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Electric Forest

{{Short description|Annual music festival in Rothbury, Michigan}}

{{about|the festival|the novel|Electric Forest (novel)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{advert|date=June 2020}}

{{infobox music festival

| music_festival_name = Electric Forest

| image =

| caption =

| location = Rothbury, Michigan, U.S.

| years_active = 2011–19; 2022–

| founders = Insomniac Events & Madison House Presents

| dates = Late June/early July

| genre = Jam bands, electronic music

| website = [http://www.electricforestfestival.com Electric Forest Festival]

}}

Electric Forest is a multi-genre music festival produced by Madison House Presents and Insomniac Events, with a focus on electronic music and jam band genres.

Originally named Rothbury Festival in 2008, it is held in Rothbury, Michigan at the Double JJ Resort. Rothbury Music Festival took place in 2008 and 2009 and was on hiatus for 2010.

In 2011, the event debuted under its current name, Electric Forest. The event was not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people attended the most recent festival in 2023.

The 2025 festival will be the 13th Electric Forest.

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2008

The Rothbury Music Festival took place on July 3–6. The first year saw 30,202 in attendance.{{cite web|url=http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/07/official_rothbury_attendance_c.html|title=Official: ROTHBURY attendance could double next year|publisher=mlive.com|date=July 4, 2008|access-date=November 21, 2008|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130609133259/http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/07/official_rothbury_attendance_c.html|archive-date=June 9, 2013|url-status=live}}

=Planning=

On February 13, 2008, the initial lineup was released. By February 25, four additional artists were added. Steel Pulse was added on March 13, and seven artists were added in April. On May 29, the lineup was complete after six additional artists were added, including Trey Anastasio of Phish.{{cite web|url=http://www.rothburyfestival.com/details/news.php|title=Rothbury music festival - news|publisher=rothburyfestival.com|date=May 29, 2008|access-date=April 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611154743/http://www.rothburyfestival.com/details/news.php|archive-date=June 11, 2008|url-status=dead}}

The spark of the idea came from Philip Blaine and Jeremy Stein, on the side of the stage, during Crystal Method at Rothbury. Then Phil brought this vision to Insomniac. From there, Electric Forest came into existence.

=Lineup=

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==July 3==

==July 4==

==July 5==

==July 6==

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==Additional performers==

The following performers played throughout the weekend:

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==Notable collaborations==

Several members were present from their respective bands: The String Cheese Incident, Phish, Grateful Dead, and The Allman Brothers Band. Following the addition of the Kyle Hollingsworth Band to the lineup, all six members of The String Cheese Incident were present in separate bands: Bill Nershi played with the Emmitt Nershi Band, EOTO is composed of Jason Hann and Michael Travis, Keith Moseley played in the WMDs who accompanied Keller Williams, and Michael Kang played with Panjea. Three of the four members of Phish were present: Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman, and Trey Anastasio. Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart, of Grateful Dead fame, also performed in their respective bands. Two of the current members of the Allman Brothers Band, Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule and Derek Trucks, performed in distinct bands.

David Murphy, of STS9, joined the stage with the Disco Biscuits during their Thursday night set.

2009

The Rothbury Music Festival (not the Electric Forest Festival) officially returned in 2009.{{cite web|url=http://archive.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=103776|title=Rothbury Returns for 2009|author=Stanton Tang|publisher=WZZM|date=January 8, 2009|access-date=May 18, 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140518131837/http://archive.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=103776|archive-date=May 18, 2014|url-status=dead}} The second Rothbury was held July 2–5, over Independence Day weekend.{{cite web|url=http://www.rothburyfestival.com/details/news.php|title=Rothbury Festival – News|publisher=Rothburyfestival.com|date=February 9, 2009|access-date=March 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227030400/http://www.rothburyfestival.com/details/news.php|archive-date=February 27, 2009|url-status=dead}} The festival's second year expanded the think-tank discussions established the first year and continued the use of sustainable technologies.{{cite web|url=http://www.freep.com/article/20090209/ENT04/90209050/Rothbury+music+fe%20stival+gets+an+encore+this+summer|title=Rothbury music festival will have a summer encore|publisher=Detroit Free Press|date=February 9, 2009|access-date=March 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517155138/http://www.freep.com/article/20090209/ENT04/90209050/Rothbury+music+fe%20stival+gets+an+encore+this+summer|archive-date=May 17, 2014|url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}

=Controversy=

Because of concerns over the ownership of the ranch, as well as the potential sale of the festival grounds, there was originally uncertainty about whether a second festival would be held in 2009. A major hurdle was overcome when a federal bankruptcy judge cleared the way for a lease of the festival property between the bankruptcy trustee and AEG. A second hearing was necessary to determine if the lease was valid, because part of the land used by the festival was on a sheriff's deed and needed to be purchased by the trustee.{{cite web|last=Ter Haar|first=Meredith|title=Rothbury Festival might have another chance|publisher=WZZM|date=January 5, 2009|url=http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=103606&catid=14|access-date=January 6, 2008}} {{dead link|date=May 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/01/update_close_but_no_approval_y.html

|title=Update: Close, but no approval yet for ROTHBURY festival|author=Dave Alexander|publisher=Muskegon Chronicle|date=January 5, 2009|access-date=May 18, 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130609132225/http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/01/update_close_but_no_approval_y.html|archive-date=June 9, 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=ROTHBURY 2009, Judge says OK to lease |publisher=Oceana's Herald-Journal |date=January 5, 2009 |url=http://oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=32048 |access-date=January 6, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714224319/http://oceanaheraldjournal.com/news.php?story_id=32048 |archive-date=July 14, 2011}} Following the approval of this final hearing, WZZM reported the festival would return in 2009.

=Lineup=

Before the official lineup was released, there were rumors of artists such as Phish and Tom Petty performing,{{cite web|url=http://blog.mlive.com/mediumfidelity/2009/01/phish_tom_petty_the_rothbury_r.html|title=Phish? Tom Petty? The Rothbury rumor mill begins turning after judge's approval|author=Troy Reimink|publisher=mlive.com|date=January 5, 2009|access-date=May 18, 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20090208173036/http://blog.mlive.com/mediumfidelity/2009/01/phish_tom_petty_the_rothbury_r.html|archive-date=February 8, 2009|url-status=live}} but this never occurred.

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==July 2==

==July 3==

==July 4==

==July 5==

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2010

According to an announcement made on Rothbury's official website on January 22, the festival would be "on hiatus" in 2010, but was expected to return in 2011.

2011 - Electric Forest begins

Electric Forest was co-founded by Pasquale Rotella, founder and CEO of Insomniac, and Madison House Presents' Jeremy Stein, CEO. It was not "Rothbury Festival", a trademarked name. A notable change was the lack of the main "Odium" stage. In its absence "The Ranch Arena" stage became the main stage. The area where the Odium had been was not accessible to festival attendees again until 2015. From June 30 to July 3, a new and different festival was held on the same festival grounds, the "Electric Forest Festival".{{cite web|url=http://www.electricforestfestival.com/experience/past-lineups/|title=Electric Forest 2011 Poster|publisher=Electric Forest Festival|access-date=July 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319082126/http://www.electricforestfestival.com/experience/past-lineups/|archive-date=March 19, 2015|url-status=live}} From Electric Forest's inception in 2011 until 2016 The String Cheese Incident acted as the host band, performing three shows each year (more than any other performer).{{cite web |url=http://electricforestfestival.com/string-cheese-incident |title=Electric Forest Festival :: June 30 - July 3, 2011 :: Rothbury, Michigan |access-date=2011-10-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902023919/http://www.electricforestfestival.com/string-cheese-incident |archive-date=2011-09-02 }}

= Lineup =

The lineup included{{cite web|url=http://www.electricforestfestival.com/2011-lineup.php|title=Electric Forest 2011 Lineup|publisher=Electric Forest Festival|access-date=March 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117002352/http://www.electricforestfestival.com/2011-lineup.php|archive-date=January 17, 2014|url-status=dead}}

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2012

Electric Forest Festival returned to Rothbury from June 28 to July 1. Acts included{{cite web|title=Electric Forest Lineup 2012|url=http://www.electricforestfestival.com/2012-lineup.php|publisher=Electric Forest Festival|access-date=March 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117025252/http://www.electricforestfestival.com/2012-lineup.php|archive-date=January 17, 2014|url-status=dead}}

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2013

Electric Forest Festival returned to Rothbury in 2013 from June 27 through June 30.{{cite web|url=http://www.edmlounge.com/blog/2013/1/5/june-27-30-it-is-see-you-at-electric-forest-2013.html|title=June 27-30 It Is! See You At Electric Forest 2013|publisher=EDM Lounge|access-date=January 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112024553/http://www.edmlounge.com/blog/2013/1/5/june-27-30-it-is-see-you-at-electric-forest-2013.html|archive-date=January 12, 2014|url-status=live}}

=Lineup=

The initial lineup, announced on February 5, included:{{cite web|url=http://www.electricforestfestival.com/2013-lineup.php|title=Electric Forest 2013 Lineup|publisher=Electric Forest Festival|access-date=January 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116123701/http://www.electricforestfestival.com/2013-lineup.php|archive-date=January 16, 2014|url-status=dead}}

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2014

Electric Forest Festival was held on June 26–29, and sold out for the first time.{{cite web|url=http://www.electricforestfestival.com/post.php?news=46|title=Electric Forest 2014 Date Announced|publisher=Electric Forest Festival|access-date=January 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111220852/http://www.electricforestfestival.com/post.php?news=46|archive-date=January 11, 2014|url-status=dead}}

=Lineup=

The lineup included:{{cite web|url=http://www.electricforestfestival.com/lineup.php|title=Electric Forest 2014 Lineup|publisher=Electric Forest Festival|access-date=April 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620020822/http://www.electricforestfestival.com/lineup.php|archive-date=June 20, 2014|url-status=dead}}

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2015

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Electric Forest Festival was held on June 25–28, 2015.

Lineup

The lineup headliners included:

}}

2016

Electric Forest Festival was held on June 23–26, 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.electricforestfestival.com/initial-lineup-revealed-for-2016/|title=Electric Forest 2016 Date Announced|publisher=Electric Forest Festival|access-date=February 7, 2016}} {{Dead link|date=April 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}{{cite web|url=http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2016/02/02/electric-forest-lineup-revealed-today-on-a-sub-reddit-thread|title=Electric Forest lineup revealed today, on a sub-Reddit thread|publisher=Detroit Metro Times|access-date=February 7, 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://fox17online.com/2016/02/02/electric-forest-festival-fans-announce-2016-acts/|title=Electric Forest Festival fans announce 2016 acts|date=February 2, 2016|publisher=Fox 17 - West Michigan|access-date=February 7, 2016}}

=Lineup=

The lineup headliners included:{{cite web|url=http://www.electricforestfestival.com/experience/lineup/|title=Electric Forest 2016 Lineup|publisher=Electric Forest Festival|access-date=February 7, 2016}}

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2017

For the first time, the Electric Forest Festival was held on two weekends: June 22–25 and June 29 – July 2, 2017.

=Lineup=

The lineup for both weekends included:{{cite web|url=https://www.electricforestfestival.com/2017-info/lineup/|title=2017 Lineup|publisher=Electric Forest Festival|access-date=February 17, 2017}}

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==Artists appearing in Weekend 1 only==

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==Artists appearing in Weekend 2 only==

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2018

In 2018, Electric Forest took place across two weekends: June 21–24 and June 28 – July 1.

=Lineup=

The lineup for both weekends included:

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2019

In 2019, Electric Forest reverted to a single weekend festival, and was held June 27–30, 2019.

=Lineup=

The lineup for 2019 included:

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2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the spring of 2020, Electric Forest considered rescheduling the event{{cite web| url = https://twitter.com/electric_forest/status/1238221302005186563?lang=en| title = Electric Forest ⚡🌲 on Twitter: "Greetings Forest Family, #EF2020 is currently moving forward as planned, and will continue to work with the appropriate authorities to produce a safe and healthy festival: / Twitter}} for September 2020. The Rothbury Village Council voted to reject the proposed postponement,{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/2020/04/electric-forest-music-festival-uncertain-this-year-after-date-change-rejected.html|title = Electric Forest music festival uncertain this year after date change rejected|date = April 9, 2020}} leading to the complete cancellation of Electric Forest 2020, which would instead return in the summer of 2022.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2020/04/electric-forest-2020-canceled-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic.html|title = Electric Forest 2020 canceled due to coronavirus pandemic|website=Mlive.com|date = April 21, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://electricforestfestival.com/2021/|title = Looking Forward to Electric Forest 2021|website=Electricforestfestival.com}}

2022

In 2022, Electric Forest returned after a two-year hiatus, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web |date= June 22, 2022 |title=Electric Forest Music Festival returns after two-year pandemic hiatus |url=https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/electric-forest-music-festival-returns-after-two-year-hiatus/69-23d67bb1-8398-4a8e-9905-066b8d3ad520 |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=WZZM13.com |language=en-US}} The festival took place June 23–26, 2022 in Rothbury, Michigan.

=Lineup=

{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|

}}{{Cite web|title=Announcing the Electric Forest 2022 Lineup|url=https://electricforestfestival.com/announcing-the-2022-lineup/|access-date=February 3, 2022|website=Electricforestfestival.com|language=en}}

2023

In 2023, the festival took place June 22–25, 2023 in Rothbury, Michigan. The first wave of artists was announced in December 2022 followed by an additional wave in March 2023.

=Headliners=

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=Additional artists (alphabetized, second tier)=

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=Additional artists (alphabetized, third tier)=

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  • Aluna
  • Amémé
  • Apashe (live brass ensemble)
  • Austin Mills
  • Azzecca
  • Black Carl!
  • Bontan
  • Champagne Drip
  • Cid
  • Cimafunk
  • Coco and Clair Clair
  • Daily Bread
  • Daniel Allan
  • Danielle Ponder
  • Devault
  • Disco Lines
  • Dixon’s Violin
  • DJ Brownie
  • dj topgun
  • Dogs in a Pile
  • Dr. Fresch
  • Eazybaked
  • Elohim
  • flipturn
  • Ford.
  • Forester
  • Freddy Todd
  • HUGEL
  • J. Worra
  • Jantsen
  • Jellybean Benitez
  • Jupiter & Okwess
  • Kainalu
  • Kasablanca
  • Kasbo
  • Lee Foss
  • Malón
  • Memba
  • Miane
  • Mobley
  • N3ptune + Rusty Steve
  • Neighbor
  • Noizu
  • Pawpaw Rod
  • Phantoms
  • Politik
  • Raecola
  • Rohann
  • Rossy
  • Saka
  • Satin Jackets
  • Snakes and Stars
  • Space Wizard
  • Tabe B
  • Thumpasaurus
  • Tkay Maidza
  • Truth
  • Very Nice Person
  • Yunè Pinku
  • Zingara
  • Plus the Silent Disco, Curated Events, Daily Yoga, and more

}}

2024

The 12th Electric Forest Festival was scheduled to take place June 20–23, 2024. The first wave of artists was announced on December 5, 2023, with an additional wave expected to follow in the spring. Loyalty tickets went on sale beginning on December 4, 2023, with tickets for the general public going on sale on December 8, 2023.

=Headliners=

{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|

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=Additional artists (alphabetized, second tier so far)=

{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|

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=Additional artists (alphabetized, third tier so far)=

{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|

  • Acraze
  • Alleycvt
  • Ayybo
  • Calussa
  • Caspa
  • Cassian
  • Coco & Breezy
  • Dirtwire
  • Dixon's Violin
  • DJ Tennis
  • Dumpstaphunk
  • Eggy
  • Hamdi
  • INZO
  • It's Murph
  • Juelz
  • Le Youth
  • Level Up
  • Luci
  • Lyny
  • Maddy O'Neal
  • Major League DJz
  • Mascolo
  • Michaël Brun
  • Oden & Fatzo
  • Paperwater
  • Peach Tree Rascals
  • Ranger Trucco
  • Sammy Virji
  • Sayyyter
  • Sultan + Shepard
  • Tsha
  • Venbee
  • Vnssa B2B Nala
  • Westend
  • Will Clarke
  • Plus: Curated events, the silent disco, daily yoga, and much more

}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category|Electric Forest Festival}}

  • {{official website|http://www.electricforestfestival.com/}}
  • [http://baauer.ru/event/electric-forest-festival About the festival in Russian] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419083623/http://baauer.ru/event/electric-forest-festival/ |date=April 19, 2014 }}

{{Insomniac Events}}

{{Electronic music festivals}}

{{Authority control}}

{{coord|43.53862|-86.3674|type:event|display=title}}

Category:Music festivals established in 2008

Category:Music festivals in Michigan

Category:Rock festivals in the United States

Category:Tourist attractions in Oceana County, Michigan

Category:Electronic music festivals in the United States

Category:Jam band festivals

Category:2008 establishments in Michigan