10 Ways Symbiosis Was the Best Festival to End the Summer
Article by: Eamon Armstrong|@EamonArmstrongWed September 23, 2015 | 00:00 AM
For its 10th anniversary, Symbiosis Gathering obviously made the decision to be the perfect California festival to finish off the summer season. How? In spite of a few logistical challenges in the form of unavoidable sound ordinances and a possibly avoidable port-a-potty shortage, Symbiosis delivered on its promise to be a gem in the West Coast festival crown. Here's what we liked most.
Location
Proximity to the Bay Area, a gorgeous landscape and a large body of water made this spot near Yosemite a dreamy festie playground. The reservoir was accessible directly from the festival’s campsites, making it a refreshing respite from the summer heat.
Art, Art, Art!
Could a festival ever offer too much art? Some of our favorite pieces from Burning Man this year were on display, as well as incredible pieces by other renowned artists. Many of the big pieces were fun to climb on or seek shade under while recovering from the night before.
Eclectic Programming
One thing Symbiosis has always done well is offering a dynamic assortment of art, music, speakers, and performance. When you have eclectic entertainment you get a diverse array of attendees. From interactive performance spaces like festival staple The Jive Joint and 40k Family Pyramid Feud to renowned speakers like Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, Symbiosis presented much more than music to surprise and delight its attendees.
Swimbiosis Stage
Daytime fun in the water while tasty beats wafted through the air from the aptly named Swimbiosis stage was a weekend must. Justin Martin of Dirtybird was in top form on Saturday afternoon while we frolicked on our floaties.
The Drift
Photo by: Galen Oakes
This epic floating art raft had a working water wheel, a tree house DJ booth and two water slides.
Art Boats
This was a festival first. Much like Burning Man turns motor vehicles into visually stunning party machines, Symbiosis put that genius on the water with its Art Boats. Check out this fine craft called the Piper Mystico, a floating kava kava bar built by the Imagine Nation.
Kidzbiosis
It’s wonderful when festivals fully welcome the older partiers who went the parent direction, but still want to be part of this fun festival community. Festie kids were raging face and saying the darndest things.
That Tipper Sunrise Set
We saw Tipper on the bill but not on the schedule. Oh where oh where would Tipper play? A sunrise set in front of the Reunion Palace, a collaboration between artists Shrine and Joel Dean Stickdill, was the ideal place to watch Sunday's smokey orange sunrise.
Family Reunion Vibes
As the summer festival season came to a close we got to see a lot of the friends we made this summer. Professionals who work hard in the festival world all summer were cutting loose and vibing out together. The whole event had the feel of a fabulous family reunion.
The Delorean Hovercraft
Yeah, that happened.
