Finding Bliss in the Redwoods at Northern Nights Music Festival

If you’re looking for the ultimate relaxing and iconic Northern California event, it doesn’t get any better than Northern Nights Music Festival. The summer 2023 edition of the festival just wrapped up, with thousands of attendees spending the July 14-16 weekend among the beautiful forests of the Emerald Triangle while some of the top EDM, rap, and electronica artists on the charts dropped sets for them.  

Along with top-performing artists, the festival offers an exceptionally cozy atmosphere, 24-hour attractions, and a uniquely laid-back, campground feel. With tickets starting at around an extremely reasonable $150, Northern Nights Music Festival is a consistent sellout event, so you’ll want to plan early for next year.  

Artists at Northern Nights

While the culture, campground, and overall vibes of the event took a more prominent spot than some other festivals, Northern Nights didn’t slack off when it comes to the music, either. Much more than just a campground for people to relax in, Northern Nights is also one of the premier music festivals in the world and can attract top talent across genres to perform. Boasting an impressive five stages, the festival left nothing to be desired when it came to the music.  

Guests coagulated around the main stage, where headliners performed, but there was also the river stage where you can float or swim while listening, and the grove stage, tucked deep in a sacred Redwood grove and offering more eclectic music. On top of that, you can choose from a silent disco stage, and a bunker stage, both of which offer after-hours nighttime performances and attractions.  

Some of the top artists performing this year were Dr. Fresch, MiMOSA, Big Gigantic, G Jones, Netsky, Bipolar Sunshine, and Coco & Breezy. Other major acts on display were performers and artists like TOKiMONSTA, NotLö, Paper Idol, KR3TURE, Daily Bread, Mary Droppinz, and Night Tales. 

With a wide variety of sounds encompassing many genres from dance, to hip-hop, to house and techno, Northern Nights has something for everyone. With its unique and surreal backdrop, the sounds seem to have a quality you just can’t find anywhere else.  

As Northern Nights is an immersive, full-weekend experience, the party doesn’t stop when the sun sets, either. Some of the stages like the silent disco and bunker stage are available to “dance the night away”, and while many may choose to rest there’s a certain appeal to 24-hour on-site festivals that go all night and don’t require you to leave and hit a hotel room. 

Northern California Dreaming

The venue this year was Cook’s Valley Campground, near the Humboldt and Mendocino county line. Northern Nights offers a unique combination of outdoorsy sports, water activities, and fully-integrated, legal cannabis vendors, and even a cannabis lounge to relax in.

True to the roots and culture of Northern California, Northern Nights made history with the first official cannabis strain created and named for and by a music festival sold at the event. Just a few hours upstate from San Francisco, Northern Nights is a fitting homage to the state’s vibrant and whimsical attitudes, once again pushing the envelope from cannabis legalization to full-on acceptance and open use in the festival. 

It remains to be seen if other major festivals like Ultra and Coachella will follow suit here, but one thing nobody can deny is how much fun people have at Northern Nights. It’s a music festival unlike any other, with campers lazily floating along the scenic Eel River to cool down, beats playing from the stages, and sweet smoke drifting through the air. 

Other Attractions at Northern Nights

Of course, along with the music, camping, and outdoor activities, there’s also a wide variety of food vendors, drinks, art, wellness seminars, and other various holistic attractions designed to leave you feeling refreshed, vibrant, and renewed.  

Some of these events include yoga seminars, education seminars, local cannabis farmers to talk to, fashion vendors, and movement classes to focus on your body’s healing and wellness.  If you’re lucky, you might even get a free sample from the cannabis farmers!  Afterwards, you can hit some of the speciality bars and then lay down in the hammock lounge to catch a quick nap among the trees. 

Think of Northern Nights as much more than just a festival, although the music is important.  It’s also a way to showcase what those who live in Northern California love about the area and a way to express that love and care for those who visit.  Northern Nights advertises itself as a way to “watch art come to life”, and for those interested in an authentic and inspiring creative experience, it doesn’t get any better than this.   

Plan ahead for next year, and Northern Nights Music Festival will make your dreams come true in ways you have never imagined!