Picking wildflowers in the greenest fields with festie friends. Watching the mists roll across the distant mountains while a DJ spins gold on the wheels of steel. Treehouses to climb in and on, and camping under lush trees. A come one, come all vibe that even welcomes village elders from the surrounding town. Rainbow-hued, psychedelically clad attendees exchanging hugs and greetings around an evening bonfire. A million stars lighting up the otherwise pure black night sky. And sunrises greeting with open arms and magical musical sets. This is the small and intimate Meadows in the Mountains, held in the idyllic Bulgarian village of Polkovnik Serafimovo.

This music festival is the antithesis of all those mainstream, massive festivals dotting the global landscape each summer. British brothers Benji and Damian Sasse started it as a party, after their parents bought a house in the town (which now serves as a festival meeting point, when it's not utilized as a tea shoppe during the other 362 days of the year). At first, Meadows in the Mountains hosted no more than a few dozen people, but these days, the festival welcomes closer to 1,000 people while still working with locals (read more about that here in a touching story Marcus Barnes did for us) to maintain a respectful, familial atmosphere. Keeping with the close-knit vibe, Meadows in the Mountains only has two main stages, from which DJs play soul, funk and folk during the daylight hours, and techno, house, and deep house music — especially highlighting unsigned and underground European artists — at night.

Festivals like Meadows in the Mountains – gatherings that place a premium on fostering a reverence for nature, one another, and living in the moment – remind us why we so fiercely love festival culture. Scroll on to enjoy simply breathtaking images from this year's event captured by Jack Pasco and Aron Klein that will have you booking a ticket to Bulgaria in no time.