The video piece above was shot with a 360-degree camera, which lets you experience the festival as if you were there. On a desktop or laptop computer, use your mouse to navigate the 360-degree perspectives. On a mobile device, view the video through YouTube’s mobile app so you can then simply move your device and body around to navigate the 360-degree perspectives.
[dropcap letter=”L”]ightning in a Bottle is an annual music festival in the Central Coast region of California, put on by the Los Angeles-based events company the Do LaB. From May 25 to May 30, the event took place in the dusty, hay-filled and dried-out Lake San Antonio in the town of Bradley, California.
Layers of tents and campsites stretched into the horizon as over 20,000 people ventured out for the long weekend.
Lightning in a Bottle started out as a private birthday party in 2000 but eventually turned into much more. The festival now features many elaborate stages, with the Thunder Stage at its center, where the most prominent headliners perform. It features electronic dance music, devotional song, experimental music and folk music.
The event goes beyond just music: activities range from yoga sessions and personal growth workshops, to feminist talks and guided group meditations. There are live painters, fire dancers, interactive art installations and much more.
The festival attracts a similar crowd to Burning Man, the now-iconic annual event in the Nevada desert. Everyone is dressed in lively, colorful, and, at times, fluffy costumes and contribute to a vibrant community.
“It’s the place where you can come and be friends with anybody,” said Jasson Pierre, a festival-goer who attended Lightning in a Bottle for the first time. “You can meet people who you would otherwise probably never have conversations with. And you can be best of friends in less than 30 seconds. It’s really just love out here.”
