Jennifer P. from California was the winner of the Propeller experience to "Live the Good Life at Electric Forest" that took place in June 2023. Below are some of Jennifer's highlights from the experience.
Winning this trip to Electric Forest was one of the most amazing and special experiences of my life! It's going to be hard to fit so many magical moments into a condensed summary. Five days in the Forest just didn't feel like enough time, we loved every second of it. There were so many things to do, see, and explore that we felt like we could have been there for longer. Words can not express how incredibly grateful I am for Propeller and their team! I loved taking action on the website and making a positive impact for causes that are close to my heart.
We landed in Detroit, Michigan on Tuesday, the day before the festival began. The boutique hotel we stayed in for the night, The Siren, was absolutely beautiful. It was the perfect place to rest and prepare for our adventure in the Forest. Propeller also had all of our camping necessities waiting for us in the hotel room.
Wednesday morning we hopped on the bus that took us to the festival. 3 hours later we arrived to the camp grounds. The energy was buzzing with excitement even before we got there. Everything went so smoothly and worked out perfectly! Our wristbands were waiting for us at the service booth and everyone was so helpful and kind. The community there is like no other. We were struggling to get our tent set up before the sun went down and thankfully someone walking by stopped to help us. After we unpacked, we ventured around the Good Life camp which had its own private showers, bathrooms, water stations, food and beverage vendors, shops, massage and relaxation tents, a hair styling tent, and it's own VIP stage.
Thursday, the Forest officially opened for everyone to go inside and explore. Before we went in, we got coffee from the Good Life coffee truck and then I decided to get my hair braided. I didn't know you had to make an appointment, so I waited 6 hours to get it done! It was absolutely worth it because I LOVED the way my hair turned out. After, we got ready and went into the Forest. There was little to no line to get in since the Good Life had 2 private entrances. It was BREATHTAKING walking in for the first time. The forest looked like a prop stage the way it was lit up with beautiful and vibrant colors. There were the most unbelievable art installation pieces that were unlike anything i've ever seen before. The whole set up felt like another world. Some of our favorite building structures were the trading post, library, art center, chapel, and the dream emporium. Everything had an "electric" twist to it that made us feel like we could curiously explore forever. There was even a scavenger hunt throughout the Forest that we tried our hands at. Evening time came and we went to watch Odesza perform in the VIP area at Ranch Arena. The set was absolutely incredible! It was around 2 am when it ended, so we got some food and headed back to camp. We are both vegan and we were so happy with all of the amazing options they had for us.
Friday was the day that blew our minds. Fletcher, Illenium, and Gryffin were performing and we were very excited to say the least! It was also the birthday of my best friend that I brought with me. During the day, we walked around and tried to take in everything the Forest had to offer. One of the most beautiful parts was the hammocks people hung everywhere from tree to tree. After hours of walking around, it was the perfect way to relax and listen to the music as it played throughout the Forest.
Soon enough, it was time to get ready to go see some of our favorite artists perform. While we were at Illenium, a group right next to us started singing "Happy Birthday" to someone else in their circle and I loved that it also applied to my best friend. This didn't happen any other night in our awareness. We headed out before Illenium finished and had front row spots for Gryffin. It was SO WORTH missing the ending of Illenium. His set was mesmerizing in every sense. We left with our jaws on the floor and still haven't found them since. Also, people had light up, custom-made totem poles that danced as you looked out amongst the crowd. Some were funny, some were clever, some were creative, and some were just beautiful to look at!
Saturday, our mission was to see everything that we possibly could. We opened every "fairy door", encountered all of the Forest creatures, watched a marriage occur in the chapel, tried to complete the quest/scavenger hunt, went to look at all of the art installations, followed the music wherever it took us, went and read books in the library, land so much more. We didn't have any artist in particular that we wanted to watch during the night but we found ourselves drawn to someone coincidentally. We listened to Kasbo at the Observatory while we laid in a hammock, eating a vegan pizza, and watching the lights flicker around the Forest.
Sunday, the last day, there was a massive lightning storm. A voice projected out through the whole Forest stating to go back to our campsites as we were about to encounter a heavy down pour. We ran back to our tent and made it just in time before the wind, rain, and lightning began. We loved every minute of this downpour. We made sure all of our possessions were secure and then decided to dance and play in the rain. Eventually, the rain passed and it was safe for everyone to go back in. We did our best to make the most of every moment we had left.
Thank you so much Propeller for gifting us this amazing, one of a kind experience!
- Jennifer P.
