Suwannee Hulaween, a paradise for some and the ultimate Halloween vacation for many, showed it's true colors this year at the infamous Spirit of Suwannee Music Park. Hulaween took place just three weeks ago October 27th - October 30th, 2016 in Live Oak, Florida and let us tell you why we're still buzzing from all the love.
Suwannee Hulaween has a unique way of demonstrating music, performance art, and live installations in a beautiful yet eerie setting. Spirit of Suwannee Music Park is notorious for an all natural venue with fields of fresh grass, forests covered in Spanish Moss, nature trails, a beach area dipping into the springs, and an entire masterpiece dedicated to Spirit Lake.
From the moment I arrived, I was treated with open arms from the amazing staff including security, Silver Wrapper employees, Brotherly Love Productions, and the hands on crew that makes Hulaween what it is for all of us.
Hulaween provides an unbelievable sense of comfort, almost feeling as if everyone at the event has lived on the premises for years. Hula has a seriously dedicated fan base of annual attendees and Cheese heads that come from all over the globe to experience their live Halloween presence.
The String Cheese Incident threw down a whopping SEVEN SETS throughout the weekend and boy did the crowds seem to get larger and larger. Holiday of Music can officially say that "We get it." The String Cheese Incident are a group six individuals that perform an intense yet gratifying live music experience. The artists can go from a jazz/percussion installation to a powerful string-led get down that has the audience jumping in a matter of seconds.
The outreach Cheese has is absolutely mesmerizing always leaving you to want more. Not only do they jam their hearts out without literally missing a beat but they provide unique sets we can all look forward to. This year, Cheese brought an entire new production to Hulaween with a Stranger Things themed set called Stringier Things. Anticipation was in the air all day Saturday of what was to come of their second set of the day.
Lucky for everyone, we boogied to a legendary night of 80s classics including tunes from Michael Jackson, Talking Heads, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Guns N Roses, The Clash, Billy Idol, The B-52's, and Thomas Dolby. The set included massive fireworks, performers flying above the crowd, interactive blow-ups and love to last a lifetime.
Now let's rewind a bit to our Friday night experience with the everlasting live performers, My Morning Jacket. These guys are one in a million and certainly take pride in their craft. I still can't fathom my ALL TIME THREE favorite tracks "Wordless Chorus", "Compound Fracture", and "Off The Record" were what the group chose to open with. It's hard to even explain what this band has done for this company. We are avid supporters of My Morning Jacket here at Holiday of Music and are humbled to have photographed such a monumental act.
Hulaween not only takes place in an intimate natural setting but the flow of the event itself is 100% all natural. I found myself experiencing acts like Grammy Award winning Snarky Puppy, the mystical Washed Out, funk lords Lettuce, STS9, positive rap artist Logic, electronic duo Disclosure, and tons of Cheese all in the matter of Saturday October 29th. To make it even better, the grounds are unbelievably simple to navigate with tons of Suwanneee natives always willing to help.
Holiday of Music can honestly say that this festival lives above and beyond our expectations. Where else can you let your freak out, dress up multiple times a day, and experience every genre of music under the Suwannee skies? Hulaween, that's where.
Sunday was a day of peace, love, and positivity. I was honored to start my day photographing Holiday of Music's friends Passafire, The Motet, leading into reggae legends Rebelution, to The String Cheese Incident dipping into their final set at 5:15 PM on the Meadow Stage and that set alone made the entire weekend worth my trip. The size of that crowd during a relieving time of day was breathtaking. This is the moment where I understood why people follow a band of this magnitude.
Holiday of Music photographed the first debut live performance of The Claypool Lennon Delirium at The Beacham and now seeing them find their groove after many months was quite an experience. This led a special group of friends and myself to the performance of the night, Big Gigantic featuring The Motet. Wow, just wow. Big G taught us just how important the little things in life are and why it's essential to always let the good times roll.
To many the night was over but that's where we started our last venture to Spirit Lake. Spirit Lake is a complete other entity of the festival where you can get lost in a live breathing, artistic, forest where special projections soothed attendees above the lake itself. Not wanting to end the day, the last moments in Spirit Lake were some of the most beautiful of the entire weekend. Beginning to reflect on how far I've come with the most amazing support from my family, friends, and dedicated followers of this website. I cannot thank each and every one of you enough for the person you have helped me become. Thank you to everyone who's ever taken the time to speak with me about my vision, thank you to anyone who's ever read anything my site has published, thank you to anyone who's ever won tickets, thank you to every event who has given Holiday of Music a chance, and most importantly THANK YOU SUWANNEE HULAWEEN for bringing me to this very moment in time.
Keep checking our gallery for updated photos throughout the week and see why Suwannee Hulaween will ALWAYS BE AN ABSOLUTE MUST! <3