Liberty Mountain was alive and well with spirited festival goers and ground-shaking music. The second annual Big Fam was hugely successful this past Labor Day weekend! And if you missed it, don’t worry – there’s always next year!
Tent: $40
Pack of High Noons: $12
A chicken, bacon, and macaroni & cheese burrito: $10 (yes, this is a real thing!!)
Spending three days enveloped in nature with your best friends: priceless.
I will certainly always be a big fan of smaller festivals; being able to build a spacious campsite and seeing familiar faces at every stage you go to is unmatched. There is a stronger sense of community between attendees, staff, and also the artists. Plus, the attention to detail and proper sound systems will give any mainstream festival a run for their money!
Picture this: It’s Saturday morning in Farwell, Michigan. The sun beaming down on the tent forces you awake. Then, you hear the crack of Yerbas while the campsite erupts into giggles and chatter; Day 2 has commenced! Fast forward to the early afternoon when the squad is ready to roll out and let the shenanigans begin.
The festival grounds begin with an awe-inspiring stage: the Bayou.
Step through the gate and simultaneously be shifted into a supernatural world. Vintage lamps, fairy lights, and mossy mirrors are the first to catch the eye. Kat Fisher is the mastermind behind the beautiful, immersive experience. The comfy seating and tea party area looked like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland! Likewise, the Bayou’s wooden design blended perfectly with the tall trees, providing shade and swampy vibes. This stage was undoubtedly the place to be.
And what’s a festival without flow arts? Each stage was equipped with side platforms for additional performances such as hoopers, fire spinning, and even… mermaids?! How cool! Not only did the vision come to life all day and night, but the art complimented the music effortlessly.
On top of that, another popular flow art occupied the Bayou. Every day the best of the best took turns executing wild kendama tricks and even offering workshops for beginners. This spot became a safe place for art and creativity to flow freely all weekend.
The Big Fam lineup was stacked and diverse; every set exceeded expectations.
Without a doubt, artists brought their A-game this weekend. When I say that that was the best Super Future set I’ve seen so far, I mean it. Other producers that showed up and showed out include A Hundred Drums, Floret Loret, Nomer, and Josh Teed! Below, the man Hari starts the day off proper and even drops his infamous SpongeBob “I Ripped My Pants” flip. The main stage, or Apogee stage, was fully rigged with towering LED panels and lasers that could be seen from miles away. On the last night, I took a side quest to watch Twiddle from the very top of the disc golf course, becoming one of my favorite memories ever.
After that, things got dangerous on Saturday night, as the Apogee stage hosted the DDD Takeover; the 140 shorties were living their best life! In addition, the mythical Bayou also hosted many incredible sets. For example, Salty and Deerskin had the dancefloor movin’ late at night. Another one of our favorites was Zen Selekta. Her swag is unparalleled, and the fire performers created the best atmosphere for her set.
The entire weekend felt like we were all one big fam!
The amount of work that goes into successfully pulling off a festival is unimaginable, no matter the size. However, the Big Fam team did it! There are always hiccups, like the intense thunderstorm we had, but overall it was an unforgettable weekend. The love and sense of community were palpable every single day. Above all, it was a place to let loose and live in the moment. So, thank you Big Fam and cheers to your outstanding second year!
“We are not bound to a genre of music or style of art. We are here to truly celebrate the fact that at our core, all of us are part of the same big fam.”
– Chris Stewart, Founder
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