See our photos from Lightning in a Bottle 2015
Memorial Day weekend seems far away, but May 25-30 will be here before you know it. As the unofficial kickoff to Summer, Memorial Day weekend is always stacked with music festivals around the country because, let’s face it, Summer = festival season. I will have been a West Coast resident for two years come this May and nothing gets me more excited to kick off festival season than Lighting in a Bottle (LiB), happening once again in Bradley, CA (about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco).
As I reported on last year, Lightning in a Bottle is hands-down one of the best festivals I’ve attended in my life. As a Transformational Festival it offers much more than music (though you must admit, the lineup is again stacked this year). At (LiB) you will experience some of the world’s best music – mostly on the electronic and dance side – plus yoga, seminars, games, art, live art, culinary creations, bonding sessions, and so much more. There is no shortage of Burning Man camps or renegade stages and while the festival grounds seem relatively compact, they are in fact quite expansive. Desert-like conditions pave way for hot days and chilly nights, and there’s no telling what sorts of characters you’ll witness come nightfall.
The brilliant minds behind LiB (The Confluence, The Do LaB) put together a brand new website where you can read up on everything you wanted to know about this year’s LiB – including the stellar lineup. As a music blog, we’d be remiss not to address the artists who will be performing at LiB 2016. What’s so great about the festival is there are only three stages spread across three main days of performances, which means very few overlaps. Here’s a breakdown of the stages and key acts to see:
Lightning Stage: This is effectively the main stage. But because of the acts LiB curates, it’s not what you think of from a typical music festival. Heavy-hitters like Big Gigantic and Chet Faker will be ripping up the Lightning Stage, but don’t discount Jamie XX who had a monster 2015 and Moderat who are making a big comeback in 2016. Other notable acts here, for me, are the Emancipator Ensemble and the Russ Liquid Test.
Thunder Stage: As it sounds, the Thunder Stage brings the BASS. The West Coast, and transformational festivals in particular, are known for West Coast Bass culture (something I’ve really discovered these past two years living on the west coast) and at LiB 2016 there will be no shortage of womps and wobbles. Cashmere Cat, Mr. Carmack, Mija, and Autograf have been touring the festival circuit pretty hard over the last couple years and I’m excited to see them at LiB this Summer. Crowd favorites Polish Ambassador, Tokimonsta, Minnesota b2b G Jones, and PANTyRAiD help to round out the Thunder Stage. But don’t sleep on Haywyre, Hayden James, The Funk Hunters, or Crying Over Porcelain (Ooah + Edit from Glitch Mob??? Are you kidding???)
The Woogie: Easily my favorite stage at LiB. It’s a giant crow’s nest suspended in a tree featuring House music with speaker stacks as far as the eye can see and some pretty trippy art installations. And the most vibes of the weekend are coming from here. As a House junkie, this is heaven on Earth. And this year we’ll be graced with the likes of Guy Gerber, Justin Jay, Lee Burridge, Lane 8, Sacha Robotti (half of Robosonic), Jonas Rathsman, and SO MANY MORE. Woogie, I can’t wait to be reunited with you!
Well folks, LiB 2016 is just a handful of months away. Let us know if we’ll see you there – we’ll be looking forward to it!
