Tony Contini / Tahoe Onstage file
The conclusion of this year’s Burning Man will no doubt give way to the annual return to the default world and withdrawals from the art and music-filled utopia in the desert. Though anyone not wanting to wait another year, or who missed out on attending this year’s event, might want to consider heading to the annual Suwannee Hulaween Festival.
Taking place Halloween weekend each year along Florida’s surreal and historical Suwannee River basin, Suwannee Hulaween combines five stages of performers ranging from jam bands to electronic dance music with art installations and a crowd that comes heavily dressed up in the Southern tradition of thorough and ornate costumes – think Halloween night on Bourbon Street lasting until dawn set beneath the oaks and palms in the sultry Floridian autumn.
Suwannee Hulaween, in Live Oak, Florida, runs Friday, Oct. 26, to Sunday, Oct. 28.
Set to headline this year are Odesza, Jamiroquai, Janelle Monae, The Revivalists, STS9, Gramatik, and nightly main-stage sets by the String Cheese Incident. In all, more than 100 musical performers will perform over the four-day festival, with CloZee, Justin Martin, Bishop Briggs, Lettuce, Troyboi and Stephen Marley also set to perform.
While the all-night performances may be one of the main draws to the festival, the 800-acre Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, which hosts the event, and all attendees who choose to camp out for the weekend’s events add even more. They will bring a variety of dance, yoga and meditation workshops, live and interactive painting and art installations, an infrastructure with sustainable and eco-conscious leanings, and a craft beer garden curated by the String Cheese Incident’s Kyle Hollingsworth. Particularly picturesque is the music park after dark when tunes echo through the trees and the lush landscape is awash in the colorful glow of lights.
Looking to plan a trip to spend Halloween weekend at a surreal utopian fest that is a sultry mix of the debaucherous and the sublime? Suwannee Hulaween has you covered. Lodging options include onsite camping, along with nearby hotels and AirBnBs.
One-way flights between Reno and Orlando are currently in the $200 range, cheaper if flying from Sacramento or the Bay Area.
Check out http://suwanneehulaween.com for complete information.
— Shaun Astor
Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage file
