What Is The Electric Forest Festival: The Full Guide
Electric Forest isn’t just another festival on your list. It’s where real life hits pause, and you get to step into a place where music, art, and pure magic take over. Every June, thousands of people head deep into Michigan, not just for the bass drops, but for the whole experience.
Think lights tangled in trees, secret trails, hammocks swinging between the pines, and strangers who feel like family by the end of the weekend.
Electronic dance music, jam bands, psychedelic art, and wild creativity - Electric Forest throws it all into one space and says, “Go get lost.”
And honestly? You’ll love it.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about Electric Forest - where it’s held, what it feels like, how camping works, and most importantly, how to show up looking like you belong in the middle of the magic.
What is Electric Forest Festival?
Electric Forest first came to life in 2011 in Rothbury, Michigan. It started out feeling pretty different from today, more jam bands, more guitars, a little more tie-dye. But it didn’t stay that way for long.
As the festival grew, electronic music crept in and never left. Now, Electric Forest is just as famous for huge names like GRiZ, Bassnectar (back in the day), ODESZA, and REZZ as it is for chill jam sessions hidden between trees.
It’s not about choosing one style of music, it’s about blending everything into something bigger. House, techno, funk, dubstep, live bands, it’s all here, and somehow it all fits.
But the real magic isn’t just the sound. It’s what’s around the sound. Sherwood Forest itself becomes a living dream: glowing art, secret pathways, interactive installations, treehouses that light up at night, and more random, perfect moments than you’ll find anywhere else.
At the heart of it all, Electric Forest is about connection, to music, to nature, to each other.
It runs on vibes like Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect (yep, PLUR still lives here) and pushes a strong message about creativity, sustainability, and giving back to the planet that holds it.
Where and When it Takes Place
You’ll find Electric Forest tucked away in Rothbury, Michigan, inside a place called the Double JJ Resort. It’s not just fields or city streets, it’s actual forest: massive trees, winding trails, hammocks everywhere. The setting is half the reason people come back year after year.
The festival usually happens toward the end of June. For 2025, the exact dates are 19 - 22 June.
That’s when Michigan hits full-on summer mode: warm days, cool nights, and long golden hours perfect for getting lost in the woods.
And when we say Sherwood Forest comes alive, we’re not kidding. At night, every path glows. Light sculptures, hanging lanterns, secret hideouts. During the day, you’ll see people napping in hammocks, painting murals, or jamming on random acoustic sets hidden deep in the trees.
The Electric Forest Experience
Electric Forest is about wandering and finding magic when you’re not even looking for it.
You’ll hear bass lines shaking the trees from the Ranch Arena stage, but you’ll also stumble across secret sets deep in Sherwood Forest. Maybe it’s a techno sunrise session. Maybe it’s a drum circle with fifty strangers laughing their faces off.
At Electric Forest, the best moments aren’t always on the main stage, they’re hidden around the next bend.
The music lineup hits every electronic music genre you can imagine: house, techno, bass, chillstep, funk. Big names like GRiZ, Louis the Child, The String Cheese Incident, and Gorgon City have lit up the forest in past years. But there’s always a chance you’ll find your new favorite artist at a tiny hidden stage no one talks about until afterward.
Beyond the music, it’s all about immersion. Expect towering art installations, glow-in-the-dark treehouses, secret passageways, interactive quests, poetry libraries hidden inside fake rocks, and carnival rides that pop up out of nowhere.
And the people? Pure magic. Veterans call it the Forest Family for a reason. Expect smiles, hugs, and deep talks with strangers. No judgments. No expectations. Just pure connection.
Electric Forest Camping and Logistics
First thing you need to know: most people camp at Electric Forest. And honestly? That’s half the experience.
You’ve got a few options:
- GA Camping (General Admission) - You park your car and set up camp wherever you land. Think endless rows of colorful tents, crazy flagpoles, and spontaneous mini dance parties happening every few feet.
- Good Life Camping (VIP) - If you want a little more luxury, Good Life offers bigger spaces, air-conditioned lounges, shorter lines, and even showers. It costs more, but it can save your energy for the dance floor.
- RV Camping - Rolling in with a squad? RV camping gives you electricity, a private spot, and a serious home base vibe. (Just be ready to plan early, RV passes sell out crazy fast.)
Whatever you choose, pack smart. Michigan weather loves to flip on you. It’ll be hot during the day (think bikinis, booty shorts, flowy mesh dusters), but it can drop to chilly at night. Bring layers: cozy hoodies, furry coats, maybe even a cloak if you’re feeling fairycore.
You’ll need a good tent (don't cheap out), shade structures (because the sun will cook your soul), a hydration backpack (lifesaver), and camping lights so you can find your way home when you're blissfully lost at 4AM.
Also:
- Portable chargers are non-negotiable.
- Reusable water bottles = lifesavers.
- Bring more glitter, body jewels, and UV face paint than you think you’ll need.
Electric Forest camping is where you sleep but also where you meet your next best friend, and where you dance barefoot on the grass. It’s where you watch the sun come up with people you just met but already trust with your life.
What to Wear to Electric Forest
If there’s one place on Earth where you can wear literally anything you dream up, it’s Electric Forest. This isn’t the time to hold back. Go bigger, go weirder, go wilder.
Your Electric Forest outfit should feel like it stepped out of a dream, and stepped straight onto the dancefloor.
Below, we will share a few ideas on how to build a look that’s festival-proof, weather-smart, and totally unforgettable.
Classic Rave Looks
You can never go wrong with the classics. Think neon bodysuits, reflective pants, mesh shrugs, and UV-reactive details that catch every flash of starlight.
Comfort matters too because Electric Forest is a marathon, not a sprint. Breathable fabrics, high-waisted cuts, and stretchy rave sets are your best friends.
And don’t forget good shoes. Platform boots or sturdy sneakers will save your life when you're dancing for ten hours straight across the Forest grounds.
UV-Reflective Outfits
At Electric Forest, UV magic is everywhere. Walk through the right patch of woods at night and suddenly, boom, you’re glowing like a cosmic fairy.
Outfits made with UV-reactive fabric aren't just cool, they’re part of the environment. Mesh tops, reflective catsuits, and trippy print leggings all light up under blacklight installations sprinkled through Sherwood Forest.
Pack at least one set you know will pop when the UV lights hit.
Fairycore and Butterfly Dreams
Let’s be real, Electric Forest is fairyland. Wings, pastel dusters, butterfly-printed bodysuits, iridescent skirts - this is where you unleash your full festival fantasy.
Butterfly and fairy-inspired fits bring just the right mix of ethereal and wild. Flowing sleeves, sparkle dusters, bodychains, and mini-crowns will make you feel like you wandered in straight from a rave version of a storybook.
Layer light fabrics so you can float through the forest like you belong there (because you do).
The Eyes Have It All - Surreal Full Bodysuits
Wearing a full bodysuit covered in graphics, heat-mapping designs, or hypnotic patterns? That’s next-level Forest dressing.
These bodysuits blend right into the psychedelic environment - perfect if you want to look like a walking art piece while staying cool and flexible enough to dance all night.
No need to say it out loud, your outfit will do the talking.
Floral Everything
Nature is everywhere at Electric Forest. So why not wear it too?
Floral prints, embroidered vines, leafy harnesses, and 3D petal accents fit right into the environment. Whether you go for a full flower-bomb catsuit or just add a flower crown and floral mesh duster over your rave set, bringing nature into your look is a guaranteed win.
Pro tip: Layer floral details with UV-reactive body paint or glitter for extra pop after dark.
Dramatic Dusters and Flowy Layers
You know that feeling when your festival outfit catches the wind just right as you spin on the dancefloor? Yeah, that.
Flowy dusters, open kimonos, maxi mesh dresses, and capes aren’t just pretty, they're practical too. They keep you cool during the day, add instant drama for your group photos, and give you something to wrap yourself in when the midnight chill hits.
Look for pieces with holographic sheen, neon threads, or fairy dust sparkle woven in. Extra points if it flows like a dream when you’re dancing under the fairy lights.
Electric Forest Culture: More than Music
Electric Forest is a world you live inside for four days. Sure, there’s the music (and it’s amazing), but it’s everything around the stages that makes this place unforgettable.
You’ll find yoga classes happening in sunny clearings. Art workshops tucked between trees. Random parades of giant puppets rolling by when you least expect it.
There are secret gardens, poetry walls, and even small pop-up libraries hidden in the woods. It feels like someone built a town where creativity, kindness, and adventure are the rules, and you were lucky enough to move in.
Sustainability is huge here too. Leave No Trace isn’t just a motto, it’s a full-on community agreement. People bring reusable cups, sort their trash, and respect the forest like it’s sacred (because honestly, it is).
And the vibe? Nothing but love. It’s smiles from strangers, hugs when you least expect them, and friends you make while waiting for water who end up dancing next to you at sunrise.
The Forest Family is real, and once you’re in, you’ll never want out.
