One of the ways to make the festival adventures happen on a tight budget is to work in exchange for a ticket. Pretty much every festival has this option, and at Electric Forest a #frugalfestivalista has quite a few options depending on how much time one has to spend. Working for WET (Work Exchange Team) or Gemini Production Solutions is not glamorous (SO.MUCH.TRASH) but I think it builds character and makes us all better festival goers if we are forced to deal with trash every once in a while. Word to the wise – come to work dressed for the worst. Mud boots, clothes you don’t mind covered in filth.
There’s also work through CID Entertainment, but there’s more of a process getting with them and a much more significant time commitment than WET.
Since this was the first time EF had two weekends back to back, cleaning all the fields and getting ready for new campers was under a time crunch. There was so much trash and waste, one of our crew mates was able to fill an abandoned cooler on wheels with abandoned beer. The homemade paint bucket toilets were a less exciting find.
There was plenty of rain, but by this point we had all made our way to Walmart and were more prepared for the downpour. Early arrival campers were unable to enter the festival grounds due to all the lightning in the area and many of the workers ended up on school buses waiting on the storms to pass.
I am so grateful for the group of people I got to meet and work with during Playthrough week. We all bonded and supported each other, I cannot imagine spending my time at EF in any other way.
After the long days cleaning the property I decided to not work on the 2nd weekend, and just enjoy the forest as a patron. I saw Big Wild for a 2nd time (LOVE HIM!) and happened upon Francis and the Lights. That was a totally unexpected and magical dance party!
After two weeks at the Forest, I have a few recommendations for those of you on a budget.
Where to Eat: bring your own food, it gets pricey. If you are forced to only eat on Shakedown or in the forest, the nacho booth at the Sherwood Court is a lot of food for a decent price. The grilled cheese bus was great too, and the donut spot on Shakedown.
What to pack: rain gear, boots, all the tent stakes and guidelines you have, nothing you can’t risk getting wet. Treat your tent with water repellent before coming to forest, most repellents need 24 hours to dry in order to work properly, pay special attention to any seam lines on your tent.
Do all the special tasks in the hangar – there are some really cool perks to completing them. ; )
Thank you to the Forest for the gift of friendship, adventure, and challenges, that while drenching our tents, never dampened our spirits.