Electric Forest opening day: Recap, photos, video

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The opening salvo of another Electric Forest at Double JJ Resort in Rothbury was chock full of the usual electronic music mayhem while oozing that singular Forest camaraderie. Recap, photos, video.

Lighting Up Rothbury: Electric Forest returned Thursday with plenty of sizzle. (Photo/Eric Stoike)

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Electric Forest hasn’t lost its high-voltage luster or its unique blending of Michigan’s wooded splendor with psychedelically infused, musical immersion.

Or, for that matter, it’s groovy hippie vibe — though older hippies from the classic rock era certainly never came close to experiencing the thundering, chest-rattling bass that’s shaken the woods of Double JJ Resort in recent years.

Attending my 13th Electric Forest on Thursday — after covering the first two Rothbury Festivals as well back in 2008-2009 — that all rang true, although the idea of “older hippies” diving into this spectacle that attracts upwards of 50,000 mostly young revelers seems a bit far-fetched.

Look, I’m not saying I was the oldest guy rambling across this sprawling 2,000-acre site to check out seven-plus stages on opening day, but I’m guessing only a scant few suffered the sort of aching back and sore feet associated with someone who attended his first rock concert back in 1974.

Heck, I’m guessing that the majority of those gyrating endlessly to electronic music stars until 4 a.m. Friday (that’s right, 4 a.m.) weren’t even born in the 20th Century, let alone being even remotely aware of the 1960s’ and 1970s’ Dark Ages that fueled my own late-night musical passions.

Passion on Display: Fervent fans on Thursday night. (Photo/Eric Stoike)

But musical passion of a different era most definitely is alive and well — and on full display — at Electric Forest 2026, as evidenced Thursday by the gleeful, swarming, colorful, totem-toting multitudes twirling, swaying and bobbing to amped-up, frenetic sets by Jackie Hollander, Devault, Bipolar Sunshine, Eggy and other crowd-enticing artists.

The flood of music around every nook and cranny aside, the true magic and secret of Electric Forest (not counting the inside joke of “Where’s Carl,” echoing at various junctures through Sherwood Forest) revolves around the spirited community of like-minded believers who leave the real world behind for several days to embrace the moment and each other, often abandoning the usual conventions of dress and behavior.

“There’s no festival that I’ve been to that’s like it,” one festivalgoer from Illinois gushed early on amid some of the most pleasant weather and temperatures that this writer has ever seen at this late June spectacle.

As always, the revelers have come from everywhere it seems – Florida, South Dakota, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Texas, South Carolina, Alabama, Ohio, Canada.

The Author: Lucky 13. (Photo/Local Spins)

Kylee Gordon from Boston was experiencing her eighth Electric Forest, bringing along first-timer George Awiszus.

“All throughout the year, you don’t get to meet people in real life like you do here,” she insisted. “People here are kind. I come here for the people for sure.”

Indeed, strangers exchange pleasantries and compliments at every turn: “I love what you’re wearing.” “Thank you, I love your lashes.” And it’s the sort of place where couples propose to each other and even get married on site.

On Thursday, costumed keystone cops were jokingly imploring festivalgoers to do “silly walks” a la Monty Python as they entered the art- and stage-bedecked Sherwood Forest, with one Forester remarking slyly: “Everybody will be doing a silly walk at the end of the night.”

While on the subject of nightfall, one festival attendee’s sign proclaimed what makes many of these fans return year after year: “Close your eyes and get lost in the magical.”

The opening salvo of magical music and celebration came amid wonderfully welcoming weather, even cool by comparison to past heat waves that have baked the masses.

Highlights ranged from Michigan’s own Dixon’s Violin kicking off the festival once again — as is tradition — with ethereal string and electronic strains on the Observatory Stage to the eclectic rock and funk of Connecticut’s Eggy at Sherwood Court to the techno and house verve of California’s Jackie Hollander on the Tripolee Stage to the wild blend of disco, funk and electronic strains of Mexico’s Midnight Generation at Ranch Arena.

Mago: On the Honeycomb Stage. (Photo/Local Spins)

But the day’s flat-out highlight for me came when Colorado progressive bluegrass/jamgrass band Magoo heated up the Honeycomb stage amid Sherwood Forest — also my favorite Electric Forest stage with fans surrounding performers at different levels.

The 10 p.m. set sent the packed sea of approving fans into a frenzy with blazing instrumental charm on mandolin, Dobro, standup bass and acoustic guitar — a psychedelic-tinged, Billy Strings-like romp.

Indeed, the quartet (with mandolinist Courtlyn Bills performing on a crutch attached to his injured leg) even tore through a bluegrass rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean,” changing the lyrics at the end to “Billy Strings is not my lover” to the delight of the crowd. The group also wowed the assembled throng with a cover of Steve Miller’s “The Joker” which, naturally, inspired a sing-along. (Scroll down for video.)

As usual, the festival this year also entices exploration from the endless artfully lighted alcoves throughout Sherwood Forest to the new Center Stage that’s part of a maze that winds through the far corner of the festival site.

And Thursday was just the first phase of getting “lost in the magical,” with three more days of Electric Forest enchantment to come for the happy hordes — with more stellar and warmer weather on tap.

From the stage, Bills may have summed it up perfectly for everyone on board: “We like these woods!”

BONUS COVERAGE: More on Day 1 by Local Spins’ Looking for the Perfect Beat columnist Todd Ernst here.

VIDEO: Electric Forest: By Day & By Night (6/25/26)