Every June, the quiet city of Rothbury, Michigan transforms into the psychedelic wonderland of Electric Forest, the place digital music, surrealist artwork and human connection collide. And in 2025, the occasion as soon as once more reminded its 50,000-strong “Forest Fam” why it stays one in all North America’s most original and beloved festivals.
Nestled within the lush, towering timber of Sherwood Forest, this yr’s version delivered on the pageant’s promise of sensory overload, jaw-dropping performances and serendipitous discovery. Whereas headliners like Justice, Sara Landry, Tiesto, Zeds Useless and Of The Timber drew large crowds, the soul of Electrical Forest has all the time lived past the large phases.
This yr was no completely different. Although the lineup spanned almost each nook of the EDM spectrum—dubstep, techno, home, drum & bass and extra—it was the areas between the phases that proceed to outline the Forest expertise.
The Dream Emporium made a triumphant return, that includes a surrealist mix of carnival chaos and inventive immersion. Attendees wandered by way of labyrinthine rooms the place a mock professional wrestling match and a stay curler derby set the scene for an unannounced Boogie T efficiency, one in all many spontaneous surprises that stored even veteran Forest-goers on their toes.
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Elsewhere, climbable artwork towers gave followers a literal new perspective whereas a totally functioning library supplied a quiet sanctuary amid the insanity. The forest was alive at each flip, pulsing with potentialities, whether or not you have been exploring a hidden pathway or catching a renegade set on Foremost Road.
Electrical Forest’s long-standing custom of shock units reached a peak on Saturday evening. When the official schedule dropped, followers have been shocked to see an unannounced Levity b2b ??? b2b ??? set tucked into the lineup. Hypothesis ran wild, and the payoff was electrical: Crankdat and Tape B joined Levity for one of the thrilling and sudden units of the weekend.
The second was notably poignant for longtime followers who’re conscious that Levity, the EDM.com Class of 2024 trio, first rose to prominence after a shock efficiency at Electrical Forest’s Honeycomb stage two years in the past. This yr’s b2b felt like a full-circle second.
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Ranch Enviornment, Tripolee, Sherwood Courtroom, Honeycomb and The Observatory continued to ship breathtaking units and manufacturing. However a part of the magic of Electrical Forest lies in its dedication to decentralizing the expertise.
Smaller phases just like the Grand Artique and the Chapel hosted among the weekend’s most intimate and offbeat performances. And in true Forest trend, music might be discovered just about anyplace, together with DJ units at pop-up distributors and meals stalls.
Following final yr’s weather-related disruptions—and the whole cancellation of Bonnaroo 2025 simply days earlier than—there was a quiet nervousness hanging within the air as followers rolled into Rothbury. However apart from a lightning storm that lower Friday evening barely brief, the climate was a non-factor, permitting the complete magic of the weekend to unfold.
Alive Protection/Electrical Forest
Greater than only a music pageant, Electrical Forest is a dwelling, respiratory manifestation of neighborhood. The guiding ideas of Peace, Love, Unity and Respect aren’t simply slogans right here, however invisible forces holding all of it collectively.
You’re feeling it in the best way strangers develop into household. Within the spontaneous high-fives and shouts of “CARL!” on forest paths. Within the artwork installations constructed not simply to be considered, however to be skilled collectively. It’s an vitality that may’t be faked or replicated.
In a pageant panorama saturated with cookie-cutter lineups and high-end manufacturing, Electrical Forest continues to set itself aside due to the way it makes you are feeling. Should you’re seeking to marry a love for digital music with a deeper sense of neighborhood, the forest is asking. And when you reply, it by no means fairly lets go.
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