Oregon Eclipse Gathering: A Journal
One Month to go.
After being away from the Pacific Northwest over six months now, I figured the best time to return would be during the solar eclipse set to take place across Oregon next month. Last year, the organizers of Symbiosis Gathering announced their initial plans to throw a music festival within the days surrounding the eclipse. At the time, the musical acts included a ton of DJs and artists associated with the most spiritual events, given that the event is being co-curated by a number of festival organizers from all over the world (Australia, Japan, Canada to name a few), including Beloved here in Oregon.
As months went by, Symbiosis slowly released more and more information. It was clear this festival was shaping up to be something large (some might use the phrase epic), complete with yoga sessions, workshops, keynote speakers, and a giant lake to go along with nearly a weeks-worth of music. I was 50/50 on whether I was going to make it at the time. Colorado is a long drive away and there were only a handful of artists I was eager to see. Then, without much warning they dropped the lineup to the mainstage which boasted two nights of the String Cheese Incident, two nights of STS9, Bassnectar, Cocorosie, and a handful of others. When this happened I did some more digging and realized there were more bands, DJs and artists I wanted to check out. Specifically, I read the lineup for the “Big Top” stage and saw EOTO, Rebirth Brass Band, and Lyrics Born, all whom I’ve wanted to see for ages.
Of all people I know, I’m the first to tell festival goers not to worry about the music, it’s the artistic design and follow through that makes a festival special. So, these big acts are not the sole reason I’m making the trek to Oregon. The folks putting this thing together have a proven track record of putting together some highly organized and unique events. The odds of this festival turning out well are looking extremely favorable. Combine an established management team and a top-notch expansive musical lineup and needless to say, I’ve been sold on this journey for a while now. Which means I’ll be taking photos and crafting stories surrounding the events. But how does one preview an event they know little about? Aside from the tidbits of information, everything I know is readily available for any non-journalist to look up on the event’s website.
Fortunately for me (and at the expense of my editors) all signs point to the one option best suited for my style. I’m going to need to make this personal. A first-hand account of Oregon’s newest transformative festival. The best way to cover an event is to go in void of expectations. This way, I’ll be a true observer, free from any media induced agenda.
To reemphasize, we’re talking about a festival encompassing 250 artists 90% of which fall into the heady psychedelic category. We’ll see first-hand what happens when you send an aging journalist to a six day party where activities such as mind expansion and exploration are not only allowed, they’re encouraged. This is an event that puts more thought into their yoga instructions than most festivals put into their headliners. In planer words is going to be so special I know attendees who are skipping Burning Man.
Click HERE to obtain all the info you want or need for the festival.