Phoenix Festival 2005

I made it back from PhoenixFest. It was good fun. The days were hot, but bearable and the nights were cool. During the day, we hung out in the shade with our neighbors Jeremy and Dale, who were coffee camp. Most everyone stopped by at one point or another for coffee, so we met a lot of people.

My favorite performance of the whole festival was the 999 Eyes of Endless Dreams Carnival Sideshow of the Damned. Tina and I saw them three nights in a row.

As far as music, there wasn’t really a schedule, so I have no idea who I was seeing and who I liked. I can say that the Combustion stage (mostly psytrance) and the Ambient Room (who’s geo-dome Tina and I setup) were my favorite places. Dragontech was good, too.

Pictures are up here. I didn’t take a lot, since during the night it was too dark and I think flashes ruin the vibe. There is a bit of video, though. It’s all PG. If you want to see topless women lighting their breasts on fire, you’ll have to go next year.

A lot of the burners there seemed to think that PhoenixFest was superior to Burning Man because it was smaller and calmer – more of a community. I was hoping for a little more visual art from Phoenix Fest, like you see in pictures of Burning Man, but Phoenix ended up being mostly a five day rave.

Speaking of alternatives to the playa, I also found out about the Shambhala Festival in B.C.. Apparently a lot of folks who think Burning Man is too corporate now are heading up there. Perhaps I’ll go next year.

All in all, it was an excellent Festival. I plan on going again next year.

Next stop: Mutant Fest.