Courtesy of Electric Forest
Electric Forest.
Michigan's Electric Forest music festival appears to still be on... for the moment, at least, though like many other things right now the coronavirus pandemic has put its fate up in the air.
On Thursday, the Rothbury Village Council denied a request to move the annual festival from its original June 25-28 dates to Sept. 10-13. According to WOOD-TV, those opposed to the move were concerned about the coronavirus still being an issue when the new school year starts. The Council rejected it 5-2.
According to MLive, village Clerk Carol Witzke said technically, the festival could still take place as planned in June. It has not officially been canceled, as Oceana County Press reported... yet. In a statement posted to Facebook Thursday night, organizers said they were still "exploring all our options" for the 2020 festival.
"HQ has been working hard to explore alternative dates for Electric Forest 2020, and find a time that works best for both our community and our neighbors," the statement says. "At this time, the Rothbury Village Council is not able to approve alternate dates for this year. We are exploring all our options, and will provide you with updates as soon as we can. We appreciate your patience and support while we work through this news."
From the way the statement is written, it sounds like EF is possibly considering sticking with the June dates, or even considering a location other than Rothbury — which would certainly be strange, as the Double JJ Resort's white cedar forest is a huge part of the festival's charm. A spokeswoman for the festival declined additional comment.
At the meeting, festival counsel Derek Holland said the organizers were monitoring the situation closely.
"We're not putting the festival on if it’s not safe to do so," he said.
The annual electronic music and jam band fest, which turns 10 this year, drew an estimated 45,000 attendees in 2019.
Detroit's Movement music festival was rescheduled from Memorial Day weekend to Sept. 11-13 due to the coronavirus.
You can read Electric Forest's full statement below.
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