Northern California’s Northern Nights festival celebrated its 10-year anniversary last month with a three-day woodsy bacchanal.
From July 14-16, the festival drew attendees to a campground in Piercy, Calif., a city at the center of Northern California’s Emerald Triangle, which is the United States’ largest cannabis producing region made up of Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity Counties.
In addition to music and floats on the Eel River, guests of the fest were once again able to partake in Northern Nights’ cannabis offerings. For the first time in 2023, the festival allowed for sales and consumption to take place throughout the event, instead of one cordoned off area. Northern Nights organizers say that the marked the first time this model was used at a music festival. This year the festival also debuted its own proprietary cannabis strain.
There was, of course, music as well. This year’s headliners were Big Gigantic, G Jones, Dr. Fresch, TOKiMONSTA, Mura Masa and Netsky, with the rest of the bass, jamtronica-focused bill rounded out by artists including Coco & Breezy, Daily Bread, Mary Droppinz, Random Rab and more.
Didn’t make it? Want to relive it? Memories of it all a bit hazy? Enter the Emerald Triangle of your mind with this trinity of exclusive sets from the weekend.
Big Gigantic
Always known for delivering a heady, hyphy good time, the Colorado-based duo made their Northern Nights debut with a headlining set made up of old music; not yet released music; collabs with artists, including Aloe Blacc; tracks by artists including Knock2, Steve Aoki and John Summit; along with some good old-fashioned body pummeling dubstep.
Megan Hamilton
The Minnesota-born producer performed a funky, playful set that got progressively deeper, harder and (wonderfully) weirder over its hour-long duration.
Forester
With their music written to intentionally mimic the grandeur of nature and evoke the feeling of being in the woods, the live electronic duo was right at home at Northern Nights, where they played an emotive, kinda sexy show featuring loads of their own music and remixes of The Neighborhood, RÜFÜS DU SOL and others.
