There’s something magical about spending all day and night immersed in a music festival. Before Sonic Bloom, my only experience with camping at a music festival was Basscenter 2016. However, setting up camp on soccer fields can’t compare to being on Hummingbird Ranch surrounded by nothing but open air and nature. We were in tent camping and they allow you to set up camp wherever you choose. The unicorns chose a site near the entrance to the festival and even had some amazing neighbors who shared their snacks and good vibes the entire weekend. At night, the lasers from the Hummingbird Stage would dance off the mountain and you could hear the music clearly from camp, drawing you back to the festival even if you planned on heading for bed. And with music lasting until 5 in the morning, how could you resist?

Fellow unicorn Milana, @european_goddess 

2. The Food

I cannot stress enough how delicious and satisfying the food at Sonic Bloom was. There were gyros and tacos and even a grilled cheese food truck. Is your mouth watering yet? We tried every food truck and there were options galore. The versatility of the food was amazing. Vegan or vegetarian? No problem! There were options for every kind of food coinsure and I was extremely impressed with how tasty everything was and reasonably priced. Sonic Bloom even had its own coffee shop right next to the bar for all your refreshment needs. But I will be forever dreaming of my mac-n-cheese grilled cheese from The Grilled Cheese Incident food truck. Cheese is my weakness and that grilled cheese dream of a sandwich had my taste buds doing backflips.

3. The Art

The entire festival is an art piece. Everywhere you wander there is something beautiful to look at. The unicorns wandered through the gallery frequently to admire all the beautiful works of art which can be purchased if you find one you cannot live without. There is also live art going on the entire festival. Talented artists from all over gather and cultivate beautiful paintings while festival-goers get to see the progress throughout the weekend. Even nature was used to make art and my favorite rock whisperer, Gravity Glue was there, dazzling people with his amazing rock balancing skills. Everywhere you turned there was something beautiful to be experienced and I could only equate Sonic Bloom’s beauty to Electric Forest. It was like Colorado’s very own miniature Electric Forest.

Art pictured is by Alec Hamilton, @spirit_animal_guides on Instagram

   Rock balancing by Michael Grab, @gravityglue on Instagram

4. The Hammocks

Almost every morning I would venture into the festival to pick up a breakfast smoothie and spend some time lounging in the shade, swinging in a hammock. There is nothing more relaxing after a night of dancing than taking an hour or so to kick your feet up and appreciate the nature around you. One of our unicorns even spent the night in a hammock because they were so darn comfortable and inviting. There was never a shortage of available hammocks and strung at varying heights from the trees, even the shortest of people could still enjoy a good swing. Such a simple part of the festival (and one of the easiest to execute), it quickly became one of my favorite things to do at Sonic Bloom.

5. The Performers

I’ve been to plenty of raves and festivals over my 7 years of loving all things dance music. Being a hoop performer myself, I am familiar with most forms of flow and performance but I have never seen so many talented, extraordinary performers at an event in my life. Hoops, contact staffs, poi, and aerial arts were abundant and each performer seemed to have their own special spin on their craft. I found myself getting lost watching the magic happening in front of me and was in awe of the pure talent Sonic Bloom collected for the weekend. One of the most memorable moments for me was when two girls performed together on one aerial hoop. I was mesmerized at the display of athleticism and elegance they displayed ten feet above the main stage. I have never been so impressed with an event’s performance elements and would venture back to Sonic Bloom simply to see the incredible performers once more.

6. The People

Making memories with the ones you love has got to be one of my favorite parts of attending music festivals. These are the best years of our lives and there’s nothing quite like dancing all night with your best friends, screaming your favorite songs at the top of your lungs, and making memories that last a lifetime. My one concern with attending Sonic Bloom with the iHeartRaves Unicorn Crew was attending and camping with people I had never met before. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to become lifelong friends with my fellow unicorns. Having similar tastes in music and coming together to promote an awesome brand made it easy to wander into Sonic Bloom together like we knew each other for years. I am so thankful to have had the chance to listen to four nights of amazing music with two phenomenal women who have become my unicorn sisters for life. Besides not knowing the people who I was sharing a tent with, I also didn’t know a single person attending Sonic Bloom within my own rave family. But that didn’t stop every person I encountered at Sonic Bloom from making me feel like we were already friends. Handshakes are way too formal for Bloomers (just made up this nickname) and hugs were the main form of hello, which I adored. The friends I made at Sonic Bloom will last a lifetime and I cannot wait to return next year and experience this all over again.

7. And of course, the MUSIC!

After all, this is the main reason to attend music festivals. With three stages and music lasting until 5:00am on Friday and Saturday nights, there was no shortage of amazing musical talent. Liquid Stranger, Shpongle, Jantsen, and Keys n Krates were just a few on the huge lineup that Sonic Bloom curated for us. Thursday night began with a performance from a group of dancers throwing each other into the air with ease and ended with Liquid Stranger and an amazing glitchy dubstep set with a parade of lasers bouncing off the trees behind us. I knew after the first night that this was going to be a weekend of incredible music and insane performances. My favorite set from the weekend though had to be SoDown. I have been dying to catch him on a lineup for months now and was not disappointed. The unicorns danced on the rail as he charmed the crowd with his futuristic style and his irresistible saxophone playing. There were so many amazing musical moments it’s hard to choose my favorites but I would urge everyone to go experience this festival themselves. You will never know the magic of Sonic Bloom until you dive into it yourself.

SoDown, @sodownbassmusic on Instagram

Special thanks to iHeartRaves and the unicorn crew for inviting me to have this unforgettable experience at Sonic Bloom!