Suwannee Hulaween 2018
On Sunday, October 21st, the gates opened to the grounds of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL. At The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, a festival like no other can be found. During Suwannee Hulaween, you will discover dazzling lights, an abundance of abstract and enticing art, as well as mesmerizing performance artists entertaining festival goers all weekend long. Packed with tons of talented musical groups and DJ's including ODESZA, Janelle Monae, Tipper, The Revivalists, Rezz, Tory Lanez, Action Bronson, Lettuce, Trevor Hall, NGHTMRE, Stephen Marley and many, many more, the list of performers goes on and on. As if the lineup wasn't enough, other activities and workshops can be found happening such as yoga and meditation classes. This sounded more like a vacation than a festival if you ask me. Although my friends were able to make it this year, sadly, I was not. So, naturally, I had to get all the details after it was over.
Q: If you could use just one word to describe your experience at Suwannee Hulaween 2018, what word would you choose?
A: Magical.
Q: There were dozens of talented artists in the lineup this year. Which artist played your favorite set from the entire weekend? Was it as expected or did you discover any new favorite DJs after seeing everyone live that surprised you?
A: Troyboi. I was originally expecting Tipper or ODESZA to be my favorite music set. Having never seen Troyboi play live before, I was definitely surprised but after his set finished I was totally mind blown by how good his performance was.
Q: The art and decor from all the photos I've seen look amazing. They appear to work with many different talented painters, sculptors, and designers. How does Hulaween and The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park differ from other music festivals?
A: Hulaween has more art and live artists than any other music festival I have attended. They also keep the venue open later than most other festivals do (till about 5am) which gives the crowd plenty of time to explore the festival grounds and to take in everything else once the music stops. There are tons of fun hidden nooks and crannies with secret rooms you would never think were there unless you really explored the venue.
Q: Alright, I have to ask, what was the best costume you saw over the weekend?
A: The best Halloween costume was a guy dressed as the Hamburgular running around with a plate of burgers.
Q: Were there any surprises, guest appearances, or new material played for the first time?
Odesza dropped some unreleased tracks that they have never played live before and even had Naomi WIld come out, too. The String Cheese Incident brought out several different guest female singers as well as covered a lot of old tracks of theirs. Altogether, making it a pretty exciting show to be in attendance for when you get to hear new tracks before everyone else.
Q: Although the music IS the most important, what other activities and fun things to do were going on all weekend besides music?
A: There were a lot of parties in the campground going on until sunrise and drinking LYTT made them even more enjoyable. There were also some pretty great food vendors and tons of live artists to watch all weekend long.
Q: By the sound of it, I think I need to attend next year...any plans of returning in 2019?
A: Of course! Hula was insane. You have to go next year!
