Do you love music festivals, but find that Bonnaroo and Sasquatch are lacking say, a body, mind, and spiritual component? Then have I got a festival to tell you about. Now in its just-announced second year, the Wanderlust Festival combines yoga, music, and nature into a 4-day festival in Squaw Valley, Calif.
Last year’s inaugural Wanderlust was a major success. The New York Times called it a blend of indie-rock and yoga, and it drew major names like Jenny Lewis, the romper-wearing frontwoman of Rilo Kiley, and described the experience as surreal. “The verdant hills of Squaw Valley, a ski resort, usually empty off-season — provided an almost surreal natural backdrop. All of the concerts and many of the yoga classes were held outdoors; the main stage for music was 8,200 feet up a mountain, reachable only by gondola. When they weren’t practicing vinyasa poses or singing along to Gillian Welch, festivalgoers in stretchy outfits could shop for recycled clothing or snack on organic melon in a village-style marketplace.”
The Times picked up on the exact experience festival organizers hoped attendees would have. Jeff Krasno, a music executive who created the festival with his wife Schuyler Grant explained: “We want people to leave feeling better than they did when they came, transformed in some positive way.” The festival wasn’t only about transforming those who attended, it was about promoting positive messages and subcultures. “Wanderlust as a way to capitalize on movements that started as subcultures and have now become mainstays, from yoga to indie rock to environmentalism. ‘Balance’ was the weekend’s mantra.”
After the success of last year’s festival, Grant and Krasno knew they wanted to host Wanderlust again this summer. The event will be headlined by superstars from the yoga world, like Baron Baptiste, as well as popular indie artists like Moby, Sia, and David Stringer. Like last year, the festival will take place in Squaw Valley, and attendees are encouraged to spend as much time as possible outside in yoga classes, at concerts, attending meditation sessions and lectures, or going on nature hikes.
Unlike last year, however, the festival has been able to build on its unexpected popularity and partner with an official non-profit partner: Off the Mat. OTM “uses the power of yoga to inspire conscious, sustainable activism and ignite grassroots social change.” In addition to their new charity partner, Wanderlust is also striving to make the festival even more eco-friendly this year. In the “greening” section of the festival’s website, they make their mission clear: “Wanderlust aims to lead the way among music festivals. With a focus on local sourcing, organics, reusability, carbon offsets, and sustainability, Wanderlust aims to be a ‘zero impact’ event.”
A music festival with yoga mixed in? Book your tickets now; Wanderlust is sure to fill up quickly. Namaste.
Photos by Bill Ebbesen via of Wikimedia Commons, by a4gpa via Flickr.