Just rolling in from Once Upon A Festival….weary but happy! What a stellar event….
So much fun! For starters, I’m from Washington State and it was just divine to have real summer weather and a crisply cool but just wonderfully warm enough lake to swim in. Getting right to the juicy juicy – what sets OUAF apart from other fests is the EPIC floating stage. This pirate themed raft on the lake was something I’ve not seen anywhere else, with monster speakers and world class performers in the middle of a rocking out sea of swimmers, partying in our bikinis (or not haha). Hundreds of folks brought their giant floaty toys – dragons, whales, a swan, psychedelic fish and of course rafts and inner tubes. The water is shallow for quite a ways out, so you could stand in the lake and shake your booty to pulsing beats. It just doesn’t get better than that!
There were also two mega stages – first, the Pirate Mother Ship rolled in on a big flatbed truck, then they lifted its masts… putting on display a gorgeous olden times pirate ship with all the trimmings. Next they pulled out the monster speakers and set up for all night dancing. Desert Hearts and Solar headlined on Friday, Atfish, Little John and Tony in Orbit on Saturday and Sunday the party started at 9pm with Solus and powered all night with Orphic wrapping up at dawn. Strobe lights added the final touches of awesomeness for an outstanding show.
The Treehouse stage was the heavy hitter, with a mega sound system that blew the tops off nearby mountains. There were more big acts than I can name on that stage – but highlights were of course, Desert Dwellers, my personal fave, Nominus, Adreillen, Random Rab got his full share of rippling excitement precluding his set and so many others…Staunch, Sweater Beats, Dimond Saints….
Jesse Octavio’s wife, Missy (Jesse is one of the founder/producers), is a body painter and on Saturday night she painted a pair of dancers, inspired in the now by the music while surrounded by fire spinners….culminating in a passionate dance performance of painted goddesses.
Luke Holden brought along his gorgeous art gallery, the one that he built for Lucidity in April and it houses art from the best in our community. Full of both paintings and sculpture, it was a popular hang out and featured music and h’orderves, creating an elegant atmosphere.
I attended quite a few of the workshops. Let me mention that there were a lot of domes on site, one of them being the workshop area. Domes have a unique feeling, its almost like being held in someone’s arms, their round shape is very calming, even soothing. The workshop dome was filled with beautiful altars, each piled with sacred objects and crystals – making it a rejuvenating temple of learning. I listened to a fascinating talk on the human design, a new take on our energy fields and how we function in the quantum field. Pretty interesting stuff.
I also enjoyed a workshop on permaculture that tapped into yoga and relationships and our presence in the world. I learned a lot and felt rejuvenated afterward. The beautiful Sophia Ocean is a gifted orator and listening to her speak is nourishing in itself. There were a couple of workshops on psychedelics and food foraging that I didn’t make, but others enjoyed tremendously.
The marketplace was a buzzing hub of activity too, with an all star lineup of top designers. Third Eye Pinecones, as always, had their boombox going and it was a case of shop & hop as people danced in the street as they tried on new clothes.
The chefs were also an all star cast with Get Fried Rice and Lydias Organics leading the pack….both long time delicious and wholesome, festival nourishment providers. Yum Yum Yum.
One of my most magical moments however, was quiet and solo….early in the morning after the music shut down and folks went to bed for a rest, I strolled in the silence and passed by the crystal temple. There inside a beautiful dome was an altar of huge magnificent crystals, each placed carefully and fully charged. The place hummed with pristine energy that reminded me of alpine peaks I have hiked to. I couldn’t help but sit down in its presence and close my eyes to receive its “crystal clear” radiance. After 10 or 20 minutes, I felt fully renewed, as bright as the crystals themselves….it was a memorable highlight of my weekend.
Of course, being that OUAF is put together by producers of Enchanted Forest, Envision and Lucidity, I re-united with friends from all over the country and made a lot of new ones. All in all it was a stellar time to celebrate the upcoming Solstice, to sit under the so very close, bright stars of Jupiter and Venus and to frolick in the water by the EPIC floating stage to the tunes of great artists. A fantastic weekend had by all.
