Three days of dragons, knights, lords and ladies. Three nights of magic, wonder, good music and awesome people. Headliners, you brought your full awesomeness to the kickoff of Middlelands, and we couldn’t have done it without you. You fully embraced the Renaissance theme and added your futuristic festival flair to bring the spirit of Middlelands to life. You’ve truly made our inaugural event an adventure for the ages, and we can’t wait to do it with you all over again in 2018.
We had the pleasure of meeting so many awesome people on the final day of Middlelands 2017. Get to know them here.
Name: Laura
Age: 35
Hometown: Austin, TX
Occupation: Pediatric nurse
Years raving: 10
What’s been the highlight of your weekend? Finally finding all of my friends, and all of us being together today. We were looking for each other for most of the day, but cell phone reception hasn’t been great.
You’ve made it through three days of Middlelands; what’s your best festival pro tip? It might sound lame, but since I’m a nurse, I’d really recommend sunscreen and water. Lots of water. And to not go off by yourself.
What do you wish the world knew about music festivals? Festivals bring people together—people you may not have anything in common with—and suddenly you’re all a part of the same thing. And you now have something in common.
Name: Johnny
Age: 27
Hometown: Houston, TX
Occupation: I’m a sushi chef and a fashion designer.
Years raving: 5
What’s been the highlight of your weekend? I can’t even think of one, because it’s been an amazing time all around. Even the bad moments were wonderfully eventful. But if I had to pick one thing, I’d say getting lost.
You’ve made it through three days of Middlelands; what’s your best festival pro tip? To get lost—especially at this festival. I got lost in the first five minutes of walking in, and I’ve had the best time just wandering around discovering things, checking out the different stages and stuff. I think this might be the best festival in the world to get lost in; it’s such a beautiful world here. When I finally found my friends, we were all so happy to see each other.
What do you wish the world knew about music festivals? I feel like no one wants to bring their drama or trouble into festivals; everyone is just free-spirited. They are here to enjoy the environment, have fun with each other, and share the love.
Name: Lori
Age: 20
Hometown: Tulsa, OK
Occupation: Waitress
Years raving: 1
What’s been the highlight of your weekend? Seeing Bassnectar has been my favorite part of the weekend, for sure.
You’ve made it through three days of Middlelands; what’s your best festival pro tip? Make sure to double-check that you’re packing everything you need to bring, because you’ll probably forget something important. I forgot my yoga mat and a bunch of other stuff.
What do you wish the world knew about music festivals? I’d want them to know that these are peaceful places where everyone is friendly and everyone gets along. So, if you’re reading this, you should definitely come and experience this.
Name: Demetri
Age: 21
Hometown: Alaska, but I just moved to New Orleans.
Occupation: I just got out of the Army—I don’t have a job right now.
Years raving: 1
What’s been the highlight of your weekend? Gramatik was amazing—and Bassnectar was too, of course. Really everything about this weekend has been outstanding.
You’ve made it through three days of Middlelands; what’s your best festival pro tip? Pace yourself, make sure you get lots of sleep, and drink plenty of water. The basics, you know… I learned the hard way.
What do you wish the world knew about music festivals? That the love and connection that people have in this culture, this family we have, the giving between each other… I’d want them to know that you’ll never find something like this anywhere else. It’s insane—outstanding.
Name: Andy and Maggie
Age: 43 (Andy), 41 (Maggie)
Hometown: Houston, TX (both)
Occupation: Construction (Andy), dance professor (Maggie)
Years raving: 20 (both)
What’s been the highlight of your weekend?
Andy: Everything about this weekend has been very nice—everything. Insomniac has done an amazing job of putting this show together, which made it easy for me. Anytime I had questions or needed something, there was always someone there to help me out. Basically, I’ve felt cared for during this entire event, so I’d have to say that’s been the highlight.
Maggie: I have really enjoyed being at the Renaissance Festival grounds. I don’t come to the Renaissance Festival every year, but I’ve been a few times, and it’s amazing to see a music festival in a place like this. It’s fun; it’s different. It’s great to see both of these worlds come together.
You’ve made it through three days of Middlelands; what’s your best festival pro tip?
Andy: Find out where the nearest bathroom is before you go to bed on the first night. Oh, and maybe carry a little piece of rolled-up toilet paper in your back pocket, in case they run out of TP—although this party never did.
Maggie: Make sure you bring something that’ll provide shade!
What do you wish the world knew about music festivals?
Andy: It feels very encouraging to dance however you want to dance, to dress however you want to dress, and to be encouraged to just be yourself.
Maggie: Just that it’s very open. It’s interesting for us, because we’ve been coming to these types of events for a really long time and seeing the community grow… There’s a real community around these festivals. There’s a lot of love.
Name: Catie
Age: 23
Hometown: Tulsa, OK
Occupation: I am a bartender at Hideaway Pizza.
Years raving: Five. I think my first show was Bassnectar and Datsik, and ever since then, I’ve been in love.
What’s been the highlight of your weekend? GoldFish blew my mind, but GoldFish blows my mind every time I see them.
You’ve made it through three days of Middlelands. What’s your best festival pro tip? Make sure you have water, sunscreen and bug spray. I’ve been covered in bites all day, and it’s not fun.
What do you wish the world knew about music festivals? That you’re open to be yourself as much as you want. There’s no judgment here, and that’s what I love about it. You see all kinds of different people from all different paths, and everybody is beautiful and amazing in their own way.
Name: Ronnie
Age: 25
Hometown: Mississippi
Occupation: I am a personal assistant; I’m also a car prep.
Years raving: 3
What’s been the highlight of your weekend? All the attention—I’m not used to getting as much attention. I’m not used to being interviewed, so this is new for me. This is my highlight right here. It makes me feel really good, because most of the time, I’m just a shadow; no one ever sees me.
You’ve made it through three days of Middlelands. What’s your best festival pro tip? Sunblock. SUNBLOCK! Underneath my tunic, I’m burnt like a motherfucker.
What do you wish the world knew about music festivals? How fun they are. You can be anyone you want. These festivals usually take the most introverted people and turn them into extroverts.
Name: Chad
Age: 21
Hometown: Fort Worth, TX
Occupation: Right now I’m valeting, but I’m going to school for communications.
Years raving: I started back at Lights All Night 2014.
What’s been the highlight of your weekend? My highlights so far have been seeing EPROM, G Jones, and definitely GRiZ. I love Bassnectar—don’t get me wrong—but G Jones and EPROM are definitely on the come-up; they’re going to be the next big thing.
You’ve made it through three days of Middlelands. What’s your best festival pro tip? You have to have a perspective on everything. People around you might not see what you’re seeing, and you need to be open-minded to see what they’re trying to see. That’s what music festivals are great for, because you meet so many people and you get so many ideologies. You gotta love the people who are here with you, even if you’re not seeing the same thing they’re seeing.
What do you wish the world knew about music festivals? I feel like people think that all you do is go to festivals to do drugs and listen to music. But it’s not about drugs; it’s about the music. Music brings people together. Music heals.
Name: Brooke
Age: 20
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Bartender
Years raving: 1
What’s been the highlight of your weekend? Just the people you meet—the 15-minute friends. That moment when you see someone who’s having just as much fun as you, and they make the same stank face as you when the bass hits just right.
You’ve made it through three days of Middlelands. What’s your best festival pro tip? Bring a lot of water and ChapStick, and pick up your trash.
What do you wish the world knew about music festivals? How much more it is. People think it’s just people on drugs; it’s not. I come to hear [artists] I’ve been hearing for 10 years and sit this close to them, and be with other people who love them just as much as I do.
Name: Cameron & Stacey
Age: 26 (Cameron), 24 (Stacey)
Hometown: Austin, TX
Occupation: Used car sales (Cameron), gemstone jeweler (Stacey)
Years raving: 7 (Cameron), 3 (Stacey)
What’s been the highlight of your weekend?
Cameron: The people have been really awesome. That’s the best part about coming to a festival. The acts change, the music is always good, but it’s the vibe of the people that make it really special.
Stacey: The set that touched me the most was Crywolf. And the vendors are so awesome.
You’ve made it through three days of Middlelands. What’s your best festival pro tip?
Cameron: Sleep more than you think you should, and have more fun than you think you should.
Stacey: Don’t be afraid or feel overwhelmed when you find yourself alone. Sometimes we lose our friends. Really, those moments when you’re alone are when you get to realign with yourself and the universe, and allow the universe to guide you.
What do you wish the world knew about music festivals?
Stacey: That this could be possible in the real world. Festivals are a reflection of what society could be in a more natural way, with everyone being sustained.
Cameron: The love and camaraderie that you feel at a festival is hard to find anywhere else. The world is so divided. It doesn’t matter whether you’re big, fat, white, gay, black or whatever. We’re all the same people; we are all looking to have fun.
Name: William
Age: 21
Hometown: Sequim, WA
Occupation: Music festival promoter
Years raving: 5
What’s been the highlight of your weekend?
Being here has been like a dream. Seven Lions blew my mind.
You’ve made it through three days of Middlelands. What’s your best festival pro tip?
Stay hydrated, get lots of sleep, eat lots of food, and take care of everyone.
What do you wish the world knew about music festivals?
I wish they knew the love that everyone here has for each other.
