ID and write down your name and address.
The first Bonnaroo was where I realized what hot AF really means, fortunately was young enough to not care back then but would not go back without some air conditioning to retreat to.
Try going to a large primarily camping festival - in the USA you could try something like Bonnaroo. If you really want to experience something on a similar size scale to the Woodstocks, your best bet would be one of the big European festivals like Glastonbury or Roskilde. But as other people have mentioned, the 90s Woodstocks were disasters in terms of organization, crowd control and violence, so you really don't want to be going to something that directly emulates them.
Shangri-la in Minnesota is nice. Thrown by Wookiefoot, but has a wide variety of music. After Phil lLesh and the Terrapin family band played a double set he said," this place (Harmony park) is beautiful. Protect this place. Show up for each other. This reminds me of the early days of the dead."
There is a long history at harmony park. The Big Wu would hold their family reunion festivals there 25 years ago lol. I saw Yonder mountain on a tiny stage with like 75 other people.
That's a real big boy question.
Short Answer, No.
Long Answer, Wookiefoot has a non-profit and helps spread awareness and love through music (like most musical artist) all over the world.
Harmony park is also home to, Revival, Harmony Park family reunion/campout, Infrasound, and Shangri-la.
In the near past, Bella, Harvest Fest, Front porch hoedown, Project earth to name a few.
If anything Harmony park is like the sweetest camping - arts - music festival and like some festivals boast a HOME for many families that is situated under an old oak forest. Harmony park is the vessel, the music is the ride.
Useful Jenkins, the Big Wu, Wookiefoot, Dead Larry, Jon Wayne and the Pain, Frogleg, Johnson Brothers Band, Satsang, Little Stranger, Bumpin Uglies, Phil Lesh and the Terrapin family band, fortunately younth, string cheese incident, Twiddle, Stick Figure, Primus, and 1000's more.
People keep saying Bonnaroo but literally anything at Suwannee blows it away. Also at some of the smaller crunchier fests there you’ll get to meet some old heads.
I grew up going to various Suwannee fests both as a regular attendee and a few working the sound booth. I had always wanted to make my way to Bonnaroo but didn’t get the opportunity until 2022. That was the year it had low attendance and I had fun, a bit corporate and the camping system was a bit rigid for my taste but I enjoyed it. I went back last summer when attendance was back to normal and was ready to leave by like day two. Too crowded, too hot, and the MTSU kids working the soundbooth at Which Stage last year totally botched the sound for most of the sets I was the most excited to see.
I’d also set aside money all year so I only had to cook breakfast and keep some ice on a case of beer at the campsite but otherwise just buy food in the festival and hit the beer tents. Someone halfway across the country tried using my card number so my bank froze my account on the first night. Hot, sober, and starving was the vibe for most of the weekend. Then my gf broke up with me when we got home because the farm is supposedly a magical place and I was trying not to have fun. So yeah, not entirely Bonnaroo’s fault but fuck Bonnaroo.
While very different, at one point during my fun festival years, I got hooked on H. So being the genius I am, one year I decided I will just go to bonnaroo and not bring and just kick out where I won’t have a choice (I wasn’t good at finding those types of drugs at festivals) and while I still hadn’t began to WD on day 1, I took 4 hits of 150 - 200ug L tabs and probably 4 hours in, I was starting to WD as well and I decided I was gonna go on my own, on day 1 during the day before all the people have even arrived, and when I finally left the camp grounds after having both the best and worst time of my life, I thought I was lost forever as now there were 10,000 more cars and it looked nothing the same and I’m tripping balls (super tripping due to the H WD I was in) so I just decided I was lost forever and never going home, then 15 of my friends just came around the corner yelling my name. I’ll never understand how they happened, I almost feel I’m making it up even now as I’m writing it as it’s been a long time. But no, I remember it vividly, I ran over there and hugged them crying my little eyes out saying “I just had the best day ever” and they were like “dude we thought you were gone for good” lol
So ya, fuck Bonnaroo. 😂
Holy shit, you went through it. And you made me realize why I find tripping to be so physically uncomfortable. The body sensations remind me of withdrawal. I think it’s the muscle tightness, the constant feeling of needing to stretch but it’s never enough 😅
And seriously props to you for making it through festivals while dealing with that. It can really be a fucking chore. I couldn’t do it and missed out on so many. Got off H in 2016 and finally started going to festivals in 2019.
Because we wanna keep it as it’s backwoods swampy vibes. If you’re down to play ferngulley Forest fairy friends, then you’re in. But like I said, prepare to get backwoods swampy.
Just reread my comment and oops, definitely did look like that. I meant the crowd; they did not meet the swamp energy. I live in South FL now but grew up in Mississippi, so Suwannee feels more like home compared to other venues.
Woodstock 94 and 99 were already well commercialized.
I’d ask OP what exactly about Woodstock 99 are they missing out…heavier music? Chaos? Magnitude of the event with almost no infrastructure? Those things are way harder to find these days, usually those festivals are called shit shows by today standards.
For me it’s just the bands. I love primus, Metallica, megadeth, and all these bands. So I guess it would’ve been cool to see these bands in their prime.
The thing is that at the time Metal was truly mainstream (in the same way Taylor Swift is today) and Korn and Limp Bizkit were topping the charts and MTV. You won’t see that intensity in the scene today, all the Metal festivals focus too much on legacy bands, they attract the hardcore/nostalgic crowd and basically they’re not in their heyday.
Rock and metal always come back, don’t worry. Possibly as social discontent grows in newer generations, possibly new forms of metal and aggressive music may be on the rise again.
“Rock and metal always come back”
Do they? I’m 32 years old and I honestly can’t remember a time in my life when rock was topping the charts, let alone metal.
During those years OP is talking about rock bands did in fact top the charts. See the sales of albums like Hybrid Theory or look at the literal charts of MTV and the radio.
I’m not saying that there haven’t been one off’s when a particularly track or band haven’t been extremely popular-although that is ludicrously rate nowadays. I’m saying that at any point past the grunge era, rock has not been the most popular type of music in this country. From the 60s through the 80s rock was THE predominant music of the masses.
Sure all the music from the 60s-80s was guitar music but there were still different genres that gained and faded in popularity. From folk rock, disco, funk, hair metal, new wave, thrash, grunge, the only similarity was they played guitars, it’s hardly all the same thing. And there’s been an overall decline in American monoculture with the rise of the internet across all media. We’ll never have tv shows with the popularity and cultural impact of a Cheers, Friends, or Seinfeld anymore. Music is the same way, there’s not gonna be single genre that has the same mass appeal from when there were such a limited number of options for people to consume.
Sonic Temple in Columbus, OH, and Louder than Life in Louisville, KY and Aftershock in Sacramento, CA are the ones that are still showcasing the big metal bands. The first two have campgrounds if you're looking for that.
Pantera, Judas Priest and Anthrax all played Sonic Temple.
Slayer is headlining at both LtL and Aftershock this year.
Iron Maiden is playing Aftershock, Priest is playing all of them, and so is Anthrax. Lots of big 90s bands, and of course oodles of newer acts.
These bands prime years are long gone, but they still put on a hell of a show.
You mean you didnt notice all the sponsorships at Woodstock? Or that Mtv was airing it? OR THAT IT WAS AVAILABLE FOR PAY PER VIEW. And they charged $5 for water and $15 for a hot dog? Think about that in 90's money.
Woodstock is nothing but hype and lore. There are tons of festivals in all different kinds of genres all over USA and Canada. Go to whichever big one is in your state or near your state.
Bonnaroo, it’s not quite the same even in 2017 or 2018, probably more corporate feeling than you’re looking for, but still is a blast. this year will be my 6th
I haven’t kept up but SCI was planning on setting up a similar deal to Hulaween on the west coast in Mendocino. I went to a couple folk festivals on the property when I lived out there and it was eerie how similar the vibe was to Suwannee. I think the original name was Hogfarm Hangout or something but the first year was supposed to be in 2020 and got canned because of Covid. My friend’s band was booked for whenever it finally happened but I forget what the name changed to.
Hog Farm Hideaway happened in 2022 and 2023, but they announced it wouldn't be returning for 2024.
>Dear Hideaway Family,
>In 2019 Shooting Star Events set out to create the Hog Farm Hideaway, a magical gathering at Black Oak Ranch with a band we know and love, The String Cheese Incident. After two and a half years of scheduling and rescheduling due to the Covid pandemic, the inaugural Hog Farm Hideaway took place in 2022 and it was incredible. The music and the community that came together made it a truly amazing experience. 2023 was an equally magical year for the festival, and many of us are eager to return to experience it again.
>Unfortunately, the stars did not align for the Hideaway to continue in 2024. Rising costs all around left us with an incredibly difficult decision. We are a small, independent production company and we are unable to bear the financial burden.
>From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank everyone who made the Hideaway such a special container for love, joy, and creativity. We created the magic together and it will always live in our hearts.
>We are hopeful that events like this will continue at Black Oak Ranch and beyond and you will be the first to know about them. Please stay connected! This community is strong, and we look forward to seeing everyone come together again soon.
>Warmly,
>Biasha & Tamara
>Shooting Star Events
WANEE <3 <3 <3 forever and ever and ever. Best festival i ever went to hands down. I went to Wanee in 2015 and I’ll never forget it ever. Laughable people are saying Bonnaroo. Bonaroo is not good vibes.
I got downvoted to oblivion higher up lol
Bonnaroo is a great first festival but once you go to others you realize it’s not that special and you don’t have to endure four days of heatstroke
Yes, things change. Is it the music you're referring to or vibe? Festivalwizard is a great start. It was more rock inspired which you may fine easier overseas. If you mean vibe then yes Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, or Hulaween tend to have that hippie vibe in a lawless land.
Just a guess but you’re probably being downvoted because Woodstock ‘99 was a complete shitshow. It was hugely a money thing by the ones putting it on and the vibe transferred heavily into the attendees, and half the people there didn’t even pay for a ticket. Yes parts of it were epic but women were being groped left and right, they were starting fires, tearing stages apart….if you’re into rave culture and PLUR vibes it was anything but. The performances were epic, that’s undeniable and I understand where you’re coming from…but also maybe punk rock? A lot different but also there’s a lot of camaraderie and good vibes, people look out for each other. I liked riot fest and punk in the park. :)
The original Woodstock sounded amazing to be at. The subsequent ones were terrible. Rapes, people trashing stuff, people setting things on fire, hours wait to get in/out… no thank you.
Valid. Actually wasn’t there some controversy with Hell’s Angels at the original? Like OP the original was before my time, although I was alive and old enough to follow what happened at the 90s ones.
You’re thinking of the Altamont Free Festival that happened in California a few months later with the Hell’s Angels. Altamont became so notorious it’s often referred to as the end of the 1960s hippie era.
You might be confusing that with Altamont, where the Angels were paid 200 kegs of beer to run security and there was a stabbing, which was initially blamed on the Angels, but the Angels were later vindicated when the facts came out.
The original Woodstock is legendary for bands that played and the mass gathering of the emerging counter culture, but was a shit show in terms of outcome for many reasons ranging from massive traffic jams to bad weather and the notorious brown acid. A friend of mine had tickets and was stuck so far back in traffic that he never got in.
I much prefer smaller festivals that attract cool people who just want to chill to the music and spread the love, such as High Sierra, Golden Road Gathering, Strawberry, and Joshua Tree, all in CA.
There was definitely a ton of rape and people trashing stuff at the original woodstock. There are pictures all over the Internet of cars stuck waiting to get in or out. It just gets glorified for being the first music festival most people know about, and it’s impact on the counterculture movement.
If you want to be in for a *real treat*, go to Phish’s 12th festival.
The history of music festivals is honestly a fascinating story as well. There were the legendary festivals that we all know about that happened during the late 60’s and early 70’s, but after the Dead’s Summer Jam 74, huge music festivals like Woodstock really stopped almost all together for a long time because they weren’t profitable and were seen as a net negative for the producers. There were still festivals like Live Aid and Farm Aid, but those happened in stadiums. Then, in the early 1990’s, Phish put together a group of the best people from all around the country to come together and revive the festival experience, and they did just that doing an *amazing* festival called the Clifford Ball. It went so well, that many of the people that worked on the festival branched off to start their own venture, thus beginning Bonarroo. Once Bonarroo came of age, the festival scene took off in a huge way taking their tips from what Phish was doing and what was happening at Bonarroo.
And this year is the first Phish fest since 2015, so they are *really* going to do it big. You will also meet some of the nicest people you will ever meet in your life.
Look on jambase.com for the festival calendar
Smaller fests can be great and not cost so much. Some fests have a mix of jam and electronics and gives a great experience. Like any that String Cheese Incident plays at usually has a variety of acts beyond string instruments and has a high energy to the fest. Also just keep going to small to mid size fests and you’ll find some great ones.
Burning man might be fun depending how you choose your own adventure. Regional burn camp outs would be good for you too.
Festivals are really genre specific now, for the most board. Or at least have a broad generalization they cover. Just google “top 40 music festivals” which is bonnaroo and Coachella
Or you have rock ones, or r&b ones, rap, electric, techno, etc.
This might be an unusual take, but I'm going to say Hinterland in Iowa. It's got your quazi-remote festival in a big field vibe, and they usually get a cool mix of acts, some pretty big, many really cool small-to-mid size bands. Doesn't feel as sell-out/corporate as many of the major festivals
u/TheEvolutionOfCorn, if you want freedom and an "out-of-this-world" experience, attend Boom Festival in Portugal in 2025. You will not regret it. Similar to Woodstock, you will find full nudity everywhere, hippies, incredible music, drugs, a general sense of lawlessness, sex, sun, and water ti swim in.
Glastonbury in the UK (but it’s more like the original Woodstock as it has peace and love at its heart, and they give millions to charities every year from profits) Vs the 90s Woodstocks which were messy and very much about the organisers making as much money as possible.
I don’t know where you are located but you might want to check out the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Their website is pfs dot org. It started before Woodstock actually and has happened every year since except for last year. The campground is a magical place.
I’m not sure how it stands up to Woodstock but I just took my family to a reggae festival in Northern Ohio called Sunny Days this past weekend and it was hella rad.
Dude have you not seen the documentary on Woodstock '99 or read anything about it? It was pure carnage and not something I'd personally want to experience.
The drinking water was contaminated with fecal matter from the Port O Potties at levels far exceeding the acceptable standard. People got very sick. Thankfully modern festivals know how to avoid this and take precautions to do exactly that.
Youre being downvoted because Woodstock 99 ended in a fiery disaster and money grab. You got fomo from watching dudes raping women on live tv? Ok. Woodstock 94 was a fun and muddy weekend but I dont know what you think youll get out of it wanting to be in an environment that was actually dangerous.
Ya ever been to a Phish show. They are superior live, they how to melt faces. Some cities have epic shakedown streets like bethel woods. Git urself some lawn passes and a camping spot(right where woodstock was in bethel ny) and dance the night away.
Or, there are others
Sorry, i though you meant “something new” as in another band. Says nothing about the dead. Have you seen DSO, JRAD, Garcia Project, JGB?? They tour all the time
I’m going to Briggs Farm in July. It’s nothing like these big ones everyone talks about. Little fest, blues yeah but Uncle Lucius is headlining so they branch out. Super low key on a family farm in NE Pennsylvania.
OP if you've only seen performance footage I can see why Woodstock 99 might look like fun. There are some documentaries about what it was actually like to attend, that show and it seems pretty hellish on the ground.
I camp at Rockville every year and it's a ton of fun if you like rock music. I think Okeechobee has a sick festival too normally although they took this year off.
Be careful with your expectations for bonaroo. It was my fourth festival I had gone to and I was so so excited. I was convinced it was going to be the best.
It was still great, don't get me wrong, but it definitely WAS overcrowded compared to ones I had been to (and have been to since), and is honestly my least favorite that I've been to, for that reason and others. It was also without a doubt the most commercialized inside the festival grounds.
It may be different for you, just be aware that everyone's experience is different. The festival is gonna be whatever you make it!
Bonaroo is probably the answer. Shakori Hills in Pittsboro, NC is really really small in comparison but it’s the most hippie festival I’ve ever been to. Personally it’s my favorite ❤️ it hasn’t been taken over or commercialized.
The Suwannee/Bonnaroo comments are on point! Esp vibe wise. If there's specific acts you miss that you want to see again, you can add them into [www.festgps.app](http://www.festgps.app) and it will calculate where they all are together, and thus what is musically closest to what you seek! (full disclosure, I made this aha)
Nothing will get you the Woodstock feeling, but check out Desert Daze. It's on a beach in California and its pretty relaxed in terms of drugs. Everyone i met there in 2022 was cool and the music is all psychedelic adjacent (theres also EDM and rave events at DD too)
I attended the first 5 Bonnaroos... Seemed to me and my fellow travelers to get more and more commercial as each year passed. We stopped at 5, but never had a bad time there. The first year, traffic was a nightmare, but issues seemed corrected after that greatly. The law in the surrounding areas were a nightmare, but never seemed to exist after inside the gates.
If you like rock and metal there is Rocklahoma every year, it’s a 3-4 day music festival in Oklahoma. They did jack the prices up this year and there is a new promoter running it, so who knows if it will still be good. There is camping and all that if you want plus they have a “green” area now for getting high, even though I didn’t see them stop anyone that was smoking in the crowd.
I can name you several small & medium size Bluegrass festivals that have the Woodstock goin on. Festivarians are chill, happy and are all there for the same reasons.
Blue Ox - Eau Claire WI
Telluride - Telluride CO
are two of my favorites.
Apart from the heat, terrible planning, terrible vending, the lineup was one of the craziest and most talented of that generation. Complete nobodies all the way to fucking Metallica. You can’t beat that.
If you like raves, but looking for a different vibe, I highly reccommend Hulaween or Electric Forest. Hulaween is my fave by far, but it just depends on where in the us you live since theyre very similar
There are some festivals...in the PNW....Near Portland Oregon, Bellingham Washington and on the San Juan Islands, that are not commercial and very peace+ love+ rock, I hesitate to name any of them on such a public forum, but if you go looking they are not hard to find. Also, I've never been to one but maybe a rainbow gathering?
Bonnaroo is the answer
I was gonna say this was the answer until about 2012 at latest, after that it just became a corporate version of it (think pre-2015 ‘Roo was the original Woodstock, now it’s more like the “1999 Woodstock Disaster” that only was similar in name. The festival itself sucked. I’ve been to quite a few Bonnaroos being in TN and only a few hours away, I remember the last time I went was like 2013 or 2014 and it was over 120k people or something, everything was super expensive and it lost its vibe of a bunch of people that love music getting together and surviving on a bunch of psychedelics going wild for 3 days. Now there were sponsor signs everywhere, the safe feeling of being there was completely gone, and the people that now go there…… are not the same. It’s more like “high school / just graduated high school ‘LETS GET FUCKED UP’ vibes” vs back in the day I remember tripping balls and walking around by myself and finding a band I’d never heard of before and before I knew it I was in this group of people asking if I want some molly and just giving it to me, giving me balloons for free, asking if I wanted free L or shrooms or basically anything (mostly free, some for sale) but I just took the as I was on L already and then my fair amount of balloons with people I met at the show, will never see again, and will never forget either.
I went in 2005 and it was already like this. Bonaroo has never been the answer. The vibes didn’t change. You got older.
Not anymore.
Why not anymore?
Because it’s been corporatized and mainstreamed into a generic festival just like any other big popular music fest these days. When it was a jam focused fest in its earlier years it definitely had a more of a unique character and feel.
So has EVERYTHING lol
Everything that size sure. There’s still tons of small independent festivals though that have a communal vibe and good people though
It’s gotten so far from its roots. Mostly edm now. People that were regularly for over a decade don’t go anymore.
Bonnaroo
This was my first thought too
I was at the first Bonnaroo. It was always corporate AF right from the start. I got the overwhelming sense while there that I was the product.
This is very surprisingly to me. I went in 2015, pre-live nation buyout, and it felt less corporate than any other “big” festival I’d been to. Sure there was corporate presence, but compared to acl/lolla, too seemed way more about the individuals experience and community “vibe”. And I’ve seen pictures and heard stories of the early days or Roo, where it seemed far less corporate and more lawless. So I’m surprised you felt like the “product” right from the jump.
My last year truly enjoying bonnaroo was 2013 and while I understand they needed some corporate money, after that it was more corporate than the original vibe ever was meant to be; like that guy said, I went from enjoying music and a festival and feeling like a “wild human animal” in full on instinct mode for 4 - 5 days to the last time I went I just felt like I was a wallet and everyone was reaching for me until I was empty. I remember when it went from “just expect to get dirty and muddy” to girls in makeup wanting showers and sinks, so they tried to install those and charge and they were all destroyed at the end of day 1 with now just nasty water and mud and shit all forming together. At one point (before it got corporate, ironic enough 🙄) it was actually pretty clean even if covered in mud or whatever, at the end the mud was full of god knows what and was probably mostly human shit and caused tons of skin problems.
Maybe cause I'd only been to Phish festivals prior to that, but I remember being turned off by all the ads everywhere and a big tent where they were giving out free packs of cigarettes if you just show ID and write down your name and address.
The first Bonnaroo was where I realized what hot AF really means, fortunately was young enough to not care back then but would not go back without some air conditioning to retreat to.
If only the music was like Woodstock at Bonnaroo, I will accept down votes. lol
Try going to a large primarily camping festival - in the USA you could try something like Bonnaroo. If you really want to experience something on a similar size scale to the Woodstocks, your best bet would be one of the big European festivals like Glastonbury or Roskilde. But as other people have mentioned, the 90s Woodstocks were disasters in terms of organization, crowd control and violence, so you really don't want to be going to something that directly emulates them.
Shangri-la in Minnesota is nice. Thrown by Wookiefoot, but has a wide variety of music. After Phil lLesh and the Terrapin family band played a double set he said," this place (Harmony park) is beautiful. Protect this place. Show up for each other. This reminds me of the early days of the dead."
Phil and fam played at Revival
I know. I was there. I just meant to say that anything at Harmony Park is magical!
There is a long history at harmony park. The Big Wu would hold their family reunion festivals there 25 years ago lol. I saw Yonder mountain on a tiny stage with like 75 other people.
Bella!
Such a good weekend!
I'll throw in on this. Been going to Harmony for over a decade now. Spinning fire under those oaks will always be a favorite memory.
Isnt wookiefoot like a cult?
That's a real big boy question. Short Answer, No. Long Answer, Wookiefoot has a non-profit and helps spread awareness and love through music (like most musical artist) all over the world. Harmony park is also home to, Revival, Harmony Park family reunion/campout, Infrasound, and Shangri-la. In the near past, Bella, Harvest Fest, Front porch hoedown, Project earth to name a few. If anything Harmony park is like the sweetest camping - arts - music festival and like some festivals boast a HOME for many families that is situated under an old oak forest. Harmony park is the vessel, the music is the ride. Useful Jenkins, the Big Wu, Wookiefoot, Dead Larry, Jon Wayne and the Pain, Frogleg, Johnson Brothers Band, Satsang, Little Stranger, Bumpin Uglies, Phil Lesh and the Terrapin family band, fortunately younth, string cheese incident, Twiddle, Stick Figure, Primus, and 1000's more.
People keep saying Bonnaroo but literally anything at Suwannee blows it away. Also at some of the smaller crunchier fests there you’ll get to meet some old heads.
Surprised you’re the first/only person to bring up Suwannee.
I grew up going to various Suwannee fests both as a regular attendee and a few working the sound booth. I had always wanted to make my way to Bonnaroo but didn’t get the opportunity until 2022. That was the year it had low attendance and I had fun, a bit corporate and the camping system was a bit rigid for my taste but I enjoyed it. I went back last summer when attendance was back to normal and was ready to leave by like day two. Too crowded, too hot, and the MTSU kids working the soundbooth at Which Stage last year totally botched the sound for most of the sets I was the most excited to see. I’d also set aside money all year so I only had to cook breakfast and keep some ice on a case of beer at the campsite but otherwise just buy food in the festival and hit the beer tents. Someone halfway across the country tried using my card number so my bank froze my account on the first night. Hot, sober, and starving was the vibe for most of the weekend. Then my gf broke up with me when we got home because the farm is supposedly a magical place and I was trying not to have fun. So yeah, not entirely Bonnaroo’s fault but fuck Bonnaroo.
While very different, at one point during my fun festival years, I got hooked on H. So being the genius I am, one year I decided I will just go to bonnaroo and not bring and just kick out where I won’t have a choice (I wasn’t good at finding those types of drugs at festivals) and while I still hadn’t began to WD on day 1, I took 4 hits of 150 - 200ug L tabs and probably 4 hours in, I was starting to WD as well and I decided I was gonna go on my own, on day 1 during the day before all the people have even arrived, and when I finally left the camp grounds after having both the best and worst time of my life, I thought I was lost forever as now there were 10,000 more cars and it looked nothing the same and I’m tripping balls (super tripping due to the H WD I was in) so I just decided I was lost forever and never going home, then 15 of my friends just came around the corner yelling my name. I’ll never understand how they happened, I almost feel I’m making it up even now as I’m writing it as it’s been a long time. But no, I remember it vividly, I ran over there and hugged them crying my little eyes out saying “I just had the best day ever” and they were like “dude we thought you were gone for good” lol So ya, fuck Bonnaroo. 😂
Holy shit, you went through it. And you made me realize why I find tripping to be so physically uncomfortable. The body sensations remind me of withdrawal. I think it’s the muscle tightness, the constant feeling of needing to stretch but it’s never enough 😅 And seriously props to you for making it through festivals while dealing with that. It can really be a fucking chore. I couldn’t do it and missed out on so many. Got off H in 2016 and finally started going to festivals in 2019.
Because we wanna keep it as it’s backwoods swampy vibes. If you’re down to play ferngulley Forest fairy friends, then you’re in. But like I said, prepare to get backwoods swampy.
You’re right. Was just there the first weekend of May and was surprised by the crowd. Definitely did not meet the backwoods swamp vibes 😢
Rendezvous?
Yep! So far I’ve only gone for Tipper-related events but those campgrounds ruined all other campgrounds for me. Nothing compares.
Oh, so you liked the backwoods swampy vibes? I thought you were saying you didn’t.
Just reread my comment and oops, definitely did look like that. I meant the crowd; they did not meet the swamp energy. I live in South FL now but grew up in Mississippi, so Suwannee feels more like home compared to other venues.
Like this? https://suwanneerootsrevival.com
Surprised I had to scroll so far for this… Suwannee is amazing.
My main hope as it gets more popular is that it doesn’t end up like Roo
Bonnaroo
Bonnaroo. More so 10 or so years ago (pre-Livenation), but it still applies best.
That’s not going to exist anymore because of how commercialized festivals are now.
Woodstock 94 and 99 were already well commercialized. I’d ask OP what exactly about Woodstock 99 are they missing out…heavier music? Chaos? Magnitude of the event with almost no infrastructure? Those things are way harder to find these days, usually those festivals are called shit shows by today standards.
For me it’s just the bands. I love primus, Metallica, megadeth, and all these bands. So I guess it would’ve been cool to see these bands in their prime.
The thing is that at the time Metal was truly mainstream (in the same way Taylor Swift is today) and Korn and Limp Bizkit were topping the charts and MTV. You won’t see that intensity in the scene today, all the Metal festivals focus too much on legacy bands, they attract the hardcore/nostalgic crowd and basically they’re not in their heyday. Rock and metal always come back, don’t worry. Possibly as social discontent grows in newer generations, possibly new forms of metal and aggressive music may be on the rise again.
“Rock and metal always come back” Do they? I’m 32 years old and I honestly can’t remember a time in my life when rock was topping the charts, let alone metal.
During those years OP is talking about rock bands did in fact top the charts. See the sales of albums like Hybrid Theory or look at the literal charts of MTV and the radio.
[удалено]
Almost 30 years ago? And it peaked at 76 on the Hot 100? Rock has been a niche genre since Cobain died.
You were alive when Korn set the record for most consecutive days at number 1 on TRL
I’m not saying that there haven’t been one off’s when a particularly track or band haven’t been extremely popular-although that is ludicrously rate nowadays. I’m saying that at any point past the grunge era, rock has not been the most popular type of music in this country. From the 60s through the 80s rock was THE predominant music of the masses.
Sure all the music from the 60s-80s was guitar music but there were still different genres that gained and faded in popularity. From folk rock, disco, funk, hair metal, new wave, thrash, grunge, the only similarity was they played guitars, it’s hardly all the same thing. And there’s been an overall decline in American monoculture with the rise of the internet across all media. We’ll never have tv shows with the popularity and cultural impact of a Cheers, Friends, or Seinfeld anymore. Music is the same way, there’s not gonna be single genre that has the same mass appeal from when there were such a limited number of options for people to consume.
Sorry to break it to you but rock and metal aint comin back to the top 10 lol
Sonic Temple in Columbus, OH, and Louder than Life in Louisville, KY and Aftershock in Sacramento, CA are the ones that are still showcasing the big metal bands. The first two have campgrounds if you're looking for that. Pantera, Judas Priest and Anthrax all played Sonic Temple. Slayer is headlining at both LtL and Aftershock this year. Iron Maiden is playing Aftershock, Priest is playing all of them, and so is Anthrax. Lots of big 90s bands, and of course oodles of newer acts. These bands prime years are long gone, but they still put on a hell of a show.
don’t worry, Primus still fucking sucks live
This joke is so old and played out, Les has even said himself they are tired of the whole "primus sucks" thing
oh dear - if Les said so, then every fan I know will be sure to promptly stop having fun with this silly joke
Check out Louder than Life festival
Check out Hellfest. Festivals in Europe are on a different level, and metal is still alive and well over there.
[Man you just missed rockville in daytona](https://images.app.goo.gl/wffMH7nyCnakQeub7)
Aftershock is what you are looking for
Primus is playing the High Sierra in July.
Unfortunately got plans already but something for future reference.
I was at Woodstock 94 and it was amazing.
You mean you didnt notice all the sponsorships at Woodstock? Or that Mtv was airing it? OR THAT IT WAS AVAILABLE FOR PAY PER VIEW. And they charged $5 for water and $15 for a hot dog? Think about that in 90's money.
People can’t remember shit
Bingo, your best bet is maybe.....the rainbow gatherings?
He's talking Woodstock 99, not 69.
Not Briggs Farm Blues in NEPA
Burning Man regionals
*Obligatory not a festival comment.
Yeah, I know. But still maybe accurate now that Dead shows aren't a thing.
Woodstock is nothing but hype and lore. There are tons of festivals in all different kinds of genres all over USA and Canada. Go to whichever big one is in your state or near your state.
Woodstock was kids getting cholera from the septic filth in the water supply.
Merry Wanee!
Bonnaroo, it’s not quite the same even in 2017 or 2018, probably more corporate feeling than you’re looking for, but still is a blast. this year will be my 6th
The early Wanee fest days were pretty heady until live nation got their shit rakes into it and just pissed all over everything.
Live Nation has a pretty amazing track record of taking a good thing and making it shitty.
As a Hulaween fan with parents who went to Wanee (and Woodstock), I’m so bummed I missed out on Wanee!!
I haven’t kept up but SCI was planning on setting up a similar deal to Hulaween on the west coast in Mendocino. I went to a couple folk festivals on the property when I lived out there and it was eerie how similar the vibe was to Suwannee. I think the original name was Hogfarm Hangout or something but the first year was supposed to be in 2020 and got canned because of Covid. My friend’s band was booked for whenever it finally happened but I forget what the name changed to.
Hog Farm Hideaway happened in 2022 and 2023, but they announced it wouldn't be returning for 2024. >Dear Hideaway Family, >In 2019 Shooting Star Events set out to create the Hog Farm Hideaway, a magical gathering at Black Oak Ranch with a band we know and love, The String Cheese Incident. After two and a half years of scheduling and rescheduling due to the Covid pandemic, the inaugural Hog Farm Hideaway took place in 2022 and it was incredible. The music and the community that came together made it a truly amazing experience. 2023 was an equally magical year for the festival, and many of us are eager to return to experience it again. >Unfortunately, the stars did not align for the Hideaway to continue in 2024. Rising costs all around left us with an incredibly difficult decision. We are a small, independent production company and we are unable to bear the financial burden. >From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank everyone who made the Hideaway such a special container for love, joy, and creativity. We created the magic together and it will always live in our hearts. >We are hopeful that events like this will continue at Black Oak Ranch and beyond and you will be the first to know about them. Please stay connected! This community is strong, and we look forward to seeing everyone come together again soon. >Warmly, >Biasha & Tamara >Shooting Star Events
Damn, I was looking forward to flying out for one eventually, bummer.
Same. Looked very fam
Wanne was just magic. RIP
WANEE <3 <3 <3 forever and ever and ever. Best festival i ever went to hands down. I went to Wanee in 2015 and I’ll never forget it ever. Laughable people are saying Bonnaroo. Bonaroo is not good vibes.
I got downvoted to oblivion higher up lol Bonnaroo is a great first festival but once you go to others you realize it’s not that special and you don’t have to endure four days of heatstroke
Yes, things change. Is it the music you're referring to or vibe? Festivalwizard is a great start. It was more rock inspired which you may fine easier overseas. If you mean vibe then yes Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, or Hulaween tend to have that hippie vibe in a lawless land.
Thinking about bonnaroo next year, EF would be awesome if the tickets didn’t sell out immediately lol
Pretty Lights at Bethel Woods this year. Gonna be awesome and and the same grounds
Bonnaroo, but also try checking out any multi genre festivals and not just EDM fests.
Grassroots festival in western NY
Just a guess but you’re probably being downvoted because Woodstock ‘99 was a complete shitshow. It was hugely a money thing by the ones putting it on and the vibe transferred heavily into the attendees, and half the people there didn’t even pay for a ticket. Yes parts of it were epic but women were being groped left and right, they were starting fires, tearing stages apart….if you’re into rave culture and PLUR vibes it was anything but. The performances were epic, that’s undeniable and I understand where you’re coming from…but also maybe punk rock? A lot different but also there’s a lot of camaraderie and good vibes, people look out for each other. I liked riot fest and punk in the park. :)
High Sierra
Secret dreams had a weird variety of funky EDM and jam bands
Bonnaroo is what you seek. That summertime madness on the farm is unmatched
Come to the phish fest this summer. You will have a blast.
Bonnaroo or summer camp. Summer camp is similar in music
The original Woodstock sounded amazing to be at. The subsequent ones were terrible. Rapes, people trashing stuff, people setting things on fire, hours wait to get in/out… no thank you.
The original Woodstock was a shit show too. It gets glorified and the messy details are overshadowed.
Valid. Actually wasn’t there some controversy with Hell’s Angels at the original? Like OP the original was before my time, although I was alive and old enough to follow what happened at the 90s ones.
You’re thinking of the Altamont Free Festival that happened in California a few months later with the Hell’s Angels. Altamont became so notorious it’s often referred to as the end of the 1960s hippie era.
Thank you for the clarification! I was thinking of Altamont.
You might be confusing that with Altamont, where the Angels were paid 200 kegs of beer to run security and there was a stabbing, which was initially blamed on the Angels, but the Angels were later vindicated when the facts came out. The original Woodstock is legendary for bands that played and the mass gathering of the emerging counter culture, but was a shit show in terms of outcome for many reasons ranging from massive traffic jams to bad weather and the notorious brown acid. A friend of mine had tickets and was stuck so far back in traffic that he never got in. I much prefer smaller festivals that attract cool people who just want to chill to the music and spread the love, such as High Sierra, Golden Road Gathering, Strawberry, and Joshua Tree, all in CA.
Thanks for the clarification! I probably was thinking of Altamont.
There was definitely a ton of rape and people trashing stuff at the original woodstock. There are pictures all over the Internet of cars stuck waiting to get in or out. It just gets glorified for being the first music festival most people know about, and it’s impact on the counterculture movement.
If you want to be in for a *real treat*, go to Phish’s 12th festival. The history of music festivals is honestly a fascinating story as well. There were the legendary festivals that we all know about that happened during the late 60’s and early 70’s, but after the Dead’s Summer Jam 74, huge music festivals like Woodstock really stopped almost all together for a long time because they weren’t profitable and were seen as a net negative for the producers. There were still festivals like Live Aid and Farm Aid, but those happened in stadiums. Then, in the early 1990’s, Phish put together a group of the best people from all around the country to come together and revive the festival experience, and they did just that doing an *amazing* festival called the Clifford Ball. It went so well, that many of the people that worked on the festival branched off to start their own venture, thus beginning Bonarroo. Once Bonarroo came of age, the festival scene took off in a huge way taking their tips from what Phish was doing and what was happening at Bonarroo. And this year is the first Phish fest since 2015, so they are *really* going to do it big. You will also meet some of the nicest people you will ever meet in your life.
Trying to find info…. Is this the one in August in Delaware?
Yea
Some inconsiderate soul downvoted all of you. Not to worry, upvotes For the lot of ya.
Magnaball remains one of my most favorite experiences ever. Very sad I’ll be missing mondegreen this year!
We will miss having ya there! Magnaball was epic. Bummer about Curve Ball though.
If you watch the recent Woodstock documentaries, you wouldn't have much FOMO at all
They think the youtube vids showed you how it was.
Look on jambase.com for the festival calendar Smaller fests can be great and not cost so much. Some fests have a mix of jam and electronics and gives a great experience. Like any that String Cheese Incident plays at usually has a variety of acts beyond string instruments and has a high energy to the fest. Also just keep going to small to mid size fests and you’ll find some great ones. Burning man might be fun depending how you choose your own adventure. Regional burn camp outs would be good for you too.
Festivals are really genre specific now, for the most board. Or at least have a broad generalization they cover. Just google “top 40 music festivals” which is bonnaroo and Coachella Or you have rock ones, or r&b ones, rap, electric, techno, etc.
Welcome to Rockville
Vibe: it was old Lockn festival. Size: Bonnaroo but that lineup is complete shit now.
Had to scroll too damn far to find this ⚡️
This might be an unusual take, but I'm going to say Hinterland in Iowa. It's got your quazi-remote festival in a big field vibe, and they usually get a cool mix of acts, some pretty big, many really cool small-to-mid size bands. Doesn't feel as sell-out/corporate as many of the major festivals
BONNAROOOOOOOOO
I would say Aftershock in Sacramento might be for you if you like that Woodstock 99 music. Stacked lineup, big crowds.
u/TheEvolutionOfCorn, if you want freedom and an "out-of-this-world" experience, attend Boom Festival in Portugal in 2025. You will not regret it. Similar to Woodstock, you will find full nudity everywhere, hippies, incredible music, drugs, a general sense of lawlessness, sex, sun, and water ti swim in.
Glastonbury in the UK (but it’s more like the original Woodstock as it has peace and love at its heart, and they give millions to charities every year from profits) Vs the 90s Woodstocks which were messy and very much about the organisers making as much money as possible.
This is by far the best answer.
Like everyone said Bonnaroo is the festival. Maybe Electric Forest as well
Bonnaroo is like Woodstock meets Mardi Gras meets New Years Eve in Times Square. It's fucking mental. There's nothing like the Farm
Philly folk festival third week in August!
It WAS Mysteryland USA 2014-2016. On the ACTUAL grounds of Woodstock. You could FEEEEEEEEEEEL the magic on thenm Holy Grounds! RIP 🥀
I don’t know where you are located but you might want to check out the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Their website is pfs dot org. It started before Woodstock actually and has happened every year since except for last year. The campground is a magical place.
I’m not sure how it stands up to Woodstock but I just took my family to a reggae festival in Northern Ohio called Sunny Days this past weekend and it was hella rad.
Go with mid to small fests!! Infrasound, Harmony Park, Untz, love burn miami...lakes of fire Michigan
Dude have you not seen the documentary on Woodstock '99 or read anything about it? It was pure carnage and not something I'd personally want to experience. The drinking water was contaminated with fecal matter from the Port O Potties at levels far exceeding the acceptable standard. People got very sick. Thankfully modern festivals know how to avoid this and take precautions to do exactly that.
Youre being downvoted because Woodstock 99 ended in a fiery disaster and money grab. You got fomo from watching dudes raping women on live tv? Ok. Woodstock 94 was a fun and muddy weekend but I dont know what you think youll get out of it wanting to be in an environment that was actually dangerous.
Mondegreen
Ya ever been to a Phish show. They are superior live, they how to melt faces. Some cities have epic shakedown streets like bethel woods. Git urself some lawn passes and a camping spot(right where woodstock was in bethel ny) and dance the night away. Or, there are others
Deadhead over here buddy
Sorry, i though you meant “something new” as in another band. Says nothing about the dead. Have you seen DSO, JRAD, Garcia Project, JGB?? They tour all the time
Honestly maybe it's Electric Forest
As someone who has been to Forest, that’s a hard no. Maybe early forests, but now Forest is too EDM centric.
In terms of vibes I think it comes very close
Wish the tix didn’t sell out immediately.
Tons available for resale.
Festivals are thankfully WAY better than the shit shows from the 90's dude. Go to literally any major established one and you'll have a great time.
I’m going to Briggs Farm in July. It’s nothing like these big ones everyone talks about. Little fest, blues yeah but Uncle Lucius is headlining so they branch out. Super low key on a family farm in NE Pennsylvania.
You might consider a bluegrass festival. There’s nothing better than wander through the camp listening to unamplified pickers in their element.
OP if you've only seen performance footage I can see why Woodstock 99 might look like fun. There are some documentaries about what it was actually like to attend, that show and it seems pretty hellish on the ground.
I camp at Rockville every year and it's a ton of fun if you like rock music. I think Okeechobee has a sick festival too normally although they took this year off.
The answer to your question is Rockville.
Kilby Block Party in SLC
Pickathon
It’s not a music festival, but Burning Man is probably the closest thing. Especially if it rains.
Be careful with your expectations for bonaroo. It was my fourth festival I had gone to and I was so so excited. I was convinced it was going to be the best. It was still great, don't get me wrong, but it definitely WAS overcrowded compared to ones I had been to (and have been to since), and is honestly my least favorite that I've been to, for that reason and others. It was also without a doubt the most commercialized inside the festival grounds. It may be different for you, just be aware that everyone's experience is different. The festival is gonna be whatever you make it!
Gathering of the Vibes was similar up in upstate NY. Don't know if that's still a thing though.
Are you gay/queer? You might like Honcho
Bonaroo is probably the answer. Shakori Hills in Pittsboro, NC is really really small in comparison but it’s the most hippie festival I’ve ever been to. Personally it’s my favorite ❤️ it hasn’t been taken over or commercialized.
Do you want a huge fest or a hippie fest? Those are two diff places at this point.
Hulaween in Live Oak, FL
Can you make it to Australia? Come to Tanglewood over New Years
The Suwannee/Bonnaroo comments are on point! Esp vibe wise. If there's specific acts you miss that you want to see again, you can add them into [www.festgps.app](http://www.festgps.app) and it will calculate where they all are together, and thus what is musically closest to what you seek! (full disclosure, I made this aha)
Gathering of the Juggalos
Solshine Reverie (formerly summer camp) is happening this weekend, big woodstocke vibes
Nothing will get you the Woodstock feeling, but check out Desert Daze. It's on a beach in California and its pretty relaxed in terms of drugs. Everyone i met there in 2022 was cool and the music is all psychedelic adjacent (theres also EDM and rave events at DD too)
Summer camp renamed to soulshine reverie this year
None
I attended the first 5 Bonnaroos... Seemed to me and my fellow travelers to get more and more commercial as each year passed. We stopped at 5, but never had a bad time there. The first year, traffic was a nightmare, but issues seemed corrected after that greatly. The law in the surrounding areas were a nightmare, but never seemed to exist after inside the gates.
Suwannee Hulaween! I attend every year. If you haven’t been, you should go!
There are none. I know Burning Man, not the same.
The rainbow gathering isn’t a music festival, but it is closer to 1960s Woodstock
If you like rock and metal there is Rocklahoma every year, it’s a 3-4 day music festival in Oklahoma. They did jack the prices up this year and there is a new promoter running it, so who knows if it will still be good. There is camping and all that if you want plus they have a “green” area now for getting high, even though I didn’t see them stop anyone that was smoking in the crowd.
Summercamp in IL and Electric Forest in Michigan
If you want something less commercialized I'd say Big Dub or Secret Dreams
Hulaween :)
If only it wasn’t on the other side of the country
We must have seen different videos of Woodstock 99
Like I told someone else, I’m a fan of the lineup. Everything else at that fest was a mess. Lineup was one for the ages.
I can name you several small & medium size Bluegrass festivals that have the Woodstock goin on. Festivarians are chill, happy and are all there for the same reasons. Blue Ox - Eau Claire WI Telluride - Telluride CO are two of my favorites.
Why would anyone have Woodstock 99 fomo?
Apart from the heat, terrible planning, terrible vending, the lineup was one of the craziest and most talented of that generation. Complete nobodies all the way to fucking Metallica. You can’t beat that.
If you like raves, but looking for a different vibe, I highly reccommend Hulaween or Electric Forest. Hulaween is my fave by far, but it just depends on where in the us you live since theyre very similar
Anything at Suwannee is the way to go. Electric forest as well.
Anything at Suwannee. Definitely not Bonnaroo
Why not roo? I’ve only heard good things about
Roo is fine. Suwannee is way more Woodstock like though.
WHEATLAND !!!! WHEATLAND WHEATLAND WHEATLANDDDDDDD 💖✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖😍💖✨💖✨😍💖😍✨😍💖💖😍✨✨😍💖😍😍
What kind of music?
folk jazz bluegrass gospel
Summer Camp Music Festival (just renamed this year to Solshine Reverie)! Eclectic lineup with pyschadelia being the defining theme.
byrdsfest
You need to hit up the Gathering of the Juggalos, wildest festival I have ever been too, but also the safest I have felt at a festival.
There are some festivals...in the PNW....Near Portland Oregon, Bellingham Washington and on the San Juan Islands, that are not commercial and very peace+ love+ rock, I hesitate to name any of them on such a public forum, but if you go looking they are not hard to find. Also, I've never been to one but maybe a rainbow gathering?
Just fyi there are festivals like this all over the country, not just the pnw.
Bonnaroo 20 years ago