By: Ellie Salrin

Once in a great while, a festival comes along that hits the nail on the head when it comes to what makes an event great: Lineup, Location, Production, and Community. The weekend of September 17-20 marks the 10 year reunion for Symbiosis Gathering. The scenic Woodward Reservoir in Oakdale, CA will host this homecoming.

Lineup

When taking a gander at the line-up, I nearly fell out of my desk chair as my eyes scanned over names like Nicolas Jaar, CocoRosie, Tipper, GRiZ, Shpongle, Emancipator Ensemble, The Polish Ambassador, Minnesota B2B G Jones, EOTO, The Glitch Mob’s edIT and Ooah’s throwback project Crying Over Pros and Of Porcelain, Thriftworks, Dimond Saints, and more.

Psychedelic bass fans will love the additions of Desert Dwellers, Kalya Scintilla & Eve Olution, Kaminanda, Andreilien, and Plantrae, among others. House fans are over the moon with the bookings of J.Phlip, Justin Martin, Pantha du Prince, and The Acid. Trap and future bass fans get Kaytranada, Thriftworks, Esta, and much more experimental music.

An inspired combination of electronic fusion, downtempo, bass, deep house, progressive trance, and world music to tickle whatever end of the spectrum your ears favor.

Experience

Symbiosis Gathering is known for it’s world-class art installations. Erected just about everywhere at the festival, you’ll marvel at the sculptures, paintings, altars, silk road, and the Re:Union Palace, a theater-in-the-round containing an 84-hour continuous evolving tapestry of sound, movement and living art. There will be performances including stand-up and sketch comedy, urban dance and clown, variety show, even a Burning Man musical.

Painters will be creating all weekend and art boats (think art car, but on water) will float the reservoir for aquatic art experiences. There will be talks, presentations, yoga, and dance workshops, The festival is also bringing back its five-day intensive September 12-17 called Elemental Alchemy. Offering three courses, permaculture immersive, visionary art immersive, and a yoga immersive, these are intended for those who are looking to greatly expand their knowledge and influence in these particular areas of culture. Find ticket information for the Elemental Alchemy here.

Tickets

You have until tomorrow, August 13, to get your advance passes. Currently $260 plus fees, the Experience Pass include music and walk-in camping. The festival relies heavily on art donations, time donations, and monetary donations to create it’s large-scale installations. Available until the day of the event, the Experience Creator Pass is $500 plus fees and provides additional funding to the art project. There are also several camping and RV options for you to choose from.

Also being offered are packages to make your stay at the Gathering more comfortable. Ready Set Camp offers five nights of camping (Car Camping Pass & Early Entry included) at a premium location close to all festival activities and right on the lake. It includes a full-size bed with a set of sheets, linens and pillows with comforter, battery powered camp lights, complimentary natural drinks, and a communal lounge area with power plugins. This upgrade for one bed costs $1,199, and for two beds costs $1,399. These do not include festival passes. You can find additional ticketing information here.

The community that has been built over the past ten years is one of magic. Ask anyone who’s attended a previous event and they will tell you the people are kind, giving, and come together to help create an experience that is life-changing. We hope to see you next month in Paradise!