{"id":15770,"date":"2019-03-05T15:21:59","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T15:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=15770&#038;post_type=story"},"modified":"2022-07-27T20:43:25","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T20:43:25","slug":"why-i-am-festival-kid","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/why-i-am-festival-kid\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Am a Festival Kid"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-8\"><em>Spring 2019 | By <strong>Lexi Senior \u201911 \u201916MFA\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Things like rainbow-colored tent cities snapped and hammered into place in mere minutes, the solace we call home when the sun rises. Or captivated crowds wrapped in tie-dye and hemp, swollen with fervent adoration for the band playing. Or artfully produced visuals, so deliciously\u00a0disruptive from everyday life that they make you forget there is any other place but the one you\u2019re standing in at that very moment.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve called many wildernesses, hills and hotels home in the last nine years, including the 650-acre farm of Bonnaroo; the woods of Suwannee Hulaween, Bear Creek, Okeechobee, and Zen Awakening in Florida, and Electric Forest in Michigan; the grassy hillsides of Washington\u00a0for Sasquatch; the raucous streets of New Orleans\u2019 Buku and Baltimore\u2019s Moonrise; the circus sprawl of Orlando\u2019s Electric Daisy Carnival; and the palm-lined paradise of Miami\u2019s iii Points. This is the life of a dedicated festivalgoer. And since my first fateful fest in 2010, I\u2019ve learned these spectacles offer more than stages with kaleidoscopic lights and loud speakers \u2014 these massive events form eccentric alt societies where all are welcome.<\/p>\n<p>Promoters of the historic Woodstock event announced a 50th anniversary celebration this August. It will be one of more than 200 music festivals in the U.S. this year, but it reigns as the most important in name. It was the catalyst for a scene that more than 32 million Americans\u00a0now partake in each year. The impact of Woodstock\u2019s countercultural vibrations continues to allow people to embrace their inner freaks and most altruistic energies, as The Beatles would say, \u201cAll together now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While music is what originally lured me in, it\u2019s my festival family that keeps me going back. The festival community, to put it simply, rejoices in a lack of routine and regulation. It\u2019s mostly youth-oriented, but festival elders are often beside us while we find small, sweet freedoms dancing in dust storms, wearing fringe and face paint, unapologetic in our actions. Long days and nights of hustling from stage to stage have introduced surprise encounters so dreamlike I sometimes feel like I wished a portal into existence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[callout background=&#8221;#513a7c&#8221; content_align=&#8221;left&#8221; affix=&#8221;false&#8221; css_class=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>[blockquote source=&#8221;&#8221; cite=&#8221;&#8221; color=&#8221;#fff&#8221; css_class=&#8221;&#8221;]&#8221;What we take back home with us is much more than memories of the music \u2014 it\u2019s a shared mindset.&#8221;[\/blockquote]<\/p>\n<p>[\/callout]<\/p>\n<p>How can I best share with you the joy of a moment so singular, you know that it will never happen again? Should I tell you about being honored for a good deed with a pin that granted passageway to a secret speakeasy deep in the woods? Or about an intimate conversation with four elderly women throwing a wild 70th birthday celebration, watching a jam band with the reverence of churchgoers? Or about riding a Ferris wheel at midnight with stars glittering in constellations above, a headliner belting out below, and best friends by my side?<\/p>\n<p>Nowadays, most festivals offer such a wide variety of acts that you can see rock legends like Robert Plant or Elton John, a couple of intriguing indie bands, a four-hour String Cheese Incident set, and an up-and-coming producer all in one day. Most of my friends and I have\u00a0made it to as many as 30 sets in a single weekend. Festivals make it possible to see the amount of shows you could see in a year in a few days.<\/p>\n<p>This, all of this, is why I love festivals. I\u2019m humbled by these unconventional utopias, knowing there are thousands of others looking to celebrate an escape from reality, who are invested in music, art, meditation and protest, all from varying heritages and social backgrounds. What we take back home with us is much more than memories of the music \u2014 it\u2019s a shared mindset.<\/p>\n<p>From organizers and operators to entertainers and attendees, festivalgoers believe in the freedom to be yourself (a clich\u00e9, perhaps, but meant with heart) wholly and always. We\u2019ve manifested a place where you can dress how you want, dance how you feel or kiss whom you please. Where all body shapes and sizes are present and proud. Where you can celebrate peacemaking, imagination and individuality among others who hold similar values.<\/p>\n<p>And while we inevitably have to return to our realities, where we wear our work clothes and sit at desks or serve tables or sell houses, we seek the sparkle of sequins and the glimpses of glitter behind collared shirts and pencil skirts. We know where we belong: <em>All together now.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Lexi Senior \u201911 \u201917MFA<\/strong> is a roaming writer. Her writing has appeared in literary journals such as <\/em>Paper Darts<em>,<\/em> Cheap Pop<em>, <\/em>Crab Fat Magazine<em> and <\/em>Gravel. <em>Follow her travels on Instagram @lexilovely or connect with her at AlexisSenior.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":16181,"template":"","categories":[1000],"tags":[341],"class_list":["post-15770","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-why-i","tag-college-of-arts-and-humanities","issues-1348","issues-spring-2019"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What It&#039;s Like to Attend Music Festivals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In honor of 2019&#039;s 50th anniversary of Woodstock, roaming writer Lexi Senior \u201911 \u201917MFA gives an insider account of Bonnaroo, Electric Daisy Carnival and more of today&#039;s festival scene.\" 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