Need advice for bringing my kid

[u/Dubstep_Fairy]

Hello parents of Electric Forest! I’m a big dubstep head who loves going to raves and festivals. I’ve never been to the forest before even though it’s been a bucket list item for me.

My daughter, who’s turning 10, been wanting to go to shows with my wife and I for some time now but most of the shows are 18+ or 21+, so I keep having to tell her she can’t come even though I think raves are the perfect place for kids. I’ve been eyeing Electric Forest to take her for some time now, but it seems so overwhelming. So many different campgrounds, loyalty tiers, etc. I would ideally like to take her to one of the quieter camps grounds, but I imagine they get all booked up from the higher loyalty tiers buying them up early on.

What are some recommendations on where to stay as well as other tips or tricks from veteran parents who brought their kids to the forest?

P.S. I know some people are gonna be like don’t bring your kids to a festival, it’s no place for a kid and so on. I respectfully disagree. I don’t tell you how to live your life; how about you don’t tell me how to live mine and how to parent.

EDIT: I just want my daughter to experience all the amazing parts of raving/festivals that made me fall in love with it. For me, raves/festivals don’t represent drugs and sex like people tend to bring up. It’s about love, understanding, and acceptance. I just want her to see people being who they want so she can see how it’s okay for her to be who she wants to be. I want her to see people being kind giving out kandi without expecting anything in return so she can see how being a giving person can make other people feel. I think there’s a way to focus on the age appropriate parts of festivals without getting caught up in or judging what choices some people make in relation to sex or drugs. That’s all

[u/jalexander519]

“don’t tell me how to live mine and how to parent” yet you are literally in a sub asking for for advice…

[u/Separate-Ladder-6087 → u/jalexander519]

Perfectly said.

[u/axley58678]

Well, I think kids do have fun at festivals and that there are a lot of festivals that are appropriate for kids, Electric Forest is not one of them.

If you live in the area and want something that is definitely more kid friendly and has almost the exact same vibe as Electric Forest but on a smaller scale, look into Big Fam Festival in Brooklyn, Mi. It’s actually coming up this weekend, but they do it the same weekend every year.

[u/axley58678 → u/axley58678]

And to respond to your edit, yeah, music festivals are not all about drugs and sex. But a lot of people are doing drugs and being sexual at a festival.

If you haven’t been to Electric Forest, it is a huge festival. Huge. Out in broad daylight I’ve seen people are doing drugs (usually crouched at a 10-year-old’s eye level lmao), having sex, have their naked bodies out, acting crazy or psychotic, I’ve seen people nearly OD. Two years ago several people died in a crowd.

Electric Forest’s population is literally the size of a medium city. It’s just too big and chaotic and unpredictable to be 100% sure your child to have the magical experience that you were looking for and not something traumatic. There are a lot of smaller festivals that would be way better and more relaxing and fun for you as a caretaker as well.

And I haven’t even touched on the weather and how that can make things a lot more difficult as well. Sometimes it’s 90° every day and you have no reprieve from the heat. Sometimes it’s so dusty that you’re literally choking on it as you walk around, and it’s 100 times worse the closer you get to the ground. I’ve seen people walking around with their four or five-year-olds and you can barely see the child through the dust cloud.

If anything, you should go to Electric Forest by yourself and get the vibe before you bring your kid.

[u/yekcowrebbaj → u/axley58678]

EF isn’t huge. It’s usually like 50k and the grounds aren’t spread too far. Any kid that’s been to a big city has the chance of being exposed to drugs on a much worse level.

Sherwood Forest would be a blast with a kid.

It’s wild you think EF would be traumatic for a child and think it’s a good festival.

Weather could be an issue but nothing prep can’t even out.

[u/axley58678 → u/yekcowrebbaj]

People can do whatever they want, however, I wouldn’t want my kid seeing some of the stuff that I’ve seen. I also know of MANY other cheaper and smaller festivals that my child would have just as much fun at, we wouldn’t need to expend as much energy at, and I wouldn’t be so stressed out making sure they didn’t experience something I didn’t want them to. That was my point.

Smaller festivals like big fam also allow you to bring things like strollers and wagons directly into the stage areas, which would make having kids and their stuff there a lot easier

[u/Dubstep_Fairy → u/axley58678]

I’ll definitely check out big fam. Never heard of it before but sounds fun

[u/axley58678 → u/Dubstep_Fairy]

It's my favorite local fest!! And the vibe and stage areas feel like a miniature EF to me. Zingara is a headliner this year!

https://www.bigfamfestival.com/

[u/Late_Literature7925 → u/axley58678]

100% agree. My son is 11 and loves dubstep and bass music. I went to Forest this year and I myself felt unsafe at times I could not imagine having him with me. During the day I think it would be fine, but it was so crowded at night and soo many rude people with no concern for anyone else. I would be holding my boyfriend’s arm and people would try to walk right through us. Even the walkways were insanely overcrowded. I’ve been to Lollapalloza and that fest has its own issues, but I would’ve felt safer taking him there. Definitely do a lot of research before making that decision or go by yourself first. I’ve been to a lot of fests, but there were alot more unhinged people here lol

[u/Dubstep_Fairy → u/axley58678]

Thank you for your insight and recommendation. Can you go into a bit more detail about why you don’t think EF is child appropriate. I would think being an All Ages festival would imply that compared EDCs, Lost Lands, etc.

[u/axley58678 → u/Dubstep_Fairy]

I just did another reply underneath my comment with some more info! But without getting more into any of the semi inappropriate activities that could happen, the festival is just so so big and basically an endurance test for most adults. You’re gonna end up dropping a crap ton of money (EF is one of the most expensive ones out there) to miss a lot of it because most adults can’t even handle the whole fest without drugs or stimulants lol.

I think if you want your kid to have a festival experience that will be memorable and fun, a smaller fest would be better. And if YOU want to fully experience Electric Forest, you will have 1000 times better time and get your actual moneys worth if you go with adults.

I am not judging the fact that you wanna bring your kid to a festival at all, I just genuinely think that Electric Forest would be a very very difficult time for you, especially if you’ve never been before yourself

[u/xstell132]

TBH there’s no secret tips or tricks. Since you don’t have EF loyalty you’ll really only be able to snag camping unless you know someone with a higher loyalty tier and can get an RV or hotel package.

Good Live village camping is what you would want to do. GA is just too rowdy for younger kids. GL has its fun but people are way more respectful and you have access to better bathrooms. I wouldn’t want my kid to use a GA porta potty for 4-5 days straight.

There are definitely people who bring kids. EF Forest is a MASSIVE venue. The stages themselves get packed but there’s nothing stopping you from going to a less packed stage or part of the forest.

I think the topic of bringing kids is more in regards of the curtesy of others, those who like to party hard. I’m a sober raver but I know there are some who get uncomfortable partying like that around kids. Just something to think about.

And if you do bring your kids, please don’t take up a large amount of square footage for your kid at a busy stage like what happened this year…

[u/Dubstep_Fairy → u/xstell132]

Thank you. That is super helpful. Do people with EF loyalty often resell their tickets to get an RV or hotel package? Do you have any knowledge on what time of the year and what apps/websites might be the best to buy the resell tix?

[u/xstell132 → u/Dubstep_Fairy]

I can’t speak for resale websites but the onsale prices for those packages are pretty expensive and the resale prices are even more expensive since they are so sought after. Resale happens from the day they get sold out to the day before EF start. Nothing is impossible but the truth is I wouldn’t count on it at all unless you want to shell out a lot of money.

[u/Dubstep_Fairy → u/xstell132]

Thank you! I’ll probably try and if I can’t get tix to GL, I might just wait until the following year

[u/misterzipp0]

What's really sad is that when this fest was Rothbury and also in it's infancy as EF I saw lots of adults with kids in wagons with hearing protection, bubbles, crayons and also younger kids just hanging out and dancing during the day. Nighttime got rowdier and kids weren't around but daytime was a blast for everyone.

[u/DDRKid]

Take everything I'm about to say with a grain of salt because I am not a parent. However, I am not generally fond of children. It's just not the overall vibe that I have around me in my daily life (please read my next sentence before overreacting)

That being said, I have always had incredible interactions with all the children I've run into at Forest. They seem incredibly well-adjusted, and from what I can tell, anything that adults view as lewd or inappropriate mostly goes right over their heads.

To be very frank, Forest is like any other rave or festival in the sense that there will be drug use around and there will be scantily clad attendees around. But unless your kid is looking for the drug use, they will more likely be interested in the pretty trees and engaging actors around them. I would also argue that having your children in mass gatherings where alcohol is the main substance of choice is no different than what you'll find at Forest... in fact, the Forest might be even more chill (I'm not saying that every user is responsible or relaxed, but any argument you can make for people using drugs to excess I believe you can also make for alcohol consumption).

Specifically regarding the scantily clad attendees - I think this is going to depend on your vibe as parents. Nudity is not sex and the human body is nothing to be ashamed of. However, if you prefer your kid to not be exposed to as much human body, then Forest (especially as night sets in) may not be the best for your little one.

I think your biggest struggle is going to be the schedule. In recent years, Forest has gotten later and later. Most of the children I have seen at Forest are usually back at camp once the headliners start. Ten-year-olds, I'm sure, have boundless energy - but maybe not all the way up until 3:30AM? If you're a big dubstep head and you want to see the big names, this may be a compromise you have to make or don't want to make.

Again, I'm not a parent, but I have never had an issue with any of the kids at Forest. The culture of gifting and play that Forest fosters seems to be right at the heart of something they would enjoy... as long as you keep in mind that there are all the other elements of a music festival there and the more observant young ones might notice some things and have more questions than you're ready to answer yet. Or maybe you're perfectly prepared to answer them all. It's up to you.

[u/Dubstep_Fairy → u/DDRKid]

Thank you! This might be one of the most detailed and insightful answers I’ve gotten here

[u/yekcowrebbaj]

And yet here you are asking people how to live your life. Do the festival in the way you normally would and adapt for the kid. You’re a big boy, put on your thinking pants.

[u/Dubstep_Fairy → u/yekcowrebbaj]

I’m just asking for tips and tricks from other parents who’ve been to EF with kids as I haven’t.