Believe it or not, calmness and an electronic music festival go together like peanut butter and jelly.
The Thrive Global Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
By
Kyle Stevens, Entertainment Journalist and Executive Digital Media Producer
Photo: Kyle Stevens
The way people handle everyday struggles is evolving as COVID-19 isn’t showing any signs of slowing down any time soon. Heading into nearly two years of dealing with changed trajectories, stress levels remain at an all-time high. Often stuck in headspaces filled with mundane thoughts and a looming sense of long-term uncertainty, there is a significant portion of human beings who are craving a radical solution to their constant worries.
As wild as it might seem, an electronic music festival might be the answer one is looking for. Hear me out.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing yoga, meditation, or reading a good book. All of those activities have a proven track record of releasing internal negativity that weighs heavy on the mind, body, and soul. If that’s what gets you through the next day, more power to you. Wins should be celebrated in these exhausting times. If you are feeling like your peaceful routine isn’t currently working for you, this might mean that you have to do something completely different. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary ways of living.
An eclectic group of colorful ravers at Electric Zoo in New York City this year would agree that being at a music festival made them feel like the best version of themselves for the first time in quite a while. The collective goal of peace, love, unity, and respect rang true throughout the sacred festival grounds at Randalls Island Park during Labor Day weekend as festival-goers bounced to music from Alesso, Tiësto, Galantis, and other top electronic DJs from all over the world.
Photo: Kyle Stevens
If one has never been in an environment where people are packed tightly together to celebrate dance music under bright, flashing lights, it might sound outrageous that you can feel calm in that setting. However, when everyone comes together to create a joyous sensation that can be felt in the air, not only is it possible, but it’s a heavenly experience that is difficult to replicate when you are feeling stuck doing the same thing over and over again like a broken record. Some might say that the feeling this year was even supernatural.
The beautiful memories that were created this year at E Zoo gave festival-goers an extra push to continue to get through the ongoing pandemic. For three straight days, the people who attended felt an overwhelming sense of calmness that’s been lacking since March 2020. Isn’t that what we are all striving for?
Don’t knock it ’till you try it. It’s highly likely that you’ll get swept up in a scene that will bring you a calming sense of relief in ways that you never thought were possible. The worst thing that can happen is that you’ll discover that you can still dance freely without being judged harshly after being stuck in your home for months on end.
There’s nothing cooler than being able to find peace again and hey, that sounds like a pretty calm feeling if you ask me.
Kyle Stevens, Entertainment Journalist and Executive Digital Media Producer
Kyle Stevens is an executive digital media producer and entertainment journalist. He has conducted feature interviews with some of the biggest names in the pop culture industry including Nick Cannon, Steve Aoki, Michael Bublé, and Stevie Nicks. Kyle enjoys writing about professional wrestling, film, and the music industry. In his spare time, Kyle likes going to concerts with his loved ones.
Share your comments below. Please read our commenting guidelines before posting. If you have a concern about a comment, report it here.
