Five Experiences That Brought Meow Wolf’s Vortex Festival to Life

Take an adventure through the world Meow Wolf created at Vortex Festival with these five unique moments that created an immersive experience!

Vortex Festival, hosted by Meow Wolf, is full of endless wonderment waiting around every corner. Although this wasn’t the festival’s first edition, it is the first one to be held in Denver. To make this place meet the vision, you need a one-of-a-kind location, and The JunkYard was exactly that. Although it once used to be a place of the outdated and forgotten, it became a place full of countless oddities, uniqueness, unity, and love to discover.

On top of all of that goodness, there was also a variety of different music, art, food, and fashion that reached all walks of life. Now that there has been time to absorb all the greatness that came from the weekend, it is apparent that the event wouldn’t have been all it was without the moments shared between all the souls present.

My experience was inspiring to say the least, especially by the music and performances. The JunkYard itself was also encouraging that it was once just piles of unwanted items and was transformed into an adored haven for all who wandered within its walls. And all the little extra additives from Meow Wolf in the mix combined for a magical experience.

It’s hard to narrow it down to the five best moments from the weekend; if I could include them all, I would. But these were the defining moments that stood out, and I feel called to share the most.

Five Experiences That Brought Meow Wolf’s Vortex Festival to Life

Photo credit: Jess Bernstein

The mesmeric roaming performer parade brought smiles to all they interacted with.

One of the things you can always count on Meow Wolf to provide is an eccentric interactive experience. During the day, one of the most enjoyable things to do was to watch these figments of our imagination roam around and dance in the same space as you. You could get lost in this imaginative world even more with these graceful and creative creatures whimsically frolicking around the grounds. From cute cow creatures to twitchy silent no faced entities, these added visual aids really made the weekend pop even more.

Build your own Franken Boi was one of the biggest highlights of my weekend.

Brie Hirsh and her Franken Bois were hands down my favorite of all the vendors. From her baby faces sewn onto purses and animal bodies to her build your own Franken Boi, this booth was the perfect fit for this event. If you chose to create your own, you got to pick a body, head, and accessory of your choice to make it uniquely yours. It’s like a build-a-bear, but even better.

As you can see in the picture above, I made a bunny/owl hybrid with aviation goggles, and my inner child hasn’t stopped smiling since. Don’t fret if you aren’t in the Denver area and want to get in on the fun; these amazing critters can also be found on her Etsy page!

Photo credit: Jess Bernstein

Bob Moses and Kasablanca set a fire in our souls as the rain cleared around us.

This was the moment of all moments. It had rained the majority of the evening of the last day, but mother nature knew what greatness was to come as she cleared up for the last moments of Bob Moses. As the night was nearing the end, Kasablanca and their eccentric music production setup joined in on the fun to perform an unreleased collaboration track for the first time live.

The crowd went wild as the beginning notes filled their ears. Bodies danced with gleeful smiles all over their faces as the artists filled The JunkYard with melodic vocals and heart-thumping snares. This boldly beautiful combination was the bow on top to wrap up the weekend and all of its imperfectly perfect moments.

Photo credit: Jess Bernstein

The dancers for Pabllo Vittar entrancing anyone who locked eyes with their talent.

The musical talent of Pabllo Vittar’s incredible range was a vibe all on its own, but to have sexy, ferocious dancers adding to the moment made it even more monumental. Four amazingly talented dancers were all wearing shiny metallic matching fits, giving their hearts to the stage every single second of the songs performed.

I remember looking over at my friend and us both in unison, saying “wow” from being in complete awe of the artistry in front of our eyes. It was an amazing reminder of how influential and important stage presence can be to a set. Not saying that it can be detrimental not to have them included in your performance, but it is truly a breath of fresh air when you get to see the art of dance paired with music.

Photo credit: Jess Bernstein

The silly interactive games included for guests to be a kid again.

Innocents of younger times were constantly present at Vortex, and I absolutely adored that. Keeping the goofy times lively, Meow Wolf included an entourage of silly friends wandering around, inspiring individuals to laugh and tap into their more playful side. You could see them from a mile away and always knew when they were approaching because an array of laughter was following them like a shadow everywhere.

The crowd favorite seemed to be jumping over the duck on a string or the ring toss. Letting go and being lost in the innocents is exactly what we all need from time to time, and Vortex had just the right amount of dosage of that to get us through the upcoming weeks.

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