Arise is a festival where the sun salutations are always flowing, the music is always thumping, and the attendees are always up for an aura cleansing. We spent a day in the sunshine and two in the muddy rain enjoying everything Arise had to offer. This festival is musically diverse, offers yoga all day long, and is situated on an organic farm. They even plant a tree for every ticket sold!
The Elevation Outdoors tent was set up in the festival grounds on the way to the Art Garden area. Attendees stopped by on their way to view 3D imagery and other original works, and we were able to have extended conversations with festival goers about the magazine and our sponsors. Everyone was relaxed and care-free, happy to sit down with us and talk about their favorite hikes and areas of Colorado.
Arise is a festival where there is always something going on. You can hike up the hill to catch a yoga class with one of Colorados famed teachers, head to one of four different stages for some tunes, engage your mind with lectures from multiple different theme camps, or indulge in smoothies and burgers at the food court. While we felt a little out of place among the hand spun jewelry and flowy harem pants, there’s always space for outdoor activity and exploration. Everyone enjoyed having an Elevation Outdoors magazine to look through in between sets and the regularly scheduled raffles were a huge hit. There is a cross-section between hippies and outdoor lovers, and we got to engage with festival-goers about a whole range of environmental topics. All eight of our sponsors have environmentally-friendly aspects and it was engaging to talk with an informed crowd. There is a massive emphasis at Arise on the Leave No Trace principals and activism.
This festival knows how to party in the rain. We had one day of hot sunshine followed by two of wet, cold, soggy rain. It takes a real party to keep the gears turning after having to evacuate the festival grounds twice. Huge thunderstorms rolled through Friday and Saturday afternoon threatening the safety of the performers, as well as the safety of all EZ ups. A windy lightning storm is an EZ up’s worst nightmare. Luckily the Elevation Outdoors tent made it out alive and we were able to re-open after each festival evacuation.
After each day running the booth, we got to hop around from stage to stage listening to music and enjoying “Arise” margaritas. The festival atmosphere was relaxed, inclusive, and “hippy forward.” Arise is a music festival, but it’s also about the art! Multiple artists set up easels, using the music as inspiration as they painted psychedelic scenes. There is art for sale all around the festival grounds. Often these artists are painting well into the night and it was enjoyable to watch them create.
Overall the festival was a wonderful experience. The lack of cell service allowed us to really reconnect with the humans around us. The grounds were clean and everyone respected their environment. We were even rewarded with a double rainbow after the second major storm! Ten out of ten, we’d definitely attend again.
If you like the gear we’re reppin’, or what we’re wearing, check out some of the sponsors that make this tour possible: La Sportiva, Crazy Creek, National Geographic, RovR Products, Sea to Summit, Mountain House, LifeStraw, and Lowe Alpine. All photos in this post taken by Ear Nuggets.
