Electric Forest has been cleared to return to Rothbury, Michigan for over another decade.
Forest fam have ample reason to rejoice as of last week. The Village of Rothbury council has approved a permit for Electric Forest to annually return to its longtime home in the municipality until 2035 at the earliest.
Electric Forest, which released a preliminary lineup for its 2024 event last month, received the good news on the other end of a Thursday special meeting. The Oceana Echo notes that last month also saw the council update its mass gathering ordinance to allow for 15-year permits instead of only 10.
The 2024 edition of Electric Forest takes place on Thursday, June 20 – Sunday, June 23. This year’s event sold out six months in advance, but Alexandra Dunne of its parent company, AEG Presents, reportedly said that organizers do not plan to increase the amount of tickets sold “for the foreseeable future.”
Electric Forest was originally called Rothbury Festival when it debuted in 2008. That year’s lineup and resulting draw served as proof of concept for the blend of jam bands and electronic musicians that would come to define the event. Artists like The Crystal Method, Thievery Corporation, and Flosstradamus accompanied acts like Tea Leaf Green, Widespread Panic, and The Dave Matthews Band on the bill. Hip-hop also enjoyed representation thanks to names like Snoop Dogg and Busdriver.
Even the limited phase one lineup released ahead of Electric Forest 2024 consists of 73 names. In keeping with tradition, it includes electronic acts like Subtronics, John Summit, Ben Böhmer, and Excision alongside longtime billing The String Cheese Incident and Umphrey’s McGee as well as rappers like Ludacris.
AEG reportedly thanked the Village of Rothbury council for its decision. The length of the renewal opens the door for additional entertainment offerings and site upgrades, they said.