Elements Music & Arts Festival was an incredible event. It was crystal clear that care, excessive effort, and massive amounts of creative energy were exhibited in order to bring Elements 2022 to life. The lineup featured loads of genre diversity, featuring huge electronic names like Kaskade, Tycho, Sofi Tukker, Zeds Dead, Liquid Stranger, Troyboi, Twiddle, Sunsquabi, Dom Dolla, Eazybaked and more. Tucked away in the Poconos mountains of Pennsylvania, I could tell everyone involved behind the scenes cared deeply that every person who attended had an exemplary experience. Let's break down Elements by category, shall we?
The Camping Experience
I arrived at the Pocono Raceway on Friday afternoon. I breezed right through the entrance to a well-organized and efficient security checkpoint. The personable staff greeted me, ensured the safety of everyone attending the festival, and ushered me forward with accurate and easily understandable directions.
Upon arrival at my campsite, I noticed clean facilities and an organized filling in of campers to their sites. After unpacking in the modest heat of the Pocono Mountains, I geared up for my first look at the festival.
The Festival Experience
Entering the festival was a visual experience. Immediately, I was greeted with vibrant colors, great music, and assortments of interactive shops and structures. Outside the venue were multiple hilariously decorated art carts that made their way across the festival throughout. I looked around and didn't even know where to begin exploring, so I just started walking and hit the Water Stage.
With one central hub for a DJ to perform, the Water Stage was comprised of an arrangement of structures in a circular formation around that hub. Each design was colorful and offered a different viewing experience from its neighbor. The elevation and viewing angle variations made the stage feel like a new experience upon each visit, with massive features such as a pirate ship and a triple XL bubble-filled inflatable washing machine.
Walking further into the festival, the Air Stage was tucked away in the woods – noticeable just as the Earth Stage peaks its face from beyond a bend in the path. Now I was caught in a decision, "Which way should I go? Where do I explore next?" I continued deeper into the festival, enjoying a few extra moments of the Earth Stage as I walked along my way.
Continuing deeper into the festival, I felt immersed in color and artwork. Behind every tree was a painted decoration, planned and placed at just the right angle to fill the forest with life. Later in the night, these same decorations and artworks would light up to fill the woods again with life as the nearby stages expanded their presence into the sky. Inflatable mushrooms were rampant across the wooded walkways and the multiple neon art exhibits lighting up the grounds had me feeling like I had fallen down Alice's magical rabbit hole.
Diving further into the festival, I saw the Fire Stage light up the night sky as a plume of orange brilliance exploded into the crisp summer air of the Pocono Mountains. Rhythms, color, and artwork engulfed me as I continued on exploring.
Eventually, I found myself wandering back to the Air Stage. The warmth of a large campfire drew me in, and the pleasant sounds of music drifting from behind the trees soothed me. I again lost myself in the artwork, architecture, and beauty of the area and the colors imbued in it.
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