Every week from now, one of many West Coast’s premiere festivals, Lightning in a Bottle, could have begun. Hundreds will flock to Buena Vista Lake for one of the unimaginable weekends of their lives. Though the 2025 lineup is monumental, Lightning in a Bottle is greater than only a competition, it’s a neighborhood campout. It’s a spot to utterly immerse your self in the whole lot it has to supply. From morning yoga, to workshops on sustainability and indigenous cultures, to exploring distinctive one in all one artwork installations, there’s a lot to do and a lot to see. There is no such thing as a competition expertise prefer it.
With this preview, we might be highlighting each websites and units to take a look at. Providing a mix of each music and experiences to have whereas at Lightning in a Bottle as a result of it’s a reflection of the competition itself.
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The New Thunder Stage
The Thunder stage is a staple of Lightning in a Bottle. The place the competition’s bass heavy acts carry out all weekend. This yr we’re getting a model new Thunder stage. A brand new place to headbang and kick mud and have the perfect time ever. Final yr, the Do Lab debuted a brand new Woogie Stage, which was additionally the design seen on the Do Lab Stage at Coachella. And after seeing the Woogie stage final yr, I’ve little question the group on the Do Lab could have knocked it out of the park with this new Thunder design. Will it’s extra open like current years Thunder? Or will it return to the enormous open but enclosed tent from LiB circa 2015-2019 (ish). Who’s to say. Seize your earplugs and go spend some high quality time on the Thunder stage. Be sure you deliver your bass face.
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The Mixtape
The Mixtape is Lightning in a Bottle’s onsite 80’s home occasion. In a brand new location this yr on the lake close to the Grand Artique, The Mixtape is the place you might be free to go take heed to music on cassette tapes of your selecting, sit on the sofa on the patio outdoors and watch a film on a television field set, and the place you possibly can go spend some high quality time after the afters. Additionally, in the event you’re up for it, there’s an 80s Promenade on Saturday evening from 8-11 PM the place you possibly can go dressed to the nines. Or you possibly can go and observe, each are equally enjoyable.
Jamie xx Saturday Evening At Lightning Stage
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It wouldn’t be a superb preview with out suggesting a set on the important important stage. There are few peak competition experiences like seeing a headliner on the Lightning Stage. The power and aura round a headline set there’s actually particular. All of the headliners and largest acts might be performing right here, in addition to a couple of bands. Saturday evening provides a really particular important stage act and ambiance this yr with Jamie xx set to close the stage down from 12:30 to 2 AM. After the discharge of his extremely acclaimed sophomore album In Waves, Jamie xx has been touring the globe and taking part in out his music new and previous. I had the pleasure of seeing Jamie xx on the Lightning Stage in 2016, and if reminiscence serves it was a match made in heaven. Prepare to listen to newbies like “Baddy On The Flooring” and “All You Kids” in addition to oldies like “Loud Locations” and “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Occasions)”
The Stacks Shock Units After 2 AM
Lightning in a Bottle is exclusive within the sense that the competition by no means sleeps. The venue is open 24/7 to be your playground. At different festivals the venue closes and patrons migrate to their campsites for the after occasion. At LiB there’s simply the subsequent occasion. So when the primary phases in Lightning, Thunder and Woogie shut at 2 AM, their sister phases within the Junkyard and the Stacks, which function extra intimate neighborhood areas, preserve going for an additional couple hours. The Stacks particularly is one I’d like to focus on due to the stage’s constant soul stirring shock units yr after yr. Final yr we noticed Skrillex and Justin Jay throw down within the afterhours. Will we see some shock b2b’s and big acts do the identical this yr? Positively. The one query is who. May Tape B or Sammy Virji make their method over there Friday evening? May Subtronics and John Summit reignite SUBJOHNICS Saturday earlier than they play or Sunday after their set? May Do Lab household good friend 4 Tet make his method there? The probabilities are limitless.
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Wherever you might be
Lastly, the place to be at Lightning in a Bottle is wherever you might be. You’re the headliner. You’re the vibe. This place is magical and breeds magical experiences left and proper. There are such a lot of artists to see, so many experiences to have, that you just would possibly really feel such as you didn’t go to the fitting place or have been on the proper stage on the proper time. Throw these feelings out of the window. There is no such thing as a fomo right here. Solely pleasure of what you’re doing and what you’re doing subsequent. So go make new associates, discover together with your previous ones, inform these associates that you just’re happening a sidequest and get misplaced within the wonders of Lightning in a Bottle. You by no means know who you would possibly meet or what you would possibly discover.
Be secure and have an unimaginable Lightning in a Bottle!