hulaween Archives - wook wranglers https://wookwranglers.com/tag/hulaween/ Online magazine devoted to music festivals, lifestyles, fusion recipes, original art and all manner of wookish delights. Tue, 07 Apr 2026 21:06:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://i0.wp.com/wookwranglers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Screenshot-2020-10-22-at-10.00.48-PM-e1603722888544.png?fit=27%2C32&ssl=1 hulaween Archives - wook wranglers https://wookwranglers.com/tag/hulaween/ 32 32 171121953 Hulaween 2026 Lineup Is Here! https://wookwranglers.com/hulaween-2026-lineup-is-here/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hulaween-2026-lineup-is-here Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:00:43 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=9596 Welcome back to the house that BroccAleeya built. Yes friends, this is the announcement you’ve...

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Welcome back to the house that BroccAleeya built. Yes friends, this is the announcement you’ve been waiting for. Suwannee Hulaween will return home at the iconic Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park for its 2026 edition, taking place October 22-25. This year’s offering will be led by Pretty Lights (3-hour set), My Morning Jacket, Excision (Hulaween debut), Geese, and three nights of The String Cheese Incident. The cross-genre lineup also includes Levity, Ben Böhmer, Big Gramatik (Big Gigantic & Gramatik), Green Velvet (Hula debut), Of The Trees (Memory Palace label takeover), STS9, global sensation ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U (Hula debut), Florida/Georgia family, The Aint Sisters, Tire Fire, Guavetron, OPIUO, EOTO, Jon Stickley Trio and more – with an additional headliner still to be announced.

String Cheese Incident at Suwannee Hulaween 2025. Photo by Tara Gracer.

Widely regarded as one of North America’s most immersive, community-driven festivals, Hulaween blends music, art, and camping into a multi-day experience rooted in connection and creativity. Set in Florida’s lush panhandle, Spirit of the Suwannee offers a unique natural backdrop of moss-draped forests, winding riverbanks, and expansive campgrounds.

New for 2026, the festival introduces a series of elevated experiences and fan-first upgrades, alongside more accessible pricing—4-Day GA passes start at $469, over $75 lower than 2025—as part of its continued commitment to the Hula Fam.

Hulaween’s Spirit Lake is heralded as one of the leading immersive art experiences across American festivals, brimming with talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, performance art thespians, and lighting designers. Attendees can revel in lakefront holographic projection mapping, hypnotizing light shows, and interactive installations.

Keep up with the Hulaween website and like their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X and TikTok. Science is like math. It doesn’t care whether you believe in it or not. Welcome to the machine.

Kamp Happiness, Suwannee Hulaween 2025.

Look for Wranglers Media burrowed into Kamp Happiness at Suwannee Hulaween for nightly interactive fun. Join the fam for games, prizes, acoustic jams and a fair bit of pirating. Find the game inside the game. The world is your oyster.

 

 

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Suwannee Hulaween “25: No Honey, Not Tonight https://wookwranglers.com/suwannee-hulaween-25-no-honey-not-tonight/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=suwannee-hulaween-25-no-honey-not-tonight Fri, 07 Nov 2025 12:58:11 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=9088 “Spotcheck Billy got down on his hands and kneesHe said, “Hey mama, hey, let me...

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“Spotcheck Billy got down on his hands and kneesHe said, “Hey mama, hey, let me check your oil all right?”She said, “No, no honey, not tonightCome back Monday, you come back TuesdayThen I might”

From October 30 through November 2, 2025 a Florida Man invited the world to Live Oak, on the banks of the Suwannee River for another installment of Suwannee Hulaween. They came all the way from Tejas, Dirty Jersey, the 239 and beyond to the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, with a truckload of yellow jackets (not the kind that kiss your face), inflatable horses and pocket lasers for stellar music, art, food and serious life experience. This time nothing was left to chance. Perfect planning makes perfect execution. Wanna take it easy at the restival? Wanna get a solid evening of quiet sleep? No, no honey. Not tonight. Cheese. Love. Hapenis. once again executed plan A. Build it and get out of the way. Exactly what kind of contraband can one purchase on the dark web? You think you’re getting in my over sized bloomers? No, no honey. Not tonight. Welcome to Suwannee Hulaween “25: Come back Monday. Come back Tuesday and then I might.

As always, the eclectic lineup had something for all the peoples and was cornered with the String Cheese Incident and other monsters such as Goose, Zed’s Dead, DJ Pee.Wee, Mersiv, Tape B, Parcells, JRAD, the Disco Biscuits and more. From Spirit Lake to the Amphitheater, taking a slow walk to eighty acres, the Loop or the river, Live Oak is still the best place around to enjoy a camping and music festival. Sitting under the shade of the turkey oaks and Spanish moss, it’s easy to understand how you found your way on the bus. The only questions is, “Why is this inflatable horse licking my face?”

For their money, Cheese. Love. Hapenis organizers would revel in their own site and spend much of the weekend maintaining the vibe and nearby grounds. Accomplishing several short term goals, the family unit was pleased as punch to not have called security or Suwannee deputies on one of their own or fallen victim to overwhelming interpersonal soap opera drama. Goals also included bringing the acoustic instruments home, unbroken. Hulaween doesn’t break guitars, I do. Thankfully, Horhay found his way back from Billy in Huntsville and Moana showed up with a broken back. Troopers till the end. Baby steps to the elevator. It takes a village to raise a bunch of idiots and Hulaween is a perfect place to get lost in the theater of the mind.

“Did you try to Groundscore my bin of canned food? On Friday?”

SCI at Suwannee Hulaween 2025. Photo by Aaron Bradley.

Baitbucket pulled into SOSMP same as he’d done since 2002, except this time the Buick had no brakes and sounded like a shrieking banshee. Unlike their usual Saturday arrival, the fam was sliding in Tuesday afternoon with the rest of the scrubs. The crew had already met up at Ted’s house and was ready for the assault on Live Oak. Thanks to Lightnin’ Steve for leaving the Mother Ship next to the Poncho Tree ready for action. Staff camping had wrapped around ye ole Titty Kitty spot, so Pedro’s Circle K? Hagglin’ Post had to be pushed across the street and set up on the main road, which was sure to offer a different slant on things. The obvious question rolling around everyone’s head was whether this motley crew of sloppy degenerates could hold it together on the main strip or did they belong safely hidden in the backwoods speakeasy? Like Horhay’s inner thigh, it was a slippery slope and only time would tell.

Working prefest, Justin homesteaded Cheese. Love. Sauce while Spacebug clawed out a space for Kamp Hapenis in Giovanni’s old spot. The amalgamation that followed was a successful experiment in an incestuous blending of both camps. An ocean of new friends with camps built inside of other camps. Hulaween tradition. Same as it ever was.

When it comes to leaving presents in the Mother Ship, hard yes to Eduardo’s gas,
hard no to Moana’s drawer of mystery pills.

Kamp Hapenis at Suwannee Hulaween 2025. Photo by Coty.

A kinder gentler hula? Indeed the Pine Field was a calmer beast when compared with the late night renegades of old and last year’s Sunday night live radio extravaganza. Sure, there was plenty of sideways fun, but the focus on space and vibe carried them through the weekend. At some point, Baitbucket even hid BroccAleeya’s megaphone from himself and even AlleyCat kept her megaphone hid in lieu of the harmless Mr. Microphone. The Ain’t Sisters say thank you. You’re welcome. There’s a fine line between humorous antics and obnoxious brutality and just before daybreak, the Cat has been known to bounce over it with impunity. Even the Bag Man was taking naps and keeping the shadow people at bay. Leading doctors recommend sleep and research shows it helps keep both of your eyes the same size.

Texas woman at Suwannee Hulaween 2025.

El Gato, the cigarette connoisseur, built and brought glory hole numero dos and cerdo desmenuzado delicioso. Dan, Katy Magic, and Spacebug returned to Hula for the first time since 2017 and brought with them, their blistered version of fun. Turtles hauled in her message table and granted some of her patent squirrel messages to the braver patrons. Moana and Lucy had their vibrations raised at the Future Joy set and then, yet again, submitted to the wills of the forest.

The year of the boyfriends. The “ladies” were brought in to help the population numbers and keep this setup from turning into a handful of fraternity boys sitting in the dark, shotgunning Boomerangs. Skip to, now the harlots were all showing up with boyfriends? Whoa. Whoa. Settle down now. That was not the initial agreement. These hard tails slid into an already established camp and proceeded to skew the numbers. 65/35. Yo Parker, next time bring your seester. Coty didn’t know there was such thing as a two-headed girlfriend dragon until one bit him on the face. Did it really happen at all? It’s so easy to slip.

Don’t look now but somebody put googly eyes on the tiki torches.

Spirit Lake at Suwannee Hulaween 2025. Photo by Jason Nail.

The last angry cellist took David and Savanah to visit Rosie and the Soup Kitchen somewhere in the back labyrinth of the pine field nestled in the heart of the Titty Kitty compound. In response to a recent restraining order, Rosie was no longer allowed to camp within two hundred yards of Kamp Happiness although, like Emma Jay or other derelict renegades, she might well be known to sneak around the woods after sunset. Drunk on warm Beatbox, Bagadix kidnapped JBfly and found the Amphitheater for DJ Pee.Wee. Which line is for deep tissue frisking? C’mon bro, you’re not even close.

BroccAleeya at Suwannee Hulaween 2025. Photo by Cory Wong.

Pirate date night. For many privateers, Hulaween is the Super Bowl of the Jolly Roger game. Lucy had already borrowed Coty’s electric bike for afternoon pirate flag reconnaissance and during the beginning of Saturday Cheese she and Crispy found themselves slipping through the loop in search of Blackbeard’s booty. Naturally everyone else was in the show creating the perfect hunting grounds. Once she tasted blood on her lips there was no stopping her. Using her grandfather’s straight razor, they attacked the camps toward the river and somewhere around Eighty Acres, felt the heat. Hiding behind trees and tents, they entered an invisibility bubble and even exchanged clothes. Were they paranoid or were they being followed or both? Yo ho, yo ho a pirate’s life for me.

And who taught Monk how to pirate? Stealing the Jolly’s while the fam played music around the fire? He didn’t even get to meet the cousins or share in the contraband. All work and no play makes Big Chris a dull boy. Be sure to keep the White Buffalo at home sirs.

Several Tampa Jolly’s were harvested, one going to Katie Magik and one to Coty’s antique van, with the latter only to be double down harvested by Abigail on her way back from the water closet. Family stealing from family and the plot doth thicken.

In the fourth quarter Bfly pulled in a couple more flags on the way back from Molly Tuttle. Thanks for all the Phish who contributed to the fray. With Dom in California and Delson and Nick cuddling with Benjamin, it was a real opportunity for some greenhorn to earn their wings. A neighbor came over and confessed that he’d taken the One Night flag for his daughter and it was his first time absconding with booty. Indeed, he was proud of his first heist and the Suwannee River Pirates found another scallywag. That particular flag had been stolen in Good Life camping at EForest. Hulaween giveth and Hulaween taketh away. Next time around they would be hanging their flags with Coty’s cherry picker, taking things to a whole nutha level.

The throngs came out to enjoy one of Suwannee’s most special treats as thousands of bats could be witnessed flying out of Justin’s hair and returning, like clockwork, by sunrise. Thanks to Jamie and Lige for supplying the golf carts and KH complimentary courtesy vehicles. The crew got the VIPness ride to JRAD, the best place place to find all the Florida heads and this episode did not disappoint. The guys dropped a mad Loose Lucy while the Florida fam bumped and rubbed their way through a beautiful set on a beautiful day. Did we notice the beautiful Hulaween weather? Lucy always rooted for a warm Hula because it was already cold where most folks were from and it promoted nudity in costumes. Everyone got their wish this year and it was brisk, with everyone showing off their finest winter finery. Thank you for a real good time.

How’s my tie?

Lady Lake’s own BrocAlleah showed up with another thug of the first order and claimed her spot across from the Poncho Tree. This was the festival bartender crowd and after months of nonstop high-volume bar work, they were taking the week off. Lucy knew to be wary when Broc asked, “Do you wanna get down or do you wanna get down?” Who in the world gets carried like a baby back home from the stage? Everyone is a princess at Hulaween and sometimes the average tweaker is unable to carry them home.

“I said, Juanita, my sweet JuanitaWhat are you up to, my Juanita?I said, Juanita, my sweet chiquitaWhat are you up to, my Juanita?”

“I’m on the lake bitch.”

Twu wuv at Suwannee Hulaween 2025.

Ms. Montana arrived from Tejas with prerolls hauled all the way from Lake Michigan. Love is a verb, not a noun. Her party coach served homemade Mollyadas for breakfast with a side of poppers. How quivery! Sam brought homemade mango snuff for dessert. Colorful camp mates take the guesswork out of the festival. Consistent quality. Low and slow baby.

Calm down old man, it’s just watered down moonshine, not fentanyl, bath salts or baby laxative. Where was Quinn and the revolving white lightning breakfast order? KT should have been watching Baitbucket’s six when the monkey man erupted from behind Savanah and tackled him at the base of his spine, flipping him over and dragging his junk across his bow. That is NOT enthusiastic content.

Lucy didn’t know if she was hallucinating but she was beginning to see googly eyes on everything.

Suwannee Hulaween 2025. Photo by Brittany Teuber.

Run for the hills, Mary and Dani have the drips!

Smooth gets the Mississippi blue ribbon first place for his leave-one take one, complete with a loaded cardboard box of homegrown Michigan outdoor. The indoor was for friends, which was perfect considering all KH had to smoke was useless Delta 9 from Buckeye Lake. Message for Hannah; click click click click click. Thanks for maintaining correspondence.

“Put my money in your meter, baby, so it won’t run downBut you caught me in the squeeze play on the cheesy side of townThrow me a dime, throw me a line‘Cause there’s a fat man in the bathtub with the bluesI hear you moan, I hear you moan, I hear you moan”

Connections. Reeking of bad salmon, David and Savannah traveled from Denver and found their way to the Pine Field to join the festivities. They received their first titty kitties and drug Lucy back to their domicile in eighty acres. As always Queen Mitochondria, Suwannee royalty, located the fam multiple times throughout the weekend. An angel from Montgomery with breakfast burrito gifts for the wooks reminds us that Hulaween provideth.

Almost missed connection. After a week of looking for Jacob, they came to find him sleeping around the campfire Sunday morning. “Somebody cover that wook up before he gets a sunburn.” Careful around this kamp. Next time you might want to take those shoes off before going down. Dock that wook a day’s pay for nappin’ on the job.


Gently used refrigerators. Cheap!!! Kinda rusty and dank, like your vagswa. Call Big D lil arel (rest in peace) at 888-8888  Don’t wait! Big D lil arel, he does what he says he’ll do.


Spirit Lake at Suwannee Hulaween 2025. Photo by Brittany Teuber.

Moving in with Kira and her band of thugs, the Artist Spiderman brought his Peter Rowan Free Mexican Airforce to the sunrise set, not to be confused with Abigail’s early morning Slayer and Anthrax requests. Quit licking my face. You’re welcome. You think I won’t kick a horse? So wrong. Swing by kamp and join the request happy hour anytime of the day. Thanks to Eduardo for supplying the support speaker and supporting seamless transitions. Sorry Jefe, no Bassnectar.

At the end of the day, it was a fantastic Hulaween no one in the extended family got hurt or arrested. A low bar to be sure but success is relative and subjective. Hulaween is a little different every year and it’s a cherished blessing to be growing with it. This is our time. Please visit the Suwannee Hulaween website and like their social media sites on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and YouTube. Science is real. Follow Wranglers Media on their platforms as well. Don’t get left watching the paint dry.

Kamp Hapenis Caribe Club at Suwannee Hulaween 2025.

For many, Hulaween represents the very best of experienced, family camping with professionals on both sides of the white wine. It is a slice of the “other” with everyone joining in a fairy tale in that place just past where the sidewalk ends. Thanks to Wooksville with their sick set up back in eighty-acres (Was that Jason Hann on your stage?) and our neighbors at the Bird Sanctuary Bar with their culture of professional debauchery. The street fire, camp maze and acoustic jams all showed, once again, why these campers have been expelled from other respectable camps. Thankfully, Hulaween has always managed to provide a space for all different brands of silliness.

Thanks to the Hula PR team for keeping our team in the loop for the ninth year. As 239 trash and Florida crackers of the first order, this family takes pride in showing off the park and our commitment as stewards. Don’t worry Brie, we picked up your butts. Thanks to the KH family for putting up with the low bar, scum line. Keep up with the Wranglers as we wrap up the festival season in Florida and then turn around and kick things off in the Sunshine State for another year of fortune and adventure with the Mother Ship. Return to the scene of the crime at Live Oak for Amp Jam #2, Suwannee Spring Reunion and Resonate or find us at Virginia Key for Love Burn. See you next year on the river. Plan A is still in effect.                    Namaste y’all.


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Wook Wranglers Top 10 Artists to See at Hulaween https://wookwranglers.com/wook-wranglers-top-10-artists-to-see-at-hulaween/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wook-wranglers-top-10-artists-to-see-at-hulaween Fri, 03 Oct 2025 12:42:54 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=9032 Welcome back Hulaweiners to Live Oak, Florida, Spirit of Suwannee Music Park and the 12th...

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Welcome back Hulaweiners to Live Oak, Florida, Spirit of Suwannee Music Park and the 12th edition of the world famous, Suwannee Hulaween. That’s right. In a little more than a month, the regulars and pirates will return to the forest camp on the banks of the Suwannee River for a perfected version of ridiculous fun. You have entered the theater of the mind from where there is no escape, and why would you? Get up from your chair and leave the comfort of your camp. There’s music out there. Welcome to the Wook Wranglers Top 10 Artists to See at Hulaween.

With just over a month to go until Hulaween’s 12th annual celebration, the festival has revealed its highly anticipated stage lineups for The Meadow, The Hallows, The Amph, the Spirit Lake, and OFF LIMITS stages, igniting excitement for its return to Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida, from Thursday, October 30 – Sunday, November 2, 2025.

This year’s bill spans the full spectrum of sound, bringing together world-renowned artists and emerging talent across electronic, jam, funk, and more – featuring a mix of debut performances and genre-blurring sets that capture the spirit of Hulaween. This lineup represents a cross-section of popular music, with something for everyone. Yes, camp is stupid fun but we’re here for the music.

Wook Wranglers Top 10 Artists to See at Hulaween

  • The String Cheese Incident: At the end of the day, this is a String Cheese festival and Saturday date night cover set is a nonnegotiable. Sunday Cheese is known as the frisbee set. Grab your disk and join the fun. There always manages to be some surprises along the way.
  • Joe Russo’s Almost Dead: JRAD is critical to have on the lineup because they bring all the hippies, and who’s more fun to camp with? Remember that Terrapin Station a couple of years ago? The truth is, a JRAD show at Suwannee is a great place to find all the Florida heads.
  • Dogs in a Pile: Merging funk, jazz, and rock and roll with psychedelia, they present a completely original vibe built on kaleidoscopic soundscapes eerily reminiscent of the days of yesteryear. These guys have certainly been staying busy lately and now they land in the middle of Live Oak.
Molly and Shelby, Hulaween 2022. Photo by Jason Nail
  • Molly Tuttle: Who can forget Molly’s set with Golden Highway on the main stage? Shakes D. Clown? One pill makes you smaller.
  • The Infamous Stringdusters with Sierra Hull: Travis Book and the boys teaming up with Sierra Hull for some serious bluegrass stylings. Hulaween’s lineup is always a fusion of eclectic choices. One can always expect to go home with some new favorites.
  • Anderson Paak: Hulaween is welcoming back the Paak, this time under the name DJ Pee. Wee. Something funky this way comes.
  • Future Joy: Remember Hula renegades with Zach and Emily in the Pine Field? Late night fun to be sure. This set will have some high energy so let loose.
  • Zed’s Dead: Characterized by a fluid fusion of various styles, primarily dubstep, drum and bass, and hip-hop, but also incorporates elements of electro house, trap, and deep house. They are known for experimenting with and defying genre boundaries, earning them a reputation as tastemakers in the bass music community. Get ready to get greasy.
  • LSZEE: This groundbreaking collaboration between two of the most in-demand, innovative artists in the electronic music world: LSDREAM and CloZee is just what the doctor ordered.
  • LSDREAM guided mediation: It might be time for a vibrational realignment. Don’t forget your yoga mat. This is a great opportunity for a Spanish pause in a torrent of stimuli.

At the heart of the festival, The Meadow will once again serve as Hulaween’s main stage, spotlighting massive performances from some of the biggest names in jam, electronic, and roots music. Anchored by six sets from The String Cheese Incident and two sets from Goose, the stage will also host ILLENIUMParcelsPigeons Playing Ping PongMolly TuttleGrace Bowers & The Hodge PodgeShadowgrass, and more. With dazzling production, fireworks, and a lush natural backdrop, The Meadow sets the tone for the festival’s most unforgettable moments.

Deep in The Hallows, Hulaween will showcase a lineup that balances jam favorites, psychedelic explorations, and bass-heavy experimentation. Highlights include two sets from The Disco Biscuits, a special two-hour set from Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and a one-of-a-kind Lightcode by LSDREAM guided mediation on Saturday, November 1, designed to offer festival-goers a soul reset as they recharge for the second half of the weekend. The stage will also feature Glass Beams, LSZEE (LSDREAM b2b CloZee), Arc de Soleil, Franc Moody, Jade Cicada, Mersiv, Tape B, Tape B b2b Mersiv, BALTHVS, Sunsquabi, Susto String Band, Dizgo, Heavy Pets, and WonkyWilla, making The Hallows a can’t-miss stop for adventurous sets that blur the lines between improvisation and electronic innovation.

The Amph stage promises nonstop energy and a genre-spanning soundtrack primed for dance floor moments. Leading the charge is DJ Pee .Wee, the vinyl-only alias of Anderson .Paak, alongside bass giants Zeds Dead, party-starters Disco Lines and Dr. Fresch, and UK garage favorite Sammy Virji. The stage will also showcase icons Digable Planets, plus a stacked mix of house and bass talent including ATRIP, it’s murph, Mary Droppinz, Westend, DOMii, Cole Knight, Burgundee, SML, Future Joy, OMA, OkayJake b2b STVSH, and more.

Over on the Spirit Lake stage, Hulaween’s immersive art and music playground will once again come alive with a genre-spanning mix of forward-thinking electronic artists and eclectic live acts. The 2025 lineup features Gorgon City, Tinlicker (DJ Set), Sultan + Shepard, Le Youth, Distinct Motive, Peekaboo, and moe. (two sets), alongside innovators like Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, The Infamous Stringdusters with Sierra Hull, Dogs in a Pile, and High Fade. Set against a backdrop of projection-mapped lakefronts, fire effects, towering sculptures, and interactive installations, Spirit Lake transforms into a surreal world where cutting-edge music and large-scale art converge.

Hulaween has once again joined forces with the women-owned and led event company DEFINE EVERYTHING FUTURE (DEF) to bring back the iconic OFF LIMITS stage, an intimate 360-degree fan experience that immerses festival-goers in the underground’s most in-demand sounds. This year’s lineup boasts BLOND:ISH, Odd Mob, YDG, Conducta, Ahadadream, Alex Wann, clubaction, Maz, Gia Nobody b2b Sol, and more, plus secret sets every night. Equipped with a Funktion-One sound system and pyro effects from Incendia, OFF LIMITS seamlessly merges DEF’s immersive production with Spirit Lake’s creative playground, featuring projection mapping, hypnotizing light shows, and interactive installations for a truly cutting-edge experience.

Hulaween 2025 kicks off on Thursday and returns with four immersive and fantastical themes, each offering a unique world for festival-goers to explore. The celebration begins with “Beyond the Radiant Veil: There’s No Place Like Home,” where the characters of Oz in masquerade gather at the intersection of light and shadow, inviting everyone to return home to the swamp reflectively. Next, “The Mad Hatter’s Purple Ball” plunges attendees down the rabbit hole into a cosmic, purple-hued gala of madness, blending whimsy, chaos, and a touch of Prince-inspired extravagance.

As the festival unfolds, “Vampires, Sinners, & Saints” sets the stage for a thrilling night where villains, heroes, angels, and monsters converge in a dance of light and darkness, inviting all to revel in a celebration of good, evil, and everything in between. Finally, Hulaween closes with “Wicked Dark Disco Circus,” a glittering finale of disco vibes, animal prints, and forest-dwelling freaks, uniting music, art, and wild creativity as the 12th annual celebration culminates in sequins, spectacle, and untamed energy.

Suwannee Hulaween campsite.
Suwannee Hulaween 2023.

Hulaween has teamed up with world-renowned artist Sangho Bang – whose collaborations include Rick & Morty, Adult Swim, Phish, Of The Trees, Fender, Adidas, and Justin Bieber – to release the first of three limited-edition screen prints and an exclusive online merch drop. The pre-sale window is open now through September 12, with shipping beginning in early October.

The good witch of the panhandle. Suwannee Hulaween.

Fans can shop online at Merch.Hulaween.com or pick up Sangho Bang’s hand-illustrated screen print posters on-site in limited-edition regular and foil variants. Two more screen prints and the rest of the 2025 festival collection, featuring additional artists, are coming soon, promising a full lineup of collectible art and merchandise for this year’s celebration.

Hulaween 2025 introduces Wizard Passes, offering new 2 and 4-person GA or GA+ glamping tents, plus add-ons for existing ticket holders. Designed for ease and comfort, each glamping package comes equipped with cozy bedding and throw blankets, bistro tables, bedside lighting, and a portable cooling unit, ensuring every detail keeps attendees comfortable while they dive deep into the Hulaween wonder.

HULAWEEN 2025 LINEUP

HEADLINERS (A-Z)
Disco Lines, DJ Pee .Wee (aka Anderson .Paak), Glass Beams, Goose (2x sets), ILLENIUM, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, LSZEE (LSDREAM + CloZee), Parcels, Sammy Virji, Tape B b2b Mersiv (plus solo sets), The Disco Biscuits (2x sets), The String Cheese Incident, Zeds Dead

SPECIAL GUESTS (A-Z)
Gorgon City, Jade Cicada, Tinlicker (DJ)

FEATURED SUPPORT (A-Z)
ATRIP, Alex Wann, Arc De Soleil, BLOND:ISH, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Digable Planets, Dogs In A Pile, Dr. Fresch, Franc Moody, it’s murph, Le Youth, Maz, moe. (2x sets), Molly Tuttle, Odd Mob, Peekaboo, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Sultan + Shepard (DJ set), The Infamous Stringdusters with Sierra Hull, Tractorbeam, Westend, YDG

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT (A-Z)
Afrobeta, Ahadadream, Anemoia, Annie Dukes, BALTHVS, Brad Miller Band, Borne, Burgundee, Captain Midnight, Club Action, Cole Knight, Colton Bowlin, Conducta, Distinct Motive, Dizgo, Domii, Future Joy, Gia Nobody b2b Sol, Gilberto 77, Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge, Jigitz, Linska, Marah, Mary Droppinz, Nikita, The Wicked, OkayJake b2b Stvsh, OMA, Parlor Greens, Prizilla, Shadowgrass, Shannon Lauren Callihan, Shima, SIPPY, SML, Sooza Brass Band, SunSquabi, Susto String Band, The Heavy Pets, The Snozzberries, Villager, Vincent Antone, Wes Pipes and WonkyWilla.

It’s a pirate’s life. Suwannee Hulaween 2024.

Suwannee Hulaween is one of the country’s last truly independent, large-scale music festivals, returning each fall to its beloved home at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. Since its inception in 2013, Hulaween has evolved into a premier cross-genre, Halloween-themed music and camping experience, known for curating an adventurous blend of electronic, jam, indie, bluegrass, funk, soul, and hip-hop. Anchored by festival founders The String Cheese Incident, the event has played host to over a decade’s worth of legendary performances from some of the most forward-thinking acts in modern music. Hulaween is also home to Spirit Lake, one of the most celebrated immersive art experiences in the American festival landscape. Featuring mind-bending projection mapping, interactive installations, and performances from multidisciplinary artists, Spirit Lake is a transformative playground where art and music collide. With its commitment to artistic expression, genre fluidity, and community-driven ethos, Hulaween continues to stand apart as a singular destination in the modern festival circuit.

See you soon.

 

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An Epistle On Your First Suwannee Hulaween https://wookwranglers.com/an-epistle-on-your-first-suwannee-hulaween/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=an-epistle-on-your-first-suwannee-hulaween Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:35:14 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=6749 Dearest Brie, I hope this finds you well. The kinfolk send their best and everyone...

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Dearest Brie,

I hope this finds you well. The kinfolk send their best and everyone misses you dearly. Hopefully, our prayers have been answered and your “girl places” have finally found themselves free of both wart and rash. Drunkle Cleophus got into the “juice” the other night after radio church and your name came up. The word on the street is that apparently you are planning on attending your first Suwannee Hulaween in Live Oak, Florida and golly, that is the best news. Considering what I’ve seen, I honestly didn’t think you had it in you but now it seems you are crossing Hula off your dance card of life. Most would agree that this is a significant step and jeepers, that’s what I call enthusiastic consent. This is an epistle straight from the heart. A missive. A critical letter on your first Suwannee Hulaween. Welcome to the bigs. If you can handle the truth, it’s time to show off what you’ve learned.

“So, what would you little maniacs like to do first? Get Weir’d, of course.”

Spirit Lake, Hulaween “23: photo by Aaron Bradley.

This Florida camping/music festival has continued to improve each year and one wonders if a zenith is necessary or possible. It’s so well run and from the inside, she feels like she’s in her prime. Last year was the tenth anniversary and the first time Spirit Lake wrapped all the way around. There’s bound to be more surprises at this year’s shindig.

The wrangler’s inaugural Hula heralds back to was 2017 and the camp at the Poncho Tree blended with Michigan wooks of the first order in a weekend that would change things forever. It was the Captain, Chey, Quinton, Adam, Trinket, Emma and a slough of other thugs who would become lifelong family. Be careful who you pick as neighbors because you might fall in love with them forever. “She’s into malakas, Dino!”

Don’t think of this as a cautionary tale but more of a trail of virtual bread crumbs that will serve as a virtual guidepost on your journey around Hulaween. There’s plenty to see and it’s alright to get lost in your own forest from time to time. Follow along, dear reader and enjoy the ride through the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park. This is what waits for you in the protective womb of the forest.

All work and no play makes jack a dull boy. Even the folks who don’t get all the way down still go fantastically hard. There’s not much room for sleep and that alone can wear a person down after a few days. How will you hold it together once the shadow people come calling? Indeed how? It’s important to remember that no one is really following you or cares what you are doing. Feel free to feel free.

Spirit Lake:  One of the cornerstones of Hula, the landscape around the central lake will explode into a mosaic of color and sound and it’s a lot to unpack. The Incendiary Stage now takes ownership of the southern shore of the lake and runs all night. Labarynths of color, fire shooting into the sky, black light fun. What the heliconia is going on here? Processors running at full bore and still nothing is making complete sense.

tent at Suwannee hulaween
Kamp Happiness, Suwannee Hulaween 2024. Photo by Lucienda Rosalita.

The Loop. The piercing high sound of a Frisbee slamming into the side of a recreational vehicle at three in the morning must be heard to be truly appreciated. The Loop along with the cabins is a place for travel trailers, motor homes, teardrops and all things in between. Please take off yours shoes before entering the cabin. Don’t you know dogs poop outside? No worries old chap, would you like a coffee and a dab? (Removes shoes and enters room. Scene.)

Cheese. Love. Once only a hushed whisper heard in the most rare and sinister circles, this mantra has now become a beacon of hope and a song on the voices of everyone. So much Cheese everywhere. Hard to fathom. The String Cheese Incident seems to be playing all the time. I understand they are all Cheese festivals but Hulaween really is. Buen queso una y otra vez. The Saturday night set is one of the best of the year and the Sunday set with Bob Weir is going to be a non-negotiable.

Welcome the shit show.

The Park. Take a left at the playground and visit FRS in the 80 Acres near Blanco’s mermaid pool. Once this neighborhood gets filled up one begins to understand how far the silliness goes in every direction. When we talk about great distances to cover, Suwannee is not nearly as punishing as many other sites. It’s all pretty close together and there are no mountains. Take a road soda and move at an easy pace. Swing in and meet your neighbors thinking, “What do I have to share?” Remember, this is not a parking lot, this is a campsite. No one checks your car on the way in and no one cares what you bring with you. Park directly next to your campsite and live the life you were meant to live. This is SOSMP. Music lives here.

Abandon hope all ye who enter here, Suwannee Hulaween. photo by Jason Nail

The River. It might be the only bath you take all week, but don’t wait till Sunday to visit the beach hippies at the river. Who knows what kind of trouble you’ll run into. Maybe if you sling that leg out somebody will give you a golf cart ride. Howdy sailor, going my way? Always be on the lookout for Pedro’s grit and slide.

The Bat House. Perched on the central crossroads in the middle of the Pine Field, the daily exodus of the bats from their perch into the forest is a spectacular show. Stand directly in their path and feel the sprinkles as little specs of guano rain upon ye.  Watch red shoulder hawks swoop in for a snack the river of bats. This is a special part of the Suwannee experience so don’t miss out.

Find Kendall and Kendall down by the Lost Pavilion on the way to the river. Some folks who shower enjoy those facilities down there the best of all of them. Lucienda enjoyed showering, she really did. But showers for her were usually relegated to times when things were particularly docile or for medicinal reason like a serious need to get clean and “bounce back” in a formidable way.

Spirit Lake at Suwannee Hulaween.
Spirit Lake at Suwannee Hulaween.

This is the house that Bear Creek built. WANEE, Roots and many more of the best camping/music festivals anywhere. Hulaween is in that category. This is the home of VASSAR Sunday and one of the most serious musical legacies anywhere. Generations of music festival lovers have made the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park their home. She remembered back when the drum circle in the far end of the field would start up as soon as the music on stage ended. Many were the nights she would fall asleep in her own golf cart only to wake up in someone else’s. Curiouser and curiouser. Honest mistake your honor.

After pride cometh the fall and Clayopheus would be proud of you. Shawsville, Virginia thugs have always created a wide footprint at Hulaween. It’s true. They would show up with venison stew and morels ready  to absolutely stomp on the terra. Lord Buckley said that. Then, in an unconscious stupor, they would roll off the roof of their heavy Chevy into the soft Florida dirt. Rinse and repeat.

KMag, Suwannee Hulaween 2017.

Hobo Kamp. The ideas for the earliest versions of the homestead herald back to Sarah F. and Lightnin’ and although they always try to camp at the Poncho Tree, Buddha reminds us that the only thing that’s permanent is impermanence. Another great thing about SOSMP is that just about every campsite is shady and delicious, like you. From Hippy Trail to the Bird Sanctuary, no matter how much money you have, everyone gets the same great spot. Swing by Kafe Bonheur make the acquaintance of Mateo, lil D-Big Arrel and the rest of Cheese. Love. Sauce, The Kitty Titties and the literal gutter of the Pine Field. Kick of your shoes and sit a while.

Music. Saturday date night with Cheese is one of the banginest sets of the year. It usually involves some kind of covers set and a visual spectacle hard that’s hard fathom. Sploosh. Bro, do you even Tipper? Your inflatable couch appears to have a slow leak. Black Pumas, Clozzee, Umphries McGee, Greensky, Of the Trees, Sublime, Chris Lake, Cory Wong, Daily Bread, G Jones, A Hundred Drums, Andy Frasco, Sam Grisman Project (Ed. note-this will be my first show #happyface), Manic Focus, The Ain’t Sisters, Kamp Happiness Family Jam and more than you can get to. The next time someone whines about festival ticket prices, show them this lineup. The math checks out brocephus.

Right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pedro’s Trash Heap of Whimsy. Rumor has it that Pedro the Greasiest Mexican brought zero trinkets back from Burning Man for the Circle K? Hagglin’ Post or even her trash heap but fear not, the word on the street is that Lucy and the Lemon Merchant brought plenty of Phish schmatta back from Mondegreen. Get ready Trey fans. He sees you.

Many people who wander are completely lost. Sometimes it’s alright to get turned around in your own forest. You never know who you’ll meet. If things get weird, sit down for a minute in the forest, take a tick and pull the soldiers back together. After that, skip to and continue forward. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. And remember, if you’re lost and always running into the same campsites all night, take a different path at the next crossroads.

Spirit Lake, Suwannee Hulaween 2017. Photo by Jason Nail

Visit the Suwannee Hulaween site for tickets, information and all the virtual goodness that’s fit to fill a croaker sack. Keep up with current events on their social media sites at Facebook, Instagram and X. Revisit some of the frivolity of yesteryear in the depths of the wranglers archives. 2023 Immersion Therapy, Ten Years of Hulaween, 2022 Dance of the Monkey Kings, 2021 Cheese. Love. Sauce., 2018 Kamp Ha Penis Dumpster Fire. This is the way.

For many, this is one of the cornerstones music festivals of the year and being from this part of the world, we serve as stewards of the forest and party. Find Kamp Happiness in the Pine Field and if you be a wheeler-dealer, bring your tradeablers for the Circle K? Hagglin’ Post. See you in the forest. Keep up with the wranglers as we evolve south for the winter months and begin to create the 2025 dance card and our ten year anniversary, whirlwind of disaster tour.

Now you know what you’re in for Brie. Hulaween on your horizon and you will be forever changed. Look for the kinfolk at the Kamp Happiness Hobo Kamp at the Poncho Tree. I think you remember where it is. As for me, I’ve got to go, the chickens are chasing the Chihuahua and one of the youngins is stuck in the well again. See you soon. I love you.

 

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Immersion Therapy at Suwannee Hulaween “23 https://wookwranglers.com/immersion-therapy-at-suwannee-hulaween-23/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=immersion-therapy-at-suwannee-hulaween-23 Fri, 10 Nov 2023 14:39:33 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=5305 There is a deep creak of rusted hinges as you slowly press forward the ancient...

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There is a deep creak of rusted hinges as you slowly press forward the ancient oak. Curiosity overtakes you and an unnamed force pulls you ever nearer to its alien source. Once inside, you are closer to the din of insane laughter accompanied by a deeper, constant hum coming from even further away. More of a feeling than a sound, it is the thundering boom of bass decks and their resonance traveling through the veins of the earth to enter at your feet and slide right up your entrada gratis. Let go of your fears for this is Suwannee Hulaween and it is the medicine to cure all ailments. Strike man strike! Expose thyself and allow the healing waters of the spring to do their magick. Bienvenido a la fiesta grande. It is fully exposed and completely immersive, and this the circus for which you are looking.

The ten year anniversary the of Full Moon Family Reunion brought everything to the hagglin’ table and produced one of the slickest music festivals of all time. Improving on an already crystalline formula, Hula continues to get better each year and everyone, from the professional cuddlers to the river pirates raised the ante and doubled on the bet. The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park fam reached new heights with this addition of the annual Halloween festival and, once again the forests and fields served as a perfect backdrop for the countless adventures and experiences that would materialize under the magical beauty of the cypress trees. The weather was perfect all week in Live Oak reminding us why it’s perfect time for the annual shift to the tropics. For many of the Hulaween faithful, the Spirit of the Suwwannee Music Park is home and in the words of Shanaenae of Free Range Strange, at their Friday set on the Campground Stage, “It’s good to be home.” Let go. Bats aren’t real. Wade in the water. This is Immersion Therapy at Suwannee Hulaween “23. We are not human traffic cones. This is our time. This is our place. This is our story.

Hulaween “23: photo by Aaron Bradley

Immersion/Exposure Therapy? A phobia is an anxiety disorder involving excessive and persistent fear of a situation or object. Exposure to the source of the fear can trigger an immediate anxiety response. Immersion therapy is a psychological technique which allows a patient to overcome fears and can be used for anxiety and panic disorders. How many people at the show can get uncomfortable in large crowds? Get ready to face all of your phobias. Dirt? Loud noises? Ground glitter? Hulaween is bubbling, frothing ready to address all of your psychoanalytic needs and show you how really silly the whole thing can be. Just lie back and let it happen. The doctor is in.

C’mon now. The yoke was never supposed to be that heavy. What would be the point in something like that? Call it creative design but let’s assume the universe was written with more elaborate purpose. Mixed in with the call to arms, there is surely a time for celebration, frivolity and fun. Get out of the head. Do the work. Breath. Stay up all night. Sing. Dance. Let go. Serve. Embrace the ego death. Dip your balls in it. Suwannee Hulaween celebrated its ten year anniversary with a Full Moon Family Reunion that took everything Hula has learned in a decade and rolled it all into one overstuffed burrito of high-science, sharp fun. It was a heaping spoonful of high exposure and data overload, yes and thank you. Your pleasure is my time. The lineup was filled with four straight days of eclectic, gender-bending music, artists, vending, food, friends and loose side adventures.The String Cheese Incident and Pretty Lights anchored a list that included Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, Free Range Strange, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, JRAD, Lespecial, John Summit, Dispatch and a metric ton of more. For goodness sake and criminy peat, what else could you need?

Prologue. Lucy and Baitbucket stopped in Rome, Georgia for a few days of stagehand work and were going to be dangerously tardy for homesteading property in the Farm Field. They had somewhere around thirty people coming to camp near the shade of the Poncho Tree so there was definitely work to be done. The Pine and Farm Field is covedeth land and fortunately the greasiest Mexican came Sunday early and worked with Lil d Big Arel from Cheese. Love. Sauce. to rope off some plantation land, near the Titty Kitties (always) and across the street from Mateo and the River Pirates in the Pine Field. Location, location, location. One can just see this place turning into Asheville. Sure to sellout the first chance they get. They come early and like hummingbirds and salmon, return to the same spots every year so they can mate and die. It’s important the Shady Witch of the Panhandle can find Kamp Happiness within the flashing mural of pounding madness. Hippies use front door. You should check it out. It’s pretty inviting. All are welcome.

Kamp Happiness at Hulaween “23: photo by the Hurt Locker

Hobo Kamp homesteaded a sliver of land at the Poncho Tree and set up shop in original Kamp Happiness settlement. The Hurt Locker landed near the bat house crossroads and homesteaded a sizable patch right on main street. Somewhere between Major Malfunktion and Live Oak, there came a tear in her in her inflatable rainbow. Somehow Baitbucket was going to have to shift the blame to Boston and Sam. It would be easy. They were a known pair of degenerates and admitted criminals. Richmond trash book ended the strip with Kiera and Q the Roanoke Mafia at the other end. Thanks to Pedro and Lil d for saving space in the Pine Field which filled up quickly. Thanks to the unpaid, unsung minions who helped people find places to park without upsetting each other or the natural balance. Wednesday is easy when level heads prevail and isn’t it in the best interest of the park that we take an ownership role and become stewards of our own forest? You already know. The math checks out.


From Stephen Barry.
Missed Connection:
To the young lady who thought her tambourine sounded good with all the music performances…
You’re wrong.
Stop doing that.
Don’t call me.

Golf cliches? Rockford’s favorite son, Señor Bitchell, the Chillicothe Kid and Sergeant at Arms for the Order of the Wilted Lilly, showed up with a loose O ring and his usual professional, gitterdun attitude. Evidence would show he was singularly responsible for the lip sore shared by most of the camp throughout the week. Dress for the job you want, not the one you have. He also contributed to Bfly’s cafeteria and along with Q, the first KH Street Kitchen was born. Yes, those petals are soft and edible. Push button, drink beer.
Friends of the Bastard Pedro, Hulaween “23

Wednesday. Data Overload. Encroachment Issues and More…

It was still early in terms of the festival marathon, but there were times Wednesday night when Lucy began to experience slight data overload. All things being said, it was still manageable but she could see that sensory input and waves were beginning to come at her with increased frequency.  She would use breathing exercises all weekend when she needed to control her heart rate or internal temperature. Navy Wook Seal exercises for festival success. Write that down.

 

The eye of the storm. Spirit Lake at Hulaween “23: photo by J.Nail

He was afraid to open the antique suitcase. He could only dare to imagine what was inside? A raping ball of black mambas? Roasted monkey nuts? It was stenciled with their emblem y Mateo. It would prove to be a Linda piano accordion from Italy mixed with a dense black mold that would later and forever imprint his mother’s guest room. It was as wide as a Plymouth and twice as heavy. It was providence that it was always going to end up with Mateo, who ended up with his lightning bolt jacket from Rum 132.

World’s worst ambassador “puts the lotion on the pig.”

Ryan Mason coined the look of the high vis vest. Where did the radios even come from? Who was he actually speaking to? It was connected to someone at Cheese. Love. Sauce. Maybe? Who were they? “It puts the lotion on the pig?” and other hideous, whispering sounds. What did it mean? Audio hallucination had begun to seep into the fold.

Golly. Don’t worry there old chap. It’s not just you. Everyone is having a psychotic episode. It’s all happening at the same time and it’s your turn to push through. Moonspittle approached Pedro’s garbage patch asking for an escort back to Hippy Trail. One of the pleasures of any busy festival is the chance to have one-on-one walks with friends and a little time to visit. The sunrise conversations over gateway specialty cocktails like potato salad coladas and Bloody Marys iced with dirt and ash. Hulaween fancy.

Baitbucket had made a gentleman’s agreement with the neighbors on what would constitute the property line between the two camps. EJ pulled in with hashtag vanlife and ripped back into her usual spot with veracious impunity. Reports that she’d been lost to the loop had been thankfully exaggerated. She was back in the woods with her people. Shortly after, several long recreation vehicles sat blinking in the middle of the fire lane, waiting for someone to move the van, to which EJ and her keys were nowhere to be found. Baitbucket opted to remove himself from the scene and hide at the Hurt Locker on the other side of the field. At precisely the same time, the chicken bus trying to back into a sliver of space behind the Oldsmowagon smashed the pile of Pedro’s possessions with its quarter panel, sending the rest of her junk into the antique grotto and trash emporium. They appeared to be losing control of the area. As so far it had been kept organized and calm but chaos was slowly creeping in. Like Bedouin traders living in a gypsy paradise. Never miss a Wednesday show.

Monroe County thugs at Hulaween “23:

When the shadow people come calling,  through one over your shoulder and help someone find a place to park. There’s room for everyone who uses their inside voice, otherwise your campsite could be the site of a sunrise megaphone meditation of bull whip clinic. Live Oak tribe grew up here. They are the workers, the pirates, the camp musicians. Professional tweakers of the spunion tribe.

Ingress

Wednesday night at Hulaween is the preparty of all functions. As vehicles begin filling in the corners and encroachment issues ensue, patience is a virtue. Chasity (not ChasTity) and her late-night joyrides to the airstrip set the low-bar standard for the entire weekend. She lost her festival bracelet as early as Tuesday? She even took Pedro, Baitbucket and Gandalf the Fuzzy to swipe the production Jolly Roger across town. They were run off by production security but there were still a couple more hours until sunrise and Mexicans don’t sleep.

The Art of the Low Wave and Lost Dreams. Hannah Montana from Cheese. Love. Sauce.? We’ve got some more questions for you cowgirl. Now there is someone with a good head on her shoulders. Finally, someone at that camp that makes an iota of sense. It can be difficult to sleep when one arrives at Suwannee. Lucy had already seen a great deal in the last few days but when asked to elaborate and put words to the memories they just came out in the form of spit bubbles. Dripping from the crusty corners of her mouth and the bloated, yellow tongue lined fresh with sores. Her body was rejecting the witches brew of poisons she was ingesting at previously unheard of rates. They did manage to leave $40 for the coochie couch they popped with their bodaciousness. It was the Hula of lost dreams. Bingo never happened. She never manned the trading post or cooked a single meal despite bringing enough perishable food to feed an army. Katie Majik would have called it the cooler of good intentions.

@everydayresesearch

The White Ninja was hiding in plain sight. They’d camped next to he and the Roberto at Elements and accepted the invite to Hulaween. Good idea Francisco. It boggles the mind how KH could miss Tristan and Cat completely but the White Ninja could run into his ex girlfriend seven times a day. Just lucky I guess. Likely he got tossed and ended up at the Billy Strings/Sierra squared WrestleMania.

Nothing all weekend could ever be as immersive and outlandishly beautiful as Spirit Lake. The Hulaween interactive art area was the most expansive version ever, covering more space and with more to see. Data overload. At times all one could do is sigh and smile with a pleasant sense of disbelief at the immense production value. The Mural Maze, Incendia Stage and speakeasy were filled with all manner of strange and pleasantly warped distractions and it’s easy to see the love put into each attraction.
El Scorpio screamed, “Keep your head on a swivel. There are shoplifters about!” The Circle K? Trading Post was getting picked clean by varmints. It’s an absolute zoo. Dock that guy a day’s pay for nappin’ on the job. Obviously, there’s a chink in the armor. Call security, the thinly dressed therapist needs to be enthusiastically frisked.
2:45
Lucy needed to sleep for a few hours, the voices were getting louder now and the shadow people were closing in. There was a stink coming from her back that followed her around. Do you smell it? It’s like death. If I go to bed for a few hours will it go away? Absolutely sir. Don’t forget, pressure creates diamonds.
Goose at Hulaween “23: photo by Tara Gracer.
The Cheese “Moon” set was a blistering example of what the String Cheese Incident brings to the table Saturday night at Hulaween. Consistently one of the most fun sets of the year, it did not disappoint. Walking on the Moon, by the Police and Spanish Moon by Little Feat were fan favorites in a set filled with fun.
The Soundship Spacesystem Tour. They were strolling calmly to their first-ever Pretty Lights set and as El Scorpio heard the “Midnight Rider/Cocaine” mash up he began running through the vending area waving his arms like a majorette. Through only the braided coincidence that Hula can offer, they all ended up at the Torch party at the letter H. Pretty Lights brought the funkiest of sets turning otherwise normal people into  monkeys. Believe what you want. Sunday was even more hippy perfection as Pretty Lights dropped into a “Shakedown Street” that had the wooks coming out of their union suits and lederhosen. At the Pretty Lights set, Lucy took a spill on the hill near the HULA sign. Your honor, the ground there was simply not level. Sometimes a person takes a fall and fortunately there’s no one around to witness it, this was not like thatin the slightest. She was facing uphill and thumping to that Saturday night set and backed up over a couple ladies that were seated on the ground. The impact was recorded by seismographs as far away as Austin, Texas and all she could do was make a peace offering in the form of her hippy-camouflage pine cone necklace groundscored from Secret Dreams. Baby steps back to the elevator…
Spirit Lake at Hulaween “23: photo by The Hurt Locker

7:50

Seat’s Taken. Did you witness the various iterations of Forrest Gump running around the venue with runner, table tennis, Vietnam, Bubba Gump… all zipping alone through the campsites and coming together in the venue.

At some point he believed the Iceman was trying to smuggle himself in or was lurking about and using the megaphone he put a bounty on his head hoping to influence some kind of man-hunt. It was all for moot. No one was actually listening and subsequently the megaphone was taken away and returned to its rightful owners. Sad face emoji. Tough titty said the kitty but the milk tastes good.


From Matthew Kabb.
Missed Connection:
I’m looking for my Glory hole Whippit Cinderella. I first tried to get anyone’s attention by sticking the nozzle out the VIP fence off Stable Road to no avail. I blurted out “glory hole whippit” to which you responded “seriously” I answered “yes” and you worked your mouth up on my nozzle and took half the canister before finishing it off on a second hit and wandering off into the night. I know it was a anonymous but I need to know, are you out there my Glory hole Whippet Cinderella?

What’s the rumpus? It may have been a rumor but how about Manic Focus covering Rage Against the Machine? Pigeons covering Pink Floyd as the original Monkey King’s favorite set of the weekend? Golly. By this time Pedro likely had sepsis and needed a hip replacement. She was too weak to lift herself from the ball pit and had to be exhumed by Bfly. Her mustache was silted with a fine layer of Daytona dry wall and her left eye had begun to twitch violently.
Baitbucket lost his megaphone when the two hot girls with the tequila took Mateo’s golf cart. He later stole Mateo’s megaphone and covered it with stickers so it would look like his own. Strange how these things happen. Had someone used it, it would have been easy to locate. Stolen or lost, like so much self-respect.
All criss cross, no applesauce.
Uncle Les at Hulaween “23: photo by Aaron Hughes
In the gathering of lovers,
there is no high, no low,
no smart, no ignorant, no special assembly,
no grand discourse, no proper schooling required.
There is no master, no disciple.
This gathering is more like a drunken party,
full of tricksters, fools, mad men and mad women.
This is a gathering of lovers.
– Rumi

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Spirit Lake Announcements for Hulaween “23 https://wookwranglers.com/spirit-lake-announcements-for-hulaween-23/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=spirit-lake-announcements-for-hulaween-23 Thu, 12 Oct 2023 21:01:59 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=5295 Suwannee Hulaween celebrates its 10th anniversary by unveiling Spirit Lake’s immersive art programming for the...

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Suwannee Hulaween celebrates its 10th anniversary by unveiling Spirit Lake’s immersive art programming for the first-time ever.

Hulaween’s coveted Spirit Lake is heralded as one of the leading immersive art experiences across American festivals, brimming with talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, thespians, craftsman, and lighting designers

Spirit Lake’s offerings are typically kept secret ahead of the festival, but Hulaween has revealed its programming in honor of its decade milestone. The festival will feature 10 new installations for the 10 year anniversary.

Musical headliners include festival originators The String Cheese Incident, Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, John Summit, Elderbrook, Big Wild, Channel Tres, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Smino, Dispatch, and two sets from electro-soul pioneer Pretty Lights

Thursday, October 26 – Sunday, October 29, 2023 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida

Tickets are 99% sold out

Suwannee Hulaween will celebrate its tenth-year anniversary from Thursday, October 26 – Sunday, October 29, 2023, returning home to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. As one of the last truly independent, large-scale music festivals thriving amongst today’s corporatized concert landscape and selling out its last five events, Hulaween will commemorate a decade of success with one of the most exciting editions yet.

Headliners for the 2023 edition include six sets from festival founders The String Cheese IncidentTrey Anastasio BandGooseJohn SummitElderbrookBig WildChannel TresLes Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog BrigadeJoe Russo’s Almost DeadSminoDispatch, and an exclusive East Coast festival appearance from Pretty Lights with 2 sets.

Hulaween’s coveted Spirit Lake is heralded as one of the leading immersive art experiences across American festivals, brimming with talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, thespians, and lighting designers. Attendees can revel in lakefront projection mapping, hypnotizing light shows, interactive installations with both visual and performance art, and catch performances at Spirit Lake’s four stages.

To celebrate the decade milestone, Spirit Lake has unveiled a comprehensive list of art programming for the first time in Hulaween’s history. While the festival would typically keep all art programming a secret for attendees until they arrived on-site, this year each artist and art collective will be credited across the festival app, website, onsite signage, and more. There are a number of Spirit Lake classics that will be returning for Hulaween’s 2023 edition including the highly-anticipated daily projection mapping from professionals Jasper & Shelby Mosher.

Hulaween fan-favorite and highly recognized art stage concept Incendia from Cory Glenn will return to once again ignite the dance floor. Serving as one of the stages of Spirit Lake, Incendia’s unique design utilizes a proprietary fire-capturing technique to create an illuminating glow that provides an unparalleled ambiance for the crowd.

The infamous Frick Frack Black Jack led by Marvelous Marv will once again return to Hulaween as the no cash, no limit blackjack game. The Frick Frack brand has grown to land across various festivals across the United States and continues to provide an enthralling and quirky experience for attendees.

The Mural Maze collection originated at the debut edition of Hulaween and has continued to grow in size over the past decade. Sprawling across 15,000 square feet, this installation provides an immersive experience for attendees and exposure and growth for visual artists. This year’s Mural Maze will be led by Ania Amador. This year The Mural Maze is expanding to include lounge and workshop space Deliberate Creation Station, The Gallery displaying artwork, and the Hydration Station.

Paul Kuhn aka Twelve Limbs Art Studio will bring back the highly-captured large-scale sculptural pieces including the Witch, Ogres, The Ferryman, and more.

Duende Builds will bring back the sustainability-built Birdhouses to Hulaween which are crafted from locally harvested natural materials to create something organically beautiful for the festival’s vast art installation display.

Additional returning installations include Thomas Dambo’s The Spider, Efren Rebugio Jr & Chris Robertson’s Haunted House, Ashley Spero’s Spero Totems, Lost Creations’ House of Lost, and Spirit Lake deco design by RÜTS.

This year will feature a selection of 10 brand-new art installations and concepts that will contribute to making this the largest Spirit Lake ever.

Tyler Schrader will debut a double-sided, interactive, wooden LED sculpture known as The Cosmic Portal which will feature 5,000 LEDs with the other side projection-mapped. It is equipped with a device that detects electrical variations of plants, translating them into vibrations, audio, and visual experiences that encourage attendees to reconnect with nature through the use of technology.

Considered ambassadors of Mexico abroad, the monumental Alebrijes are created by mixing pictorial and sculptural elements of contemporary art by the artist Emanuel Zarate Ortiz. These breathtaking installations are meant to honor tales of traditional Mexican storytelling, and inspire spiritually expansive messages to the Hulaween attendees.

Essi Rhodes’ installation titled Chatterpillars will consist of two human-size caterpillars meant to inspire a change in perspective. Fans can interact with the installation by talking into the caterpillar’s mouth so that a friend or stranger on the other side can hear their thoughts, creating a sort of childhood playground nostalgia.

In an effort to recycle those old style tube televisions, Save the TV’s Irregular Scheduled Programming will utilize these electronics to breathe life into a new display that strives to make people think twice before discarding junk and old electronics.

Subloominal & Voxeleyes will showcase interactive bioluminescent mushrooms in their Bioshroom display which are created by growing and foraging real mushrooms that are 3D scanned and digitally sculpted to be 3D printed. The artists then add LEDs and proximity sensors that will lend a unique visual component to Spirit Lake for Hulaween patrons.

Fans can look forward to more installations such as Daniel Shields’ UV reactive Portal Prism, Charlie BlackCat Smith’s flame-infused interactive steel sculpture, The Fleeble Flobbler, Tyson Ayers’ The Sound Cave, Gnome Village Minis from John Grillo, a unique Campground Stage Design from Hannah Miller and Justin Bolognino, and brand design + illustration from Young & Sick.
At the helm of this new era for Spirit Lake is the new Creative Director, Justin Bolognino who is the CEO and co-founder of META. The company creates live, multi-sensory experiences that use technology, design, and storytelling to ignite the human senses and spirit. Bolognino’s previous work consists of designing immersive artistic experiences in collaboration with artists such as Skrillex, Phish, Questlove, Porter Robinson, Tiësto, and many more. In addition to working with musical acts, META also has various brand clients such as Google, Spotify, Samsung, Vimeo, and more. Gearing up for his first Hulaween edition as Spirit Lake’s Creative Director, Bolognino has fortified the classic installations that fans have come to know and love as well as curating 10 additional installations and experiences.

Spirit Lake has become such a vital part of Hulaween’s identity with its staggering list of art installations and activities that keep fans mesmerized year after year.

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Ten Years of Suwannee Hulaween https://wookwranglers.com/ten-years-of-suwannee-hulaween/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ten-years-of-suwannee-hulaween Mon, 21 Aug 2023 21:38:29 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=4641 Welcome back festivarians to Live Oak, Florida and the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, where...

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Welcome back festivarians to Live Oak, Florida and the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, where on October 26-29, 2023, Suwannee Hulaween descends for the tenth anniversary of this world-famous, slap yo mama good, music and arts festival. How do you like your Cheese. Stringy of course with a funkalicious Saturday dance set and a Sunday afternoon frisbee set. JRAD? Pretty Lights? Something for all the hippies. Live Oak, this is where music lives. Ten Years of Suwannee Hulaween. You know what we do here. If you don’t, then find out. Build it. Withers to brisket, with an attention to detail. Dance on it. Use it up and tear it down. Ten years of Suwannee Hulaween. Fiesta de lo extraño. Party of the strange.

When people agree that Hula is their favorite music and camping festival, they say it with a conviction reserved for the few, crystalline certainties. And with pride as lifelong Floridians and Southerners, calling this our home festival and contributing to the ultimate spectacle. Your welcome. Your time is our pleasure.

Spirit Lake, Hulaween “16. photo by Tristan Walsh

A thousand apologies dear reader if the records of these events appear out of sequence. The anachronism can be attributed to ego death and the collateral ilk. Late nights, chemical toilets and sunrise sets. As with all things, time and the Hulaweens coalesce into one long happy, party memory. You’re welcome. Bet.

Kateesha Majik, Hulaween 2017. photo by Lucienda Rosalita

In no uncertain terms, the wook wranglers were born under the shade of the turkey oaks at Hulaween. It was Lil D-Big Arrel from Cheese. Love. Sauce. who first coined the phrase as the hippies passed out in groundscored beach chairs failed to respond to the cracking of the kangaroo whip. Cypher, Quinton, Emma Jay, The Captain, Cheyenne, Clayopheus the Sacred, Fooboo, Thatcher Owen Mullins and all the rest. These are ten years worth of memories and an inkling to the portent of this year’s potential.

Git on wooks!

Anybody that’s been to the Sprit of Suwanne Music Park on the last weekend of October can tell you, it only gets better ever year. Suwannee Hulaween is ready to celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary with historic, genre-bending lineup. Following a five-year hiatus, electro-soul pioneer Pretty Lights will headline Hulaween as his only East Coast festival performance on his Soundship Spacesystem Tour. Goose, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, John Summit, Trey Annastasio Band along with the Cheese set the mark high for this year’s music. It’s more music than one can get to. Check out the rest of the insane lineup here.

Spirit Lake at Suwannee Hulaween. photo by Jason Nail

Trinketz VIP Dance Party. We didn’t build the fire. No wait. We sure did. Keep your eyes peeled for Asheville’s favorite sister, Trinket and her amazing dance party. Sorry fellas, you must have the proper lanyard to enter and if you get the green light, please take off your shoes. Look for feathers in her dreadlocks and bones in her nose.

The Triforce. Cheese. Love. Sauce., The Titty Kitties. Hobo Kamp. It all comes together this year in one delicious burrito. Michigan wooks. Adam’s Breath balloons, no deals. This is the ant bed you made. Sleep in it. This was where Emma Jay came into the fold, noob that she was, now an expert festivarian. Look for her renegade vending somewhere deep in the woods with the forest people. These are professional rocket hippies to be sure. “Experienced” campers that know how to skate the fine line between classy and thugish behavior. Let them pave the way and learn from their experience. (Ed. pro tip- Early entry on Wednesday (which is a must) costs $40 with the purchase of a four-day ticket. Every day before that is only ten dollars a day. For $70 Join Kamp Happiness Sunday prior for a few extra days of set up and helping to lay the groundwork for the adventure to come.)

Molly and Shelby, Suwannee Hulaween 2022. photo by Jason Nail

Tickets on sale now right here.

The Roanoke Mafia. Since its inception, the wook wranglers have celebrated their continued membership in the Roanoke Mafioso. Riding mules and hauling their wagons, half of them would come down for MagnoliaFest and the other half would arrive two weeks later for Hula. Octobers are pretty special in Live Oak. They come because it represents a place where dreams come true. Where every fantasy can become real in just a few seconds. Don’t ask how it happens. There is no lost and found for the ego.

Suwannee River Fairies, 2017.

Visit some of the other Hulaween contributions from the wrangler archives like Dance of the Monkey Kings, Cheese. Love. Sauce. and The Kamp Ha Penis Dumpster Fire. Explore the interweb and check out our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. We will stay in the eye wall of the Hulaween virtual fun as we focus on the artists and other contributors as we gear up for the event. Stay focused grasshopper.

The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground is an 800-acre campground located on the historic banks of the Suwannee River. Boat launch on site, bring your canoe or kayak and take a stroll along this beautiful cypress tree lined piece of North Florida. Bring the family and enjoy great fresh water fishing, wildlife habitat, or play our disc golf course through the pines and oaks. With miles of trails, hiking, bicycling, and golf cart rides are one of the many great ways to see the outdoors.

Thomas Dambo, Hulaween 2017. photo by Giterdun Turner

Something for every hippy. Hulaween doesn’t know you and she doesn’t care what kind of music you like. She’s going to make a warm poridge steeped with jam band, bluegrass, bass, house, deep house, dubstep, techno, electric, progressive house, electro house, trap, trance, progressive trance, psychidelic trance, yacht rock and divorce core and she’s going to pour it over your face. Get ready. The man thinks he’s going for that Saturday night Cheese show but he doesn’t yet understand the Pretty Lights bass thumping that’s going to leave the decks traveling across the field, up his leg and right into his tan starfish. Your welcome.

Call me Swiss cause I be Cheesin’.

Do not mess around and miss out on the world famous Kamp Happiness Circle K? Trading Post and Hagglin’ Table. That’s right. Five square feet of some of the silliest and most extra-special collectibles this side of a Spanish flea market. When leave one-take one blankets aren’t enough, come to the hagglin’ table where every transaction is supervised by one of our trained staff of professionals. Treasures await you.


Spacebug and Clayopheus. Hula “17. photo by Lance Armstrong

Stop what you’re doing. Hulaween is proud to host the Spirit of Suwannee favorites, Free Range Strange. Sunny Rae, the Savage and the rest of the bunch will bring their high-energy twist on folk, bluegrass and jam-rock to the party. What does the lumberjack say? Wait for his lighting shreddage and the late-night, campfire jams. Don’t sleep on this one. Always a strange time.

Get lost. Don’t be afraid to get lost at Suwannee. That’s part of the fun to get completely turned around in the forest and happen upon all matter of unexpected surprises. Renegade stages, hidden passages and secret rooms. Find your way to The Loop and visit with the beautiful people. Check out the VIPness and make your way down to the river. Monday is a big river day at Hulaween. Don’t be afraid to stay one more night and play groundscore bingo. It’s all out there, you just have to poke around.

Hulaween, one can make anything happen. All you have to do is pretend it and it becomes real. Molly Tuttle talked about it after their secret set in 2022. Few places so easily invite this unusual behaviro where the concept of reality becomes relative and subject to interpretation. Join the collective ego-death over the course of the week and remember what the best version of yourself looks like. It looks good on you.

(Ed pro tip. Take a trip inside the SOS Cafe and Music hall for the breakfast buffet, live music or just a cool place to sit and enjoy a cocktail or a draft brew. It also hosts one of the nicest water closets in the park. It’s right next door to the laundry so you can relax at the bar whilst your clothes get warshed.)

Spirit Lake, Suwannee Hulaween. photo by Jason Nail 2017.

Spirit Lake. By day the ladies of the Complimentary Bar are flashing their pearly whites and by night, the Frick Frack table draws in the suckers ready to part with their treasures. Gambling is an addiction. Sit a spell with the swamp monster or venture through one of the many art installations that are just ready to blow your mind. Make your way to the Spirit Lake stage for intimate jams and be on the look out for silent disco. It’s an endless parade of fun in every direction and serious adventure awaits.

Location. Location. Location. The park has so many different great places to camp and they all offer something different. Whether it’s with Tristan and Cat in the Renaissance, Moonshine Gary in the cottages, Zach and Emily in the Bird Sanctuary, Tim and Sunny at 80 acres, Billy in The Loop, Matt near the Bat House, Lucy on Hippy Trail, Luke Sidewalker at Spirit Lake, Thatch at the horse stables or Bonnie in the VIPness, nowhere is safe. It depends on what style of camping you’re looking for. Some folks like to get back in the woods, away from the party, giving you the option to join the fray and then retreat back into your sanctuary. Some people like to be in the mix. Kamp Happiness likes to be in the eye wall of the storm and the original settlement around the Poncho Tree near the intersection of the Pine Field and the Farm Field remains. It’s in the shade, not too far from the Bill Monroe Pavilion, where it remains today. Come early and join the fun at 101 Happy St. Anyone that wants to leave can just step over the line.

Thanks again for making the wranglers the Orion Arm’s number one media source for all things wookishly groovy and stupid fun. Join Big Betty at the Hobo Kamp for a heaping spoonful of all the most ridiculous pulp you will find. Join us for our Thursday night house band, “The Tranquilizers” as they struggle to tune their instruments for two straight hours.

 

Felicia,

Ten Years of Hulaween. Has it really been that long? Golly. I remember what we were doing in 2013?  We made love in the phosphorescence at Blind Pass and drank rum drinks at Mermaids before it became a Margaritaville and disappeared with the rest of Fort Myers Beach into Gulf of Mexico. Lance Armstrong joined the ranks of the admitted “users” and President Obama was inaugurated for his second term. Silver Wrapper and Purple Hat Productions brought Hulaween to the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park and for the festivarians of the southeast, things would never be the same. This year we party for all those who loved the festival and have gone home to their final reward. Clayopheus, Corporal Turner, Fooboo and so many more. If they could speak from the other side we might hear them singing with the wind and asking us to join in their beautiful song.

Bye Felicia-

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Hulaween Tenth Anniversary Family Reunion https://wookwranglers.com/hulaween-tenth-anniversary-family-reunion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hulaween-tenth-anniversary-family-reunion Wed, 05 Apr 2023 16:33:12 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=4643 Get ready wranglers for Suwannee Hulaween to celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary with a historic,...

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Get ready wranglers for Suwannee Hulaween to celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary with a historic, genre-bending lineup that promises to pull your face free of the bone. Following a five-year hiatus, electro-soul pioneer Pretty Lights will headline Hulaween as his only East Coast festival performance on the Soundship Spacesystem Tour. Other headliners include festival originators The String Cheese Incident, Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, John Summit, Elderbrook, Big Wild, Channel Tres, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Smino, Dispatch, and one special band headliner to be announced. This magical madness will return Thursday, October 26 – Sunday, October 29, 2023 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. Oh mah goodness. This is the Hulaween Tenth Anniversary Family Reunion. This is where the rubber meets the road.

Hulaween is one of the last truly-independent, large-scale music festivals thriving amongst today’s corporatized concert landscape, and after selling out its last five editions (and already almost 80% sold out for this year’s event), the festival is commemorating a decade of success with its most impressive lineup yet.

For the wook wranglers and Kamp Happiness, this is truly one of the cornerstones of the festival year. Ghosts of Fooboo and the Roanoke mafioso still walk the hallowed forest of Live Oak waiting for the base to shake the leaves off the trees. Join the Hobo Kamp trap house for a week-long full schedule of music, activities and greasy fun. This year they will be teaming up with Lil D Big Arel and Cheese. Love. Sauce. with the Titty Kitties for a block party not witnessed since the days of the pharisees. Follow your dreams and join the ruckus in the shade of the Suwannee farm field.

Tickets on sale now right here.

The String Cheese Incident at Hulaween 2022 – Photo by Tara Gracer

“The festival and concert industry landscape continues to be bought up and homogenized by the majors, so staying the course as true independents and surviving through all of the highs and lows we’ve endured to this milestone 10 year anniversary, is incredible. We think back fondly of all the people who have been part of the Hula journey with us, and how the team continues to learn and grow to elevate the experience and lineup every year. We’ve proudly stayed true to this community and culture we are servicing and hope to keep doing that for at least another 10!” – Michael Berg, Co-Founder, Brand Manager, & Talent Buyer for Hulaween
Suwannee Hulaween has unveiled its historic, genre-crossing lineup to celebrate the festival’s tenth anniversary celebration edition, returning home to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida from Thursday, October 26 – Sunday, October 29, 2023.

String Cheese Incident, Suwannee Hulaween 2022. photo by Jason Nail

Hulaween is one of the last truly-independent, large-scale music festivals thriving amongst today’s corporatized concert landscape, and after selling out its last five editions, the festival is commemorating a decade of success with its most impressive lineup yet.

Following a five-year hiatus, electro-soul pioneer Pretty Lights will headline Hulaween as his only East Coast festival performance on his Soundship Spacesystem Tour. It’s been nearly two decades since Pretty Lights started originating his signature, sample-heavy sounds that redefined America’s electronic music scene, and his exclusive East Coast festival set at Hulaween promises to showcase vibrant, bass-fueled sounds to the festival’s feverish audience.

Known globally for his playful demeanor and rip-roaring sets, tech-house maestro John Summit marks another Hulaween headliner. The Beatport chart-shredder will host Hulaween’s first-ever takeover by Off The Grid, Summit’s party-starting imprint, which will offer up sets by label favorites famed for igniting dance floors.

Suwannee Hulaween 2022: photo by Aaron Bradley

Other electronic music heavyweights headlining Hulaween include Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist/producer Elderbrook, producer polymath Big Wild, and revered house producer/vocalist Channel Tres.

On the jam side of the lineup, Hulaween founders The String Cheese Incident will serve up three nights of headlining performances. Phish-offshoot Trey Anastasio Band and critically-acclaimed indie-jam five piece Goose will play consecutive sets on the same night, following their joint tour across the North East last fall. Other headlining bands include Hulaween staple Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (2 sets), the Hulaween debut of Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, and legendary roots-rock outfit Dispatch.

Suwannee Hulaween. Photo by Josh Skolnik

Hulaween will also welcome neo-soul rapper Smino as the festival’s sole hip-hop headliner, as well as a headlining set by five-piece indie rock band Mt. Joy. One additional band headliner remains yet to be announced, coming later in April.

The festival will present a bevy of in-demand, electronic music support acts, including Montreal producer BLOND:ISH, underground bass purveyor Eprom, multi-faceted Italian DJ/producer duo Gioli & Assia, ascendent bass producer ISOxo, genre-bending producer Manic Focus, ascendent trailblazer Moore Kismet, bass-focused producer supergroup Lab Group, and future-funk maestro Yung Bae.

Staying true to its band-focused roots, Hulaween will boast a medley of celebrated acts including funk-fusion ensemble Lettuce, funk-jam group Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and critically-acclaimed, Anatolian rock/Turkish psychedelic folk outfit Altin Gün.

The Kitties (meow) Suwannee Hulaween

The Hulaween 2023 lineup is brimming with more than 90 acts that cover all corners of the dance floor. Over the course of the past decade, Hulaween has hosted a plethora of genre-crossing artists the Spirit of the Suwannee’s idyllic grounds, which serves as perfect setting for attendees to fully immerse themselves in Florida’s lush, enchanting nature.

Hulaween’s Spirit Lake is heralded as one of the leading immersive art experiences across American festivals, brimming with talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, thespians, and lighting designers. Attendees can revel in lakefront projection mapping, hypnotizing light shows, interactive installations, and both visual and performance art, catch performances at Spirit Lake’s two stages, and groove into sunrise at the Silent Disco.

JBfly and Sam I Am, Kamp Happiness Suwannee Hulaween 2022: photo by Jason Nail

SUWANNEE HULAWEEN 2023 LINEUP

HEADLINERS

The String Cheese Incident, Pretty Lights, Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, John Summit, Mt. Joy, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Big Wild, Smino, Elderbrook, Channel Tres (DJ set), Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog, Brigade, Dispatch,

SUPPORT

Altin Gun, Apashe (Live w/ith Brass Ensemble), Blond:ish, Blu DeTiger, Boogie T, Champagne Drip, DOMI & JD Beck, Eprom, Giolì & Assia, Inzo, ISOxo, Lab Group, Lettuce, Manic Focus, Memba, Moore Kismet, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, SoDown, The Dip, Yung Bae

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

Couch, Eddie Roberts and the Lucky Strokes, Ghost Note, Jennifer Hartswick Band, Joshwa, Khiva, Kitchen Dwellers, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, lespecial, Lucati, Marvel Years, Melt, MZG, Bill & Jillian Nershi ft. Jason Hann, NotLö, Roosevelt Collier Band, The Nth Power presents JeNth Power, Trousdale, QRTR, Veil

FINAL SUPPORT

AK Renny, Austen Van Der Bleek, Austeria, Bad Snacks, Cadillac Jones, Canvas, Chachuba, CHYL, Cope, Cosmic Collective, Electric Kif, Empire Strikes Brass, Erez, Erin & The Wildfire, Fernando Rosa, Free Range Strange, Funk You, GoldenEra, Jason Leech, Stick & Ditty, Jon Stickley Trio, Kendall Street Company, Maria También, Matcha, MiniM, Orange Constant, Ramona & the RIOT, Rohan Solo, Sailor Jane & The Apricators, Snakes & Stars, Sneezy, Steeln’ Peaches, Tand, The Jauntee, Tru Phonic, Universal Funk Orchestra, Underground Springhouse, Vicky B, Yam Yam.

Visit the Hulaween website and like their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Just be careful when complaining online. This party is going to be high science of the transcendent order. Heady bro.

Suwannee Hulaween 2022: photo by Jason Nail

Visit some of the other Hulaween contributions from the wrangler archives like Dance of the Monkey Kings, Cheese. Love. Sauce. and The Kamp Ha Penis Dumpster Fire. Explore the interweb and check out our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. We will stay in the eye wall of the Hulaween virtual fun as we focus on the artists and other contributors throughout the year. Stay focused.

We are super excited to announce that the Florida-based Free Range Strange will be playing their first Hulaween this year. Find your way to Kamp Happiness and witness some of their behind-the-scene antics. Also, join the Cheese. Love. Sauce. block party and bring some of your own weirdness. Prelaunch setup will begin as early as Sunday before so join the team and help turn the forest into something not of this earth. We can’t do it without you.                                                                                       namaste y’all.

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Hulaween “22: Dance of the Monkey Kings https://wookwranglers.com/hulaween-22-dance-of-the-monkey-kings/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hulaween-22-dance-of-the-monkey-kings https://wookwranglers.com/hulaween-22-dance-of-the-monkey-kings/#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2022 15:40:57 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=3818 Movement is energy and energy is life. Was it Newton who calculated the relative speed...

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Movement is energy and energy is life. Was it Newton who calculated the relative speed of boofing in a closed system? Copernicus perhaps. They would have certainly both agreed that for one incredible week in the woods of north Florida, the cornerstones of the Cellular Cosmogony came together in the form of moonshine, laser beams, yoga pillows and pyrotechnic animalia, whatever that means. The Planetary Court may have appeared a little silly at first but by Sunday morning, it would all make crystalline sense. It felt as if after years of practice, this was the seamless effort of choreographed perfection. It was group hypnosis and a collective leggo my ego. Welcome back to the annual Halloween party at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park and home base to the Florida Kamp Happiness annex. Suwannee Hulaween always represents a dance of divine eloquence combined with an unapologetic and brutal savagery. When is a soul supposed to rest within the swirling eye wall of a Mardi Gras parade fused with a living pinata? Straight up pandemonium braided with surgically controlled precision. That’s right flat Earthers, we’re blasting this rocket ship right through the firmament and up into the warm, sparkly place. Welcome to Hulaween “22: Dance of the Monkey Kings. Let it come to you.

From October 27-30, 2022, The Suwannee Horror Disco Show mother ship came to rest in Live Oak, Florida and with it came a music and arts festival complete with a fusion lineup stretching across all genres and creating a space where salty dogs could fall in love with CloZee and younguns could get to know Molly Tuttle. Everyone comes away the wiser. Sure, it was a great lineup but these festivarians don’t even care. This party sells out every year and for good reason. The weekend was complete with jugglers and fire spinners, Thomas Dambo creations and live artists aplenty. The Frick Frack table had the high stakes and branded kamps strove for the lowest bar. Twas a land where no one was homeless and people showed up Wednesday just to help create the layers that would create the gypsy kamp. It was truly a bipartisan initiative to get all the way down to Chinatown.

“Jump in the line, rock your body in time, Oh yea, I believe it!”

The good witch of the Panhandle, Suwannee Hulaween 2022. Photo by Shawn Teal.

The Farm Field represented this year with multiple stupid camps adjacent to each other in the shade of the pines. Cheese. Love. Sauce. sat across the path from Camp Kitty Titty and directly next door to Kamp Happiness. It was an experience defined by it’s high class and low bar. Wook flight is a socio-economic reality of the times. The high-water mark left behind a scum line to show actually how spirited the whole engagement actually got. In this case the creek did rise and all the drywall was going to have to go.

It happens a few days before leaving for Hulaween. One is reminded of the nebulae of fun and unlimited fellowship that comes with this party and it also comes with a feeling of seriousness. Yes of course, a desire to get seriously sideways but also something more. A personal mission to be seriously bad ass, responsible and in charge. Ready to take care of the squad and build a fallout shelter where thugs can sit back, enjoy and feel safe. Folks get serious about being a small cog in what makes Hulaween special; being one of the performers whose contribution adds to the overall jazzy mosaic of the party. Dance monkey dance!

Skip to…The next thing you know the phone is covered in wax, Farmer Brown has fallen over the guitar and the lemon bars have unconsituted. You’ve lost your glasses and can only see vague blobs and colors. It’s the breakdown that reveals itself in the form of a madman who gets to a point where he spends every cent in his bank account, future be damned. Do you remember walking to the car and forgetting why you were there? Of course you don’t.

Every Hulaween is a shade different from the others but this year’s celebration showed what can happen when the rubber meets the road. When practice makes perfect and all the effort bears fruit. The Coach would say it’s all about the process. Perfect practice and hard work to be great so when your number gets called in the big game, you are f’sho ready. It’s nice to work with professionals. The foam rises to the top.

Looters welcome. They had just left the dumpster fire that was Fort Myers, still trying to understand the difference in looting and groundscores. Cheese. Love. Sauce. contributed a piece of #1 copper to the kamp in the hopes of saving catalytic converters. Please don’t leave your alarms on. No one wants to hear that racket when the wooks are out looking for loose change. The good news for the crowd arriving early was that after the Wednesday early price, it was only ten dollars a day upon arrival. Early plans are to get there sometime around September next year. It also meant that if you got Baker Acted you’d still have time to return to the party. Glass half full yo. Never miss a Monday show.

Remember that time the old man had the idea to sell VIP spots near our camp? Come to find it’s not such a good idea. Gio the Dome King showed up in time to help finish the gifted tequila from ground zero of Hurricane Ian with any concerns regarding salt water intrusion being causally overlooked. Welcome to the cone of absolute certitude. This feeder band is gearing up to smack you right in the mouth.

Spirit Lake, Suwannee Hulaween, 2022. photo by Jason Nail

Hot Hula: As it’s already begun snowing in North Carolina, many come to Hulaween for the sweet Florida fall weather and this year certainly did not disappoint. Who wants to see the new fuzzy coat when every version of the Halloween costume would rather show off the flesh? The long night is surely coming and there will be plenty of time for winter gear. Perfect cryostasis was the order of the day with a misty shower that settled the dust early in the week. Thanks to Edon for helping with bubble patrol on the ratchet ez-ups wrangled from Mitch and Blue Ridge Rock Festival. Sometimes one has to walk between the raindrops back to your door. This is only the beginning of the festival season in the Sunshine State and October showing off again in north Florida is a pleasure to measure.

Cheese. Love. Sauce.

It’s always good policy to camp in the Farm Field near Lil d and the rest of the unwashed heathen. There’s ghosts in those woods. Upon arrival he invited Bucket to chug a 16oz of blueberry MD 2020. At least it wasn’t a shotgun as initially suggested but a man’s got to know his limitations. Immediately he could tell Lil d was trying to get him tipsy so he could take advantage of him later. There was also the question of nightly thefts of official KH signage that had to be resolved each morning with complimentary thefts of the assorted Dewalt tools. That’s just the kind of tomfoolery one can expect when moving to sketchy part of town. Lil d used to say, “I never saw a trailer hitch on a hearse.” Bucket could smell the Covid and black mold in Lil d’s beard. Leftover flesh eating disease from playing with wet drywall no doubt. He was an admitted waffle stomper and as a result of that cruel filth, no quarter would be given. Some treasures are best left undiscovered.

Jaime Louise Gallery

Dance of the Monkey Kings. Welcome to the Soup Kitchen:

“But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, Everybody’s gonna wanna doze”

A constant at most festivals is how neighboring kamps impact the shared experience. Sometimes they do their own thing, hidden behind a wall of tapestries. No judgement as it’s a fine way to keep out the wooks and the law. This year The Chalice of Dragon Tears happened to be godless thugs bent on depraved excellence and colorful intensity. Example. In order to gain entrance to Camp Kitty Titty, one was persuaded to let Rosalita sketch the outline of a feline on their left breast, just like in the Old Testament. Apparently gestapo don’t wear tattoos on their areolas. Believe what you want. By Thursday, Baitbucket realized no one had taken a dump by his vehicle leading him to the conclusion these were some classy folk. The Monkey Kings elected their new leader daily, at times celebrating the extended reign of Diamond Dez. The triple nipple kitty titty invites you to please save your balloons for later. Kudos for the kamp that keeps neighbors alive with burgers, mimosas and saline coladas. Pura Vida beetches. This is the essence of effective wrangling. Take my money.

Loosely translated, jsi mastná nevěstka means “You are a greasy harlot.” You can literally smell the Czechoslovakianess.

Kitty Titty Gallery

From the ramparts of El Castillo de San Marcos, Capt. Drake had already harvested three jolly rogers by sunrise Saturday morning but it was going  to take a talented arborist to capture the one unfurled fifty feet up in the slash pine across the field. Grappling hooks? Spiked boots? Climbing ropes? Things were getting technical and it would surely take a think tank to address this unique opportunity. (Ed. note: Remember folks, tag your jolly rogers so they still advertise for your kamp after they’ve been stolen. There’s no such thing as bad publicity.)

Suwannee Hulaween 2022. photo by Bryan Edward (@bryanedwardcreative)

The Suwannee Horror Disco Show also boasted more homegrown kamp music than years in recent memory. Thanks to Benjamin and Jefe for helping to tighten the screws as the week progressed, especially during the Circle K? T-Rex meltdown set accompanied by washboard base and pocket guitarist. With its late night EDM thunder Hulaween doesn’t always give way to acoustic jams but with the help of Miss Cali and the rest of the Kamp Happiness family orchestra, a proper sound bubble was formed and sustained throughout the duration. Take it! “Dip my balls in it!” Thanks to the scab house band who took the controls anytime the lead was absent. It takes a village to raise a ship of fools.

Tenderfoot’s Ubiquitous Lemonland Happy Hour:  In van city, Tfoot slept in the front of his car, leaving it on all night until the gas dried up. He would herald the break of day with “Kick start my Heart”, by Motley Crue along with JBfly and Body Slam by the Floozies. Apparently there’s no room for a volume nazi in this cockpit. Where he got all the lemons was anyone’s guess but in the nights leading up to Hula he turned them into lemon cookies, bars, cakes and lemonade. At one point park personnel came through and gave his Lemonland stand the long, hard stare but pushed on to bigger problems such as how many drums were actually in A Hundred Drums. “You think you’re so smart.” he could hear Brent Mydland say. Another new business that wasn’t going to help with gas money but all the lemonade we can drink. Sit back and meditate on that. And by the way, Buddha was a Donna Godchaux fan.

Tara Gracer Gallery

Sharkbruise? Date night: By Saturday afternoon the ego death had long since been complete and it was time to board the train to funky town. It started with an afternoon at the bogega dab lab. Alley Cat had passed out in the morning and Tenderfoot was taking his siesta during the late afternoon, which was all well and fine. The sitter had been called and for once in a blue moon, it was date night and the folks were going jukin’. It was Sergio’s first night as lounge pianist in the Spirit Lake speak easy and the great crowd really helped get rid of the jitters. After a few classic duets with JBfly, they joined the Ole Dominion rail kidz for Sexbruise? There’s no law against licking powdered sugar off the noses of close business associates. JBfly was reminded of the words of Chief Sequoia, “Hippies dressed like cops is mo betta than cops dressed like hippies”.

“You know that you don’t wanna work. Get on the floor let me see you twerk. Get yourself some Sexbruise?. We got the shit they wanna use”.

The high-energy show featured crowd favorites like “Dance Like Ur Stupid”, “Rite-Aide”, “Strawberry Mayonnaise”, “Quit your job”, “Party in the 80s” and “Cuidado. Piso Mojado”. Baitbucket danced like a younger man on Miami Vice to the extent that somewhere about halftime, as the sweat glands began to sputter and run dry he became convinced he was falling out. Like most, he’d been been pushing himself in every conceivable way and it was only his Navy Seal breathing techniques that saved him. And the fact the set was only sixty minutes long. He’d been discovering the benefits of nose breathing but after sleeping in the dirt, covered with ground glitter for three days, that ship had sailed. The band closed out by hurling treats into the crowd. Boston came away with an airplane bottle of peanut butter whiskey which he gifted to JBfly for them to guzzle during the Disco Cheese set later. Look but don’t touch fellas. That’s my beautiful man-beast.

Cheese Saturday Night: The Suwannee Disco Horror Show:

betelgeuse. betelgeuse. betelgeuse

Saturday night Cheese has always been the centerpiece of the whole groovy affair and this year all signs pointed to a rager of a disco dance party. “She’s a very sexy girl, the kind you don’t take home to mother. She’s a Chesafreak. Chesafreak. She’s Chesafreaky.” And what do you know about Matilda? Some would say she’s a hurricane in all kinds of weather. From the Conga line on stage to the giant floating sandworm. There was dancing from VIP to the tree house, the Hula sign to the rail and all points in between. At some point, even whippets began to fall out of the trees like manna from heaven. If you’re not too tired baby, here comes a reprise of “Timewarp”. When in doubt, twirl.

“Sandworms, you hate em right? I hate em myself.”

Must be Something in the Water: It was happening all around. Nuptials were in the air for many lucky couples and even those crazy kids from Future Joy got in on the action. Their sets were super fun, liquid fire and their bar in the Bird Sanctuary made Southern Living’s ten best late-night watering holes. Thanks for the dog tag. Future Joy Army? When I say dance you say “Count it off and break it down son!” Reporting for duty sir! Also, congrats to the freaks at Mi Kulture for getting hitched at Lost Lands. Hey ladies, don’t be afraid to propose. Seems like those fellas usually like it.

As Baitbucket fell out of his tent he discovered Sam I Am crashed out in the living room of the Hobo Kamp. She was feral and invasive, like a wild hog. It was right around the time the Mexican ballerina crept from Cody’s van. There were rumors that she’d tried to start a fire at Camp Titty Kitty with pine cones and straw. Yes, she was the drunk pooba rolling around in the dirt like a sloppy monkey. When she said she was going for the juggler, she meant the jugular. Words mean things. Sam woke up ready to go clubbing, which meant she was ripe to find the big man from the night before, club him with a bat and drag him home. From then on she would be the Cave Woman and her guttural grunts meant that in order to move him she would need to strap him across the front of Boston’s golf cart like an elk. That wouldn’t be a problem since he’d left his cart parked in the middle of the Kamp Happiness dance floor and bazaar. Handicap parking only bruh.

Josh Skolnik Gallery

Hobo Kamp Pickin’ Tent and Circle K? Trading Post:

The Punkin’ Chunker came early and roped off the space at the original Poncho Tree. It’s important to be flexible to it’s also nice to be home. All of the blinking lights had been groundscored from the same trees last year. The Hobo Kamp boasted live music with Sargent Squander and plenty of the usual thugs left over from Roots Revival, an arts and crafts pavilion for painting signs and faces candy bracelet station. The new Circle K? Trading Post really brought in the high-class wheeler dealers. Similar to a leave one, take one blanket this shoppe remained staffed during operating hours allowing the inventory to include many unusual, high-quality items. On Montage Mountain, the Iceman’s eyes got real big when they found Wook Command operating a similar blanket at Peach Fest. No ma’am, this is not self-checkout. Call me Marvelous Marvin cause we are doin’ some Hagglin’. You say hi, I say low. Merchandise additions included a skull beer bong, Mexican light sabers and a blood doctor from Jackson Hole. Loose whippets, cash and cigarettes? Look ever closer folks, there’s surely something for everyone. At some point the yen was traded for pesos and a legitimate currency exchange was born. Look for the bodega at your next festival. It’s a welcome respite for both looters and loiterers. They still hadn’t come up with a way to make money in the lot, but this was certainly a curious step in a lateral direction and he’d been able to trade Trinket for a Hulaweenie pin from Josh and Jess at Mi Kulture.

JBfly and the Cave Woman at the Hobo Kamp, Suwannee Hulaween 2022: Photo by Jason Nail.

Mucho gusto to the Alley Cat who brought the megaphone to the trading post at about sunrise. She and Baitbucket both sounded like Tom Waits by and it was a necessary tool in spreading their testimonial to the sleeping patrons of the Farm Field. She was lucky not to destroy the bluegrass cajon after her parachute failed to deploy. He he, ho ho, ha ha. They found each other somewhere near A Bazaar Universe directly after the Twiddle show as he was being accosted by gigantic babies in sumo suits. At this point the daily notes become illegible. There’s a season to whither and a season to fertilize.

Emma was on her way to the Disco Biscuits set when she hit the Frick Frack table yet again. Gambling can be a serious addiction, especially when entire  briefcases of dildos are at stake. Bucket considered how much bat guano it would take to win a gently used soul. Dangerous eyes peered from the forest as the briefcase of souls moved along the trail. Don’t make bedfellows of conjecture and speculation. Loose lips sink ships bro.

Suwannee Hulaween 2022. photo by Tara Gracer.

No Wook Fishing!

Hunting for sport had become subordinate to environmental stewardship. Mainly, they didn’t engage in wook fishing because their own pond was plenty overstocked. Suwannee is a preserve that supports the filet and release of legal sized wooks in season. In any case, Sargent Squander fell into so many wook traps during the day and night he would likely have to gnaw his foot off at some point just to limp back to camp.

Naturally, they wanted to hang out with the Free Range Strange crowd back there with Kent, Stephanie and the Sargent but they were all camped way out in Pasco County and nobody was looking to change flights in Atlanta. That was 80 Acres and out there there really was no law to speak of. The woodland folk were still trading with beads and shells. They would have to get by on their wits this weekend and it they decided to venture into the city, a rendezvous would be be in the books. For the love of all that’s holy, they needed Sunnie’s voice. All of there voices together sounded like a pack of honey badgers with esophageal cancer.

The usual group of VIP festival hounds showed up from the mountains. Thanks to Dirt track and Cambone for the brews and art supplies. The senior consultant was working the entire weekend and noticeably absent from the late night strategy sessions. How about the human traffic cone and Mr. Beautiful? Hustlers gotta hustle.

Suwannee Hulaween 2022: Photo by Aaron Bradley.

Aaron Bradley Gallery

The early morning silence was broken by the cracking of the kangaroo whip and Tamiami Sammy’s train whistle calling those interested in the girl who liked Michigan drywall. Don’t get stuck standing alone at the station. Midday would find JBfly and Tenderfoot at the Mottle Tuttle rabbit hole bluegrass dance party on the field stage. One pill makes you smaller.

JRAD Sumday and the dance of the hippies to the left of the soundboard, in what Thatcher Owen Mullins would call “the sweet spot”. Tuning Jam-Estimated Prophet-The Wheel-I need a Miracle-Dancing in the Street-Scarlet Begonias-He’s Gone-The Other One-Cryptical Envelopment-Fearless (intro chords)-I know you Rider-Werewolves of London. Afternoon Dead tunes just to make everything right. That math checks out.

As part of his doctorate thesis, Tenderfoot came up with his research question and was ready to collect some original data via small focus groups. How many squirrels would it take to have a struggle snuggle with a raccoon? Surprise sex? Research and Development is crunching the numbers as we speak. Stay tuned to wook wranglers and other peer-reviewed journals for conclusions. Next up, “How many times have you been kicked off a go-cart track?”

Jay Strausser Gallery

Bloody Sunday into Slutty Monday:

At some point security protocols broke down and a chink in the armor allowed Ka’oli and Blancita to invade the compound, shooting glasses and all. Who shows up for Hulaween on Sunday? They’d arrived from Ginny Springs with cigarettes and guitars and were welcomed with open arms. They’d managed to keep the vodka locked in the safe until Sunday when it could be brought out to create bloodys with “Church”. They still had ice and bloody Marys for Sunday gospel breakdown which was, to say the least, pretty upscale for this crowd. Fortunately, the fire ban meant that the Doritos could be eaten rather than be used as fire starter.

The lovely ladies of A Bazzaar Universe, Suwannee Hulaween 2022: photo by Jaime Louise.

Sargent Squander’s tongue was yellow and bloated. Racked down both sides making his voice sound like a the tearing of an old rag. The avocado he was saving for later turned into pocket guacamole but he finally got his bag of cereal with kitty milk after all. Everything was on cruise control until he replaced the saline solution with glitter glue.The Cave Woman had bloody scrapes on her legs and had not slept for more than three hours in six days. She had long since ceased to make a dollop of sense.

Considering the types of ridiculous thugs they were known to hang out with, protocols had been put in place in case anyone got thrown out for reckless golf cart piloting. A staple in years past, plan B was to head to Asheville for Billyween and plan C was Widespread in Savannah.

Thanks to everyone who contributed food for the masses and helped keep the wooks alive. The camp was surrounded on all sides by bad assery. A week after the party, the sandalwood had worn off and Baitbucket’s beard and hair once again smelled like a wet boxing towel.

Visit the lineup drops from Backwoods and FloydFest for the upcoming year of slick looking shows. What else do you have to do? Might as well, might as well. Look for the wranglers as you lurk about the greasy side of town.

Jason Nail Gallery

Thanks to everyone who helped it come together. Much love to the photographers who contributed to the article. Jaime, the girl who makes the whole festival better and the wook wranglers media and visual arts team. The check’s in the mail. Remember the security team that kept everyone moving through the gates in a safe and comfortable way and created a chill vibe for the entire weekend. Creating a safe space and helping keep hippies out of jail. All hail Pablo for the bear grease and the lavender leave-in conditioner. Come to find, it really adheres to sand after one has fallen asleep in a refuse pile with beer cans for pillows. Thanks to the Hulaween media team for allowing the wranglers to be party to the silly fun. Visit their website and like their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Space isn’t real.

Cheese Saturday Night, Suwannee Hulaween 2022: photo by Josh Skolnik.

For some, Hulaween is a little big and crazy but once you see it all working together, the orchestration is precise. For a girl who’d visited SOSMP since seeing Tony Rice in 2002, Lucienda had held on to most of the friends she’d met there and from within this party, she once again found her way back into the pocket. That sweet spot where time slows down to the singularity. The opposite of paranoid where everyone all of a sudden becomes perfectly sweet and lovely. To use the word “heady” is a bit gauche, but that’s the triple truth Ruth. The forest revealed itself in a cocoon of safety. Safety from abuse, neglect, theft, whatever. Of course there were outlying reports but they were few and far between in the snow globe of positive, engaging, experiences. Well worth the four days of sweaty chills you’ll be dealing with afterwards. As of Wednesday morning it was time to find some jumper cables, get juiced and like Keith Richards said, “Walk before they make us run”.

This was the fifth Hula for Kamp Happiness and the wranglers and the first year as part of the media team. Thanks to Emma for figuring out how to turn off the flash on the waterproof camera. It’s good to work with professionals. Baibucket made it to the pit several times during the weekend and got great photographs and the media lanyard turned out to be one of the sickest ever, thanks to David from Summer Camp and his gifted golden stealie shovel. To the extent that during JRAD Baitbucket was ejected from the photo pit under the charge that he was using an expired photo tag. He had no voice as they stood against a monster bass speaker. Nonverbal communication is real. There is indeed, a season for everything and yes Virginia, there is a Non-verbal Clause.

Who knew it was possible for a festival to be free of heartbreaks like long lines, rampant theft and assorted party penalties. For everyone who attended, it was truly practice made perfect and the scum line was high. The pilot had been lit on Baitbucket’s Love Light and he was good to go. High science indeed. For everyone that was involved, be proud of the effort put forth and class demonstrated. The neat piles of trash were a far cry from the higgly-piggly leftovers strewn about the fields only a few years ago. Evolution of the species. It was absolutely heady and ridiculously high science. Next year marks the tenth anniversary of Hulaween and if this festival continues to climb the ladder, at some point the entire spectacle is liable to disappear in a poof of smoke. Put Hulaween on your list of non-negotiables and be wary of nebulous pronouns. Tightening the screws on life. See you next year.

believe what you want.                                                                                                                 namaste y’all…

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Hulaween “22: The Suwannee Horror Disco Show Commeth https://wookwranglers.com/hulaween-22-suwannee-horror-disco-show-commeth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hulaween-22-suwannee-horror-disco-show-commeth https://wookwranglers.com/hulaween-22-suwannee-horror-disco-show-commeth/#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2022 21:01:37 +0000 https://wookwranglers.com/?p=3743 “I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey.” They speak...

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“I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey.”

They speak of it from the dark forests of Rothbury to the slanted slopes of Montage Mountain. Hushed whispers emerge from the vibrating heat of Manchester to the pine burrows of Horning’s Hideout. It is the hallowed tale of Hulaween and something very special is about to happen in the boughs of north Florida. It’s what you’ve come to expect from October in Suwannee. An eclectic, diverse musical lineup that blends seamlessly with the patchwork of artists, merchants, and freaks of every conceivable ilk. Welcome to the land that time forgot. The prophecy has been foretold and it’s exactly what you’ve been waiting for. Prepare thyself for Hulaween “22: The Suwannee Horror Disco Show Commeth.

Spirit Lake, Hulaween. photo by Jason Nail 2021.

This is a celebration that manages to bring out the best in everyone. It’s time for the ego death. Since the days of the Shawsvegas Mafia to each String Cheese Saturday night set the mountain has come to Mohammed. It’s a Sunday frisbee session before the slow stroll to the river. It’s both a marathon and a sprint so substitute dirt for ice in your bloody mary and point your bow straight down into the funk hole. All roads lead to the get down.

New additions join headliners The String Cheese Incident (3 nights), JID, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, CloZee, and more stage takeovers hosted by Liquid Stranger’s Wakaan, Desert Hearts, and LP Giobbi’s Femme House.

Thursday, October 27 – Sunday, October 30 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. Suwannee Hulaween has added 25 new artists to its already star-studded, cross-genre lineup. The festival’s ninth edition is returning home to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.

Music Lives Here.

This is the alpha and the omega. It’s the beginning and the ouroboros of the Florida festival season which by all standards, never really takes a break. You’ve heard the stories. What’s all the fuss about? Now come find out for yourself. The train is departing. Don’t get left on the platform. This is your best chance to find out how silly fun this life can actually be.

“You’re lucky. He’s lucky. I’m lucky! We’re all lucky!”

Suwannee Hulaween. photo by Jason Nail, 2021.

New headliners include Grammy-nominated producer TOKiMONSTA, celebrated Grateful Dead cover band Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, and Jumpsuit Records boss The Polish Ambassador. The festival’s other new additions include genre-blending psychedelic funk outfit Diggin Dirt and indie band Little Bird, amongst many others.

They join a bevy of artists from across the genre spectrum, including three nights from alternative rock/indie band Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Dreamville-signee and Atlanta rapper JID for their Hulaween debuts, and festival veterans such as French electronic trailblazer CloZee, Portland’s award-winning Portugal, The Man, fan-favorite psychedelic band STS9, Grammy-nominated producer FISHER, electronic pop duo Sylvan Esso, prestigious jam-band The Disco Biscuits, three nights of festival founders The String Cheese Incident, and more.

Suwannee Hulaween. photo by Aaron Bradley.

Festival attendees will enjoy electric sets from the likes of Gigantic NGHTMRE (duo set form Big Gigantic and NGHTMRE), Gorgon CityCory WongElohimJauzLeftover SalmonLettuceOpiuoA Hundred DrumsOf The TreesFranc MoodyLawrenceManic FocusLewis Del MarMargo PriceMolly Tuttle & Golden HighwayNeil FrancesTwiddleTwo Feet and more.

“It’s not easy having a good time! Even smiling makes my face ache.”

Hulaween will also welcome tastemaking electronic music collectives to curate their own debut festival takeovers, including bass purveyor Liquid Stranger’s Wakaan, underground party-starters Desert Hearts, and house maestro LP Giobbi’s Femme House.

Since its inception in 2013, the Halloween-themed music, arts and camping festival has evolved into one of the country’s most coveted cross-genre affairs. Curating dynamic lineups that range from electronic, jam, and indie to bluegrass, funk, soul and hip-hop, Suwannee Hulaween’s ability to abolish genre confines is evident year after year.

“Don’t get strung out by the way I look. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
I’m not much of a man by the light of day, But by night I’m one hell of a lover!”

Cheese. Love. Sauce. Hulaween. photo by Jason Nail. 2021

Over the course of the past decade, Suwannee Hulaween has hosted artists from all corners of the dance floor at the Spirit of the Suwannee’s idyllic grounds, which serves as perfect setting for attendees to fully immerse themselves in Florida’s lush, enchanting nature. Don’t deny yourself the prefun of Wednesday night and the groundscore celebrations of Monday afternoon. Hulaween is an entire universe of fun which can best be enjoyed by way of a slow, deliberate lope.

Spirit Lake

Heralded as one of the leading immersive art experiences across American festivals, the space is brimming with talented sculptors, fire/metal workers, painters, thespians, and lighting designers. Attendees can revel in lakefront projection mapping, hypnotizing light shows, interactive installations, and both visual and performance art, catch performances at Spirit Lake’s two stages, and groove into sunrise at the Silent Disco.

String Cheese at Hulaween. photo by Joshua Skolnik.

“Can’t you just see it? Don’t dream it, be it.”

Hulaween occurs in concert with one of the greatest camping/music venues in the Orion Cluster. The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park and Campground is an 800-acre slice of heaven located on the historic banks of the Suwannee River. Take a stroll along this beautiful cypress tree lined piece of North Florida. With miles of trails, hiking, bicycling, and golf cart rides are one of the many great ways to see the Florida outdoors.

wook wranglers HQ

Find Kamp Happiness Hobo Kamp near The Cheese. Love. Sauce. camp. Close to Luke’s Pond and the Poncho Tree, this is where it all began. What was then just a pile of nameless wooks sleeping under tarps has grown into an army of nameless wooks sleeping under tarps. The wrangler summer trail wound from Summer Camp to Mountain Music Festival. Bonnaroo to Electric Forest. Peach to 4848. FloydFest and beyond. After one more mountain stop with Major Malfunktion the road leads back to Suwannee and the Florida winter. Follow the trail south for one more ride and remember, you can’t save the world handcuffed to a golf cart.

Visit the Hulaween website and like their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Welcome to the future yo.

Check out some of these submissions to the wrangler Hulaween archives. Cheese. Love. Sauce. and The Kamp Ha-Penis Dumpster Fire. Visit the Kamp Happiness Interactive Halloween Adventure in the shade near Cheese. Love. Sauce., the Bat house and the Bird Sanctuary. Join in for free face painting, tick checks and acoustic family jam around the fire. The portal is open for business.

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