Day one of our highly anticipated festival extravaganza, the first-ever Middlelands, has come to a close, and we’re only just getting started with this fantastical quest. From medieval makeup to authentic Renaissance garb, our Headliners brought some serious Middlelands swagger to this adventure for the ages. We can’t wait to see what’s to come during the rest of the weekend as this massive party continues to go down inside the walls of the mighty Middlelands fortress.
Get to know some of the awesome people we met on day one of Middlelands 2017.
Name: Liz
Age: 18
Hometown: Greeley, CO
Occupation: Waitress
Number of years raving: 4
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come? I really like the whole Renaissance thing—plus, it’s an Insomniac event. I’ve been to other festivals by other promoters, and they just aren’t as good as what Insomniac puts on.
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals? Really just the people.
Name: Zew
Age: 25
Hometown: Austin, TX
Occupation: I work in sales for a legal company.
Number of years raving: Not that long, honestly. I’ve played sports my most of my life. I went to college on a football scholarship, and once I got done with that, I was able to come and experience this.
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come? It was the Renaissance Festival, honestly. I’ve never been to one, but I’ve seen a lot of photos. I really wanted to see everybody dressed up at a Renaissance rave. It’s pretty crazy—I love it.
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals? Being around everyone while they have a great time. I love that everyone can just be themselves, that everyone is nice to each other, and they look out for each other. I wish I could stay for all three days, but I’m just out here for today; I have to go back to work. But I’m definitely coming back next year for the whole three days.
Name: Kat
Age: 25
Hometown: Houston, TX
Occupation: Stilt walking
Number of years raving: 5
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come? First of all, Insomniac is legit; second, Middlelands is right in my backyard (I drove like 30 minutes to get here). I’ve been coming to the Renaissance Festival—dressing up and all that—for as long as I can remember. I’m so excited to have both of these worlds collide, to see this electronic music festival happening here—it’s incredible. It’s super innovative, and it’s really a beautiful venue. And did I mention this is in my backyard? I have all my friends and family here. This is awesome!
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals? Music festivals are a place of worship, a place to come to celebrate life. It’s fantastic. I’m not super religious, but this is my church, my worship space.
Name: Lerrin and Libby
Age: 18 (Lerrin), 19 (Libby)
Hometown: Magnolia, TX (Lerrin); the Woodlands, TX (Libby)
Occupation:
Lerrin: Right now, I’m in school studying [at Aveda] to do hair.
Libby: I go to school at Lone Star College.
Number of years raving:
Lerrin: This is my first big festival, and I started like six months ago.
Libby: My first rave was Something Wicked this year.
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come?
Lerrin: The concept of it in general is insane. It’s so big, and the lineup was good, too.
Libby: First off, it was really close to my house. Second, the lineup was just mind-blowing, so I had to [do it].
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals?
Lerrin: The whole concept of PLUR—the community of it is really cool.
Libby: The vibe—everyone is so nice here and accepting, so everyone feels super comfortable.
Name: Jaren
Age: 22
Hometown: Denver, CO
Occupation: Bud tender, and I work in a hash lab.
Number of years raving: I started in 2015, and I’ve been coming to these ever since.
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come? Renaissance dude. I’d go to a Renaissance festival just because, but with EDM involved—oh, man.
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals? The people. Honestly, that’s why I come to these things. I’ve met some really great people going to music festivals.
Name: Dan
Age: 27
Hometown: Abilene, TX
Occupation: Texas Instruments
Number of years raving: 10
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come? The combination of rave and Renaissance—both worlds are party people. And I really wanted to come dressed in garb.
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals? You just get to meet a bunch of really cool people from all over. It’s just open. I came here by myself and adopted two people that I had no idea who they were, and we’re all camping together—I’ve got lifelong friends now.
Name: Gabe
Age: 24
Hometown: Winter Garden, FL
Occupation: I work with adults with autism.
Number of years raving: 6
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come? I really like the fact that it’s a mix of a Renaissance festival with an EDM festival — it’s a great combination. Plus, I just finished with graduate school, and I’ve gotta celebrate!
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals? The environment. I really like that the people are so accepting. This is the kinda place where you can be weird, and people will accept it openly. I mean, if you’re weird, people love it.
Name: Nikki
Age: 26
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Occupation: Going to law school
Number of years raving: This is my first time raving, and it’s my first time ever going to a music festival.
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come? For one, my brother is a DJ; his crew China Shop is playing in the sound camp area at the campsites, and I really wanted to see him play. The other thing is that it’s a Renaissance fair meets rave. I love Renaissance fairs. I haven’t been to this one before, but I have been to the one in Scarborough, and it’s really cool—so I decided to come to Middlelands.
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals? This is my first time coming to one of these, but I can already tell that I really love the community. Everyone is so positive and giving. Really, everyone at our campsite, our neighbors all around us, are down to help everyone out—everyone is just so cool.
Name: Shella and Star
Age: 26 (Shella), 22 (Star)
Hometown: Dallas, TX (Shella), Del Rio, TX (Star)
Occupation: Engineer (Shella), sushi restaurant (Star)
Number of years raving: 9 (Shella), 1 (Star)
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come?
Shella: I guess it was the venue, and the fact you had the opportunity to go to a rave at a Renaissance fair. It’s kinda cool.
Star: I’ve never been to a camping festival, so that was really enticing to me. Plus, it’s really close to home.
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals?
Shella: The people are great. Being able to dance and play with a lot really cool people.
Star: I just fucking love music.
Name: Whitney
Age: 30
Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Occupation: Realtor
Number of years raving: 10
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come? The theme. I’ve always been big on Game of Thrones and the whole Renaissance thing, so it just seemed perfect.
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals? The people. I like looking at all the outfits. I like talking to everyone and finding out where they are from, why they are here, and stuff like that.
Name: Kelly
Age: 36
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Occupation: I work for the government doing grants.
Number of years raving: 6
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come? The theme, as well as the friend lineup—I have about 200 here. We’re just ready to have fun, and this is the perfect setting. And the after-hours show at the freaking campground—amazing!
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals? The friends. The people are who make the atmosphere and make this an amazing time.
Name: Jess and Gidget
Age: 23 (Jess), 29 (Gidget)
Hometown:
Jess: Conroe, TX
Gidget: Originally from Detroit, but living in College Station, TX.
Occupation:
Jess: I am a currently a student; I’m about to graduate college.
Gidget: I’m a graphic designer; I like to make things.
Number of years raving:
Jess: Since 2012.
Gidget: I would say too long, but it’s never too long. Since I was 14 years old, 15 maybe.
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come?
Jess: We definitely have our loyalty to Insomniac events; I’ve been to EDC, she’s been to Electric Forest. Once we saw the lineup, it was a done deal. The concept is great, and the talent is great; it was just too good to pass up.
Gidget: I believe Insomniac could do it right. I grew up in Michigan, [where Insomniac coproduces] Electric Forest. I saw the capability of what they can do, so I knew Middlelands wouldn’t steer me wrong in any way. Plus, the glamour of the Middle Age era and theme is so compelling; how could you ever deny it?
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals?
Jess: The community. We’re camping, and in the two days that we’ve been there, the vibes are just so on point. Everybody is so friendly; nobody is snobby. It’s the first Middlelands, so nobody can really be a snob about it yet.
Gidget: The community, definitely—the people it brings and the vibes they have. If it’s not for the music, it’s the people it brings together.
Name: Jessica and Bee
Age: 23 (Jessica), 29 (Bee)
Hometown: Magnolia, TX (Jessica), Cypress, TX (Bee)
Occupation:
Jessica: I teach kids fitness and dancing and gymnastics and sports.
Bee: I am a feminine guide.
Number of years raving:
Jessica: Since I was 17.
Bee: This is like my debut here. I used to when I was younger.
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come?
Jessica: It’s in my backyard (laughs). I was interested to see what they would do with a music festival at [Texas Renaissance Festival Fair Grounds], because [I’ve gone] there several times.
Bee: I was invited…(laughs).
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals?
Jessica: The atmosphere, the weird quirkiness, and smiles and fun and energy and free hugs.
Bee: People-watching! Everybody is so beautiful and happy, and the vibes are just wonderful.
Name: Amber
Age: 23
Hometown: Texas City, TX
Occupation: Makeup artist
Number of years raving: This is my first time!
This is the first Middlelands festival. What brought you here this weekend, and what got you most excited to come? I saw it on Facebook, and I [wanted to] try it, so I just did it.
Outside of the music, what’s your favorite thing about music festivals? I like that I can be myself, and I can be weird.
