The Astral Project Festival threw an incredible third edition last weekend, showing how smaller-scale experiences can be fulfilling.
While it takes a village to throw any festival, be it 100 fans or 100,000, the passion behind those who invest their time and money into small-scale events is unparalleled. This passion is the seed from which festivals like The Astral Project were spawned and provide some of the most unique experiences in the electronic event space.
Events like Coachella and Zeds Dead’s First Contact may have dominated everyone’s social media feeds last week, but many didn’t see the hidden gem of a festival tucked away in the Tennessee Mountains. Just a short hour’s drive from Nashville was the new home for The Astral Project, the Short Mountain Moonshine Distillery that was the perfect setting.
Alongside their incredible lineup of many styles, The Astral Project promised attendees designer sound systems, unforgettable performers, unique vendors, all-night music, and art galore. While no event can happen without some bumps in the road, this family festival delivered and left its attendees fulfilled and inspired to kick off the South’s festival season. Keep reading to learn how The Astral Project reminded me why small-scale festivals will always have my heart.
Five Ways The Astral Project Showed Off the Appeal of Family-Sized Festivals
The like-minded and family-oriented community.
Beyond the glitz and glamour of mainstream events lies the quiet charm of a small-scale festival- an intimate, handmade haven for the like-minded and the free spirits. A certain kind of magic happens here, within the comfort of a tight-knit community. With a total number of less than 500, a large portion of the crowd at The Astral Project were, of course, staff, artists, or volunteers in some way.
This means nearly everyone you come across probably has a cool story to tell, but often a way that they’ve helped make the festival possible. One of my favorite examples of the tight-knit Tennessee festival family is the crew dedicated to keeping the grounds spotless at a homie festival near you, the Manifest Green Team. The owner even took to social media to declare this Astral Project as the cleanest event they’ve ever worked on, making it a tangible representation of this local crew’s impact on the community as they strive to inject their mission into the culture. Harm reduction was also emphasized with resources readily available at the festival- another important thing to see made so accessible to attendees.
The sonic curation, art, performers, and overall attention to detail.
Sitting back on the hill at the Phoenix Stage, you can see the heart and soul of the Astral Project everywhere you look. Live painters, flow artists, and friends frolic in the grass, and each art installation comes to life at nightfall. The massive, stunning weeping willow tree to the left of the stage even turned into a light show itself with a visual projection show that made for a perfect extra touch.
The Astral Project is undoubtedly known for bringing fire and more fire to fit their theme, and they delivered with it once again. Nightfall also brought fire performers with every set and a fire circle just beyond the mainstage. The performers were the perfect touches to sets like Monty, Ternion Sound b2b Kursa, and all of the late-night festivities that took place until sunrise at The Shiner Stage.
Another unique display was the Lucid Lounge, the final and smallest after-hours stage nestled inside a quaint barn on the property. Geared towards the ultimate chill vibes, the far half of the building is a mini-oasis of plush rugs and couches, perfect for a much-needed nap or rest. They ask that fans kick off their shoes (seriously, no shoes allowed in the cozy space!) and relax to the sounds of local talent and up-and-comers alike.
Everything about Short Mountain Distillery as a venue and its extremely welcoming staff.
While the setting can easily make or break any festival, it takes a special venue to truly click and feel like home for a grassroots event like The Astral Project. It was clear that the festival found its forever home (or at least until it outgrows this property) this weekend at the Short Mountain Moonshine Distillery. Situated just outside Woodbury, Tennessee, less than an hour from Nashville, the distillery is home to a full-service restaurant and bar year-round and even during the event.
In my experience at small-scale festivals with loud, late nights, sometimes these venues don’t realize what they’re getting themselves into the first time they agree to host these events. For an out-of-the-box event with oddities like Frick-Frack-Blackjack and all the characters you may meet at any festival, the distillery staff I met were the kindest and most welcoming folks ever. It seemed clear they had no judgments and were intrigued and happy to participate in the experience.
Of course, the stunning overall setting of the Short Mountain Distillery tucked within the lush rolling landscape of the Tennessee Mountains can’t be ignored and truly set the scene for The Astral Project. The 400-acre lot was the perfect size for getting to and from camp and stages in minutes. Like any rural event, you should always plan for things like mud and unideal terrain, and while the festival’s pre-party got hit with a huge rain, it wasn’t long before the Tennessee sunshine and a little help from festival staff dried everything right up.
You might recall when Bonnaroo was going to take place in September of 2021 following their pandemic hiatus but was forced to cancel due to Hurricane Ida. It was the Short Mountain Distillery that hosted the Bonnaroo refugee event, Greenway Festival, which ended up returning for a second year. After experiencing this place’s beauty and unique charm, we hope The Astral Project returns for years to come.
There were almost zero set conflicts all weekend, with local talent and out-of-the-box acts getting their time to shine.
With almost no set conflicts all weekend, every act, from live bands to local talent, had their time to shine on some amazing sound systems with incredible production. The electronic music on the lineup had a larger fanbase than anything else, and this was evident when the crowd grew each night as it got closer to the headlining acts.
As The Astral Project grows, it would be cool to see The Shiner stage go all day with DJs so that while the bands take over the main stage for a few hours, fans could still have the option to hear more of what they came for. That said, the lineup diversity is a huge part of what makes the festival special. Unique acts like Kaipora, Arius, Moon Hooch, and The Weird Sisters put on performances you can’t catch just anywhere.
Additionally, The Astral Project gives local acts a major spotlight, and it was awesome to see fans getting down to the sounds of artists like STRANGEWAV, R3lic, and Strained Rootz.
The simplicity of it all.
From the simplicity in size to the simplicity of things like mingling with artists in the crowd, there’s a major comfort in all of it. Pulling up to the festival gate with no other cars in front of you and camping a mere 100 yards away from the vendor row is an unmatched experience. When it got pretty cold at night, camp was just a hop and a jump away if you needed to grab more layers or recharge. Going to grab a coffee from a vendor in the morning meant running into at least five people you know and probably ending up on a side quest (that doesn’t take you all day).
The simplicity of a homegrown, grassroots event where everyone involved plays a key role in making the magic happen is a large part of what keeps me returning to family-oriented festivals more than anything else. Hidden gems like The Astral Project are the future of electronic events for those willing to give something new a chance over the corporate events that fans return to for the same expensive and materialized experiences every year.
