It appears that the Midwest’s beloved Electric Forest will be getting a serious upgrade for 2017. Reported by The Festive Owl, Electric Forest’s organizers have submitted permits to host festivals on back to back weekends in 2017.
The expansion makes sense when considering the pressing demand seen in recent years (2015 sold out in under two weeks), but many of the festival’s loyal attendees are concerned at what this may bring about.
As it stands, Electric Forest has grown to be a five day event, with attendees permitted to arrive as early as Wednesday afternoon and leaving the following Monday Morning. So if Electric Forest maneuvers to hold back to back festivals with the current schedule, then they’ll have only Monday and Tuesday to clean up the venue and prepare the production for round two, not to mention the additional strain on the Double JJ Ranch’s land with tens of thousands of tents, vehicles, and foot traffic. This expansion could certainly point to each weekend’s event becoming shortened to accommodate these additional production demands.
Still, there are some rad possibilities that could come of the extra weekend: maybe Forest will include an even more diverse lineup over the two weekends, or perhaps the double offering will spread out the number of attendees and leave a more intimate experience. It remains to be seen what Electric Forest has up its sleeve for 2017, but all signs are pointing to a very different experience than years past.
H/T Festive Owl