Northern Nights Music Festival 2019. What a weekend! The three-night camping festival was jam-packed with performances, stages, and best of all, people! This was our first camping festival and boy was it a new experience. When we arrived on Friday, we set up camp next to a couple who had the whole festival camping thing down to a T. They made a living room, a kitchen, and a bedroom out of their space, and so kindly connected our EZ-up to theirs so we were able to join them in the “glamping” experience. We were welcomed with open arms by the neighbors in our campsite and I think this is one of the special and unique perks of going to Northern Nights.
Beyond our lovely living situation, Northern Nights had so much to offer! In the morning you could wake up and wander into the redwoods to take a sunrise yoga class, before heading down to grab an acai bowl from one of the many vendors to start your day off right. From there, the move was to grab your best floaties and head down to the river to lounge out under the sun and listen to live sets all day. The water was perfect considering how hot it got during the day. And if you needed a break from the heat, we would just wander back up to the redwoods to cool off in the completely shaded hammock lounge. Northern Nights was perfectly set up in the sense where you could always find a place to chill out when you needed to.
There were 5 main stages you could bounce around from. The River Stage and Tree Lounge were perfect for the day time, but as soon as the sunset, the Main Stage, Grove Stage, made the whole experience kind of magical. The colored lights lit up the redwoods, and everywhere you walked felt like you were walking through an enchanted forest. The Mainstage was huge but never felt too crowded, and everyone always had enough room to dance. After the Mainstage music shut down around 2:00 am, you could head over to the Bunker Stage with its cool gritty industrial vibe, or stick around the Mainstage for an all-night silent disco. Some of our favorite memories are dancing at the silent disco until 5:00 am when the sun was just starting to rise.
And of course, we can’t forget the whole reason for the festival- the music. Some of our favorite acts included Noodles, Shades, Big Wild’s live set, Minnesota’s surprise Silent Disco set, and Con Brio’s live set. The variety and range of music ensured there was never a boring moment at the festival, and if one stage wasn’t your vibe, you could easily head to another and find something you would love.
Overall the one word we would use to describe Northern Nights would be holistic. You can tell how much attention to detail all of the organizers put into the festival. From the decor to the food, the lineup, and music, Northern Nights didn’t skimp on anything. All of this led to an amazing weekend full of good vibes and love and community in one of the most beautiful settings ever. We can’t wait to go back!
-By Michelle Mao