Discovering Music Festivals // Suwannee Hulaween 2018

As my husband drags himself back this week from another road trip to Miami for the annual Ultra experience, I am motivated to finally write up my review of Hulaween.  Ultra, is a multiday EDM experience that travels all over the world! He has been going since its inception 21 years ago and has been urging me to attend such things forever!

Ok, Gavin said all Irish of the 80’s would recognize this graphic…? Anyone?? Anyone??

A First Time Attendee Finally Takes the Hulaween Plunge

I am reminded of my most recent music discovery. Hulaween, a music festival held at the Spirit of the Suwannee in Live Oak, FL is going into its 6th year as a highly acclaimed music festival. I have wanted to go for YEARS. The thing that attracted me to this particular festival was the variety of musical acts. As much as I love electronic music, I prize variety even more! The only reason it took me so long to attend was because of the time of year it is held. It is always over the Halloween weekend! This is the busiest of 21st century Mom weekends that can include many of the following: attendance at neighborhood parties, pumpkin carving, scary moving watching, last-minute costume prep, and classroom treat assembly.

Fishing for compliments
I got one!

A Bucket List Item Checked Off Early

I just couldn’t swing it! So it went on my list of ‘one day’.

Well, guess what y’all…’One Day’ came sooner than I thought!

What a difference 4 years can make in Mom years! The kids finally had plans of their own and didn’t much care for where their parents would be (as long as we would be back to take them trick-or-treating)!

But I still couldn’t decide.

I hemmed and hawed.

Then watched the early bird price go away.

Over and over I stared at the lineup, again and again.

Hulaween 2018 lineup

Then I saw Janelle Monáe (who was on the lineup) perform on TV and said OK, I have to see her! So… I went!

This post is partly story and partly a review of Hulaween 2018.

One of the best moments of the weekend for me!
My Lizzo sister-friend…no, I don’t know her! We just met!

A Review of Hulaween // The Why and How

I’ll admit…I was a little scared of the concept of music festivals. After all, we’ve all seen the footage from Woodstock. The first music festival experience I had was Lilith Fair 1999, Austin TX. A-mazing….from what I remember! But this experience is far from the current trends!

I get claustrophobic just from the reports of the sheer number of attendees!

Some boast over 100,000 people! In one place. In this day and age?!

Shooooot. No, thank you!

But circumstances had me attending my very first EDM festival in 2017. It was Ultra Miami with my husband and I was pleasantly surprised with the experience! Despite the huge crowds, I never felt crowded. I always had plenty of space to dance in. The organizations and cities that host these events are very good at keeping these things efficient and secure! Even better, I felt extremely free to have a good time and be me for the first time in a long time.

I’m Not The Only One!

There are articles reporting that this feeling is not unique to me! If you really want to get nerdy, here is one of the studies! In the current April 2019 Essence issue, Michaela Coel describes her first ever feeling of full acceptance at a Brooklyn 2015 Afropunk Music Festival.

“It was as if Erykah Badu, Solange Knowles, and Zoë Kravitz had a party and invited all their friends…..It was the most beautiful feeling, like I was being reborn.”

–as told to Jeannine Amber for Essence April 2019

I can completely relate as a Southern Black woman who has loved nothing more than losing herself on the dance floor to a techno dance hit since 1999!

Side note: If you have not seen Michaela Coel in action yet, it’s time to Netflix and Chill “Chewing Gum”. This beautiful queen’s big lips and British accent caught my attention, but her talent and hilarity pinned me down for the entire ride!

After getting over my stereotypes and initial fears, I was ready to experience more music festivals!

An author’s vignette…oh, these are my people!

My First International Music Festival

My next music festival experience was called Roskilde. It was held in Denmark in June. We just went in for one day, by train from Copenhagen. This type of day pass is rare in the music festival world, so if you see any you can take advantage of, do it! We only wanted to see The XX for sure, so we tailored our trip around that.

Attending Roskilde is considered a rite of passage for Denmark citizens and the Danish citizens were delighted to hear that we traveled for the experience. We got turned around on the train system. (That’s fancy European talk for lost) We stopped to ask directions from a gray-haired gentleman who looked- well, pretty cool! He gave us a wistful smile when we told him our destination and said he remembered it well.

Yes, this tree is mounted in mid-air!

A Review of Hulaween // To Camp or Not to Camp?

Now that I had survived two different types of festivals, it was time to tackle the BIG ONE. The overnight campout festival. I have felt for years that I was in this strange gray area of age for this. In my mind, I would have to be younger than 25 or older than 60 to get down in the dirt as I have witnessed at these types of festivals. From shared bathrooms to the HEAPS of trash littering the campgrounds…there was absolutely no way.

Then I realized…RRRRRRRRRRRVVVVVVVVVVVV!!!!!!!!!!!! (imagine that big long Oprah shout to muster crowd excitement)

That is how I felt when I realized that was a thing…and I could rent one! From that moment on, the planning ensued. I rented from Cruise America. It was slightly less expensive than the other option in town. But I would pay more to try the other company if I find their equipment to be a little more luxurious.

The Many Ways to Experience Hulaween

  • First things first, you have to buy your event ticket. It is completely separate from your accommodations pass. This is a weekend pass that will be in the form of an RFID bracelet.
  • Then you decide how you will stay in the Suwannee area.
    •  Each option has an additional pass to purchase unless you stay at a motel off-site…but why? Don’t do that.
    • You can tent camp with or without electricity. In the primitive sites (no modern conveniences), we saw people sleeping in hammocks in trees! Many people group up and make little communities that they wall off with fabric!
    • You can drive your car/mini-van in and sleep in or around that. Our neighbors, 20-year-old college students from North Carolina camped that way! It was REALLY cold and rained the first night.

Mom-Me kept peeking out the window wanting to invite the poor babies in. Selfish-Me won.

go ahead treat yourself!

  • For true luxury, you can drive in an RV. IF you are quick enough, you can get an RV site with a full hookup. But there aren’t many! So most RV’s were just scattered throughout the festival grounds. We were one of them. We did eventually run out of water, and when it was almost too late we noticed a mobile RV dump service driving around! I know… I don’t even want to know either! Be aware: There are sections in the middle where generator use is not permitted. Keep driving!! Even the RVs would group up and create an inner “courtyard” where they would party late at night and early morning. Those looked the most fun!

Chandra Says…

If you have wheels, bring them! Any wheels will help! You can bring bikes or road ready golf carts, I even saw a penny-farthing! Depending on where you are on the grounds, walking from the camp area to the concert area is quite a journey. And odds are…you will be far! Apparently, there are people here for DAYS & WEEKS to get the closest spots. The festival staff are extremely conscious about how much space is “held” for friends that are on the way! There is a shuttle service that picks up from zones. I use the term “shuttle” loosely. It was more like an open hayride situation that was extremely unreliable. If luck was on your side, you could get a free ride to the gate!

The Day to Day Details

Getting into the concert area is extremely easy! There aren’t many lines and you just walk through security and get your band scanned. You can come and go as you please all day. There are even some food and merchandise booths right outside of the entrance. Beyond the entrance gates of The Spirit of The Suwannee, you enter another world for a weekend.

The main stage
Wide Open Spaces!
Her potatoes were amazing!

The Spirit of the Suwannee campgrounds are transformed into an autonomous village for the weekend. From food and merchandise vendors to an open green space in the shadow of a Ferris wheel to the Spirit Lake Art Installation, there are many different experiences to be had throughout the weekend.

An Entire Fairy Village
Each house had its own design
This was my favorite one!
Once you find this entrance….
Childhood delight!

All of this is dotted with sound stages featuring artists from all genres.

Mavis Staples for Sunday Brunch y’all?! Yes, please!!

What To Wear to Hulaween

It is a costume party! What else would you expect over this weekend?! People are in all levels of costume. From just donning a wig or mustache to a full Disney-style character dress, you get to decide how much and when you want to participate in the festivities!

Saturday night seemed to be the night when most people went all out. Every day brought new sights, laughs, and opportunities to become whoever you wanted to be that day. We even experienced our very first silent disco!

The best thing is there is NO JUDGEMENT!

Everyone was happy that you are happy. What a utopian idea.

A Review of Hulaween // The Final Say

This review of Hulaween has gone on long enough. I could tell you so much more! Like how took a picture with Orlando singing legend Kayleigh Baker as I watched another local Orlando band, The Groove Orient make a mind-blowing appearance on the Spirit Lake Stage at Hulaween 2018.

Or exactly how the husband busted the top of his head open…and not for the first time!

UPDATE: I honestly wrote and went through two edits before I realized I didn’t cover the elephant in the room!

Drugs.

These types of events have become synonymous with drug use. I didn’t find drug use to be in-your-face or rampant. People aren’t getting sick everywhere or fighting….unlike a night at a typical city nightclub with legal alcohol.

However, you don’t have to do drugs in order to enjoy this event. The high that comes from total inner freedom and really good music can be enough.

This is an upside-down coffee table!
Talk about topsy turvy!

Has My Review of Hulaween Enticed You?

I’ve got a couple of really fun group costume ideas and am currently working on getting a crew together to join me!

Let me know if you want in. If this one doesn’t sound like your jam, don’t fret!

Thanks to our amazing weather and wide-open spaces, Florida has many music festival options.

Check out this list for options that may fit your music tastes better.

If you are willing to travel farther to experience your reality escape, there are even more options!

Here’s our highlight reel:

Chandra Says….Go!

Design an amazing costume.

And buy the early bird ticket!

Oh, by the way…back to the whole reason I booked this ticket, Janelle Monáe…

I never even got to see her!!! Why? She and many other big acts were scheduled for Sunday night! As first-timers, we didn’t realize this is usually the case.

We had to get back to kids and jobs, so we couldn’t risk staying another night.

You’d better believe next year, we are taking vacation days on that Monday!!! You should too!!

Was my review of Hulaween helpful?

Will I see you there next year?

 

[Update]

Since this was written I attended the first (and only) music festival of 2020, Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival in March! It is a definite repeat experience! So if spring is a better time for you this one is HIGHLY recommended!!!


Chandra Says: Girl, Get Going!

Join the Conversation  | Comment Below!

Share  |  Is there someone in your life that should read this?

Go ahead…make my day! Forward this to someone you love!

Subscribe  |  Enter your details and get special delivery of this blog to your inbox!