Michigan's Biggest Music Festival Extends Permit Through 2035

Find me in the Forest!

Back in my day we called it "Rothbury" but what originally started as a multi-genre music festival has since morphed into one of the most notable electronic music festivals in the nation.

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Held annually near Rothbury, Michigan the music festival pivoted to its new electronic dance music (EDM) format and rebranded as "Electric Forest" in 2011. The festival brings in some of the biggest musical acts around; think of it as Michigan's scaled-down version of Coachella.

Lauren G/TSM

Even when I attended the festival in its original form back in 2008 and 2009 I saw such notable acts as 311, Colbie Caillat, Bob Dylan, Snoop Dogg, and John Mayer (with Jennifer Aniston watching side-stage.) I even ran into half of the rock-duo Tenacious D while traipsing around the Sherwood Forest!

After I moved out of Michigan in 2014 I was surprised to encounter countless EDM fans in the Midwest who had not only heard of the notable festival, but expressed their eager desire to attend the festival one day themselves. The word's out!

Lauren G/TSM

Future of the Festival:

Thankfully fans can look forward to many more years of music to come as media outlet EDM Maniac the festival has been granted permission to continue operating at the site of the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury for another 11 years, through 2035.

At a special meeting last week, the Village of Rothbury approved an extension of the festival’s gathering permit through the summer of 2035...The extension follows an amendment made by the city last month, which now allows for 15-year permits, rising from a previously established 10-year permit limit.

Lauren G/TSM

EDM Maniac reports the village will collect a portion of ticket fees in order to improve road conditions and make repairs leading to and from the festival site. Adds the White Lake Mirror,

The new five-year extension now allows for additional music and site upgrades at future editions of the festival...AEG Presents, the company that puts on the festival each year, has no plans to increase the number of tickets sold “for the foreseeable future

The festival is known to sell-out each year and 2024 is no different! This year the festival will take place June 20-23. Check out the festival lineup here.

Michigan Festival Goers Share Their Craziest Electric Forest Stories of 2023

This really shouldn’t surprise anybody but we are going to go through and tell you some of the craziest stories, according to people who went to the festival this year.

Looking Back At The Goose Lake International Music Festival

Armed with a trusty Kodak camera, I was a 17-year-old bohemian, attending the Goose Lake International Music Festival that was held August 7-9, 1970, in Jackson County, Michigan. The Goose Lake festival was Michigan's answer to the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, which was held just a year earlier in Bethel, New York. The Goose Lake International Music Festival drew over 250,000 bohemians. Here are a few photos which survived over the years.

Gallery Credit: Brad Carpenter

Source: Michigan’s Electric Forest Festival Extends Contract Through 2035

Filed Under: michigan, electric forest, rothbury, music, Music Festival

Categories: Music, Concerts