LONG POND, PA – Last weekend, over 30,000 attendees descended on the Pocono Raceway for an event with the most stacked lineup in the Northeast: Elements Music & Arts Festival. Elements has grown into the largest EDM camping festival in the Northeast, but this description doesn’t quite do it justice because it offers so much more than the typical festival experience. From immersive art installations to DIY renegade stages and an incredible community, this festival shines as a beacon of creativity, inclusivity, and effervescence in the northeast dance music scene.
I’ve had my eye on Elements ever since it started as a small show in Brooklyn back in 2015. Through the years I saw the lineups get better, the location move to a lakefront property in PA, and finally make its home at the Pocono racetrack. I saw incredible photos of the festival and watched sets on YouTube, always from a distance. When the opportunity arose to attend this year, I was ecstatic to finally join in on the magic.
Elements did not disappoint my anticipation. The immersive experience that the festival provides is unmatched by any other festival in the region. With so many side quests, art, activities and epic experiences beyond the stages, the festival truly stands out as an immersive creative wonderland.
The Stages
The four main stages in the festival comprised the four elements – Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. Each year, Elements builds bigger, better, and more creative stages, adding to the themes and motifs of previous years. Although the stages looked pretty similar to their 2024 renditions, they were still impressive feats of lights, lasers, pyro, and most of all, artistic design.
Air Stage
The air stage was by far my favorite. Its glowing nighttime forested setting, pagoda-like design, and accompanying raised dancing platforms made it feel intimate and magical.
My only complaint about the Air stage was that it needed more space. During headliners like LP Giobbi on Sunday night, it was almost impossible to get through the crowd. I think the dance floor of this stage could be opened up a bit, while still preserving its vibe. There could also be more elevated platforms surrounding a larger dance floor to maintain its unique design.
Water Stage
The Water stage was a huge geodesic dome shaped like an octopus. The ocotpus shot laser beams out of its eyes and donned a psychedelic fabric canopy. The stage’s design, production, lasers, and lights were top notch, but I think it could have been even more immersive as an open 360° experience. It would have been even cooler and fitting to the theme if the stage was adorned with bubbles, fog and water misters. Add some animatronic or inflatable arms that lift its tentacles, and the stage would feel even more alive. Maybe next year?
Earth Stage
The Earth and Fire stages were the two largest stages where the biggest headliners played. Earth stage featured colorful hand, eye and face silhouette cutouts on the stage, with projection mapping that brought animated magic at night.
Fire Stage
The Fire Stage featured a towering statue, shattered into fragments of its head and multiple arms, creating a dramatic centerpiece. Jets of flame erupted from the top, perfectly amplifying the stage’s fiery theme. Instead of exploding behind the stage itself, fireworks lit up the sky behind the crowd, a bold and unexpected design choice.
The Music
The Elements lineup is always quite diverse with over 100 artists, most of them DJs and electronic producers. Many of the DJs play house, techno, and bass music (especially dubstep). As the festival expands in future years, I would love to see more EDM subgenres like psytrance, hardstyle, or indie electronic on the lineup. It would also be nice to see more representation from other genres like hip-hop, rock, reggae, jam bands, and more.
I was able to attend the Thursday pre-party, which only had music at the Water stage. Tape B b2b Levity headlined the first night, throwing down an epic dubstep set. It was nice to get a small preview of the venue before the real festivities began.
By Friday night, the venue was packed with more attendees and the festivities were in full swing. I enjoyed an emotional set from Illenium as well as a drum and bass set from Chase and Status at the Earth stage.
By Saturday, my 32-year-old sleep-deprived ass was already too tired to spend the whole night out, but I enjoyed listening to a Boogie T.rio sunset set from a distant hammock. They played their signature soulful blend of reggae, jam, and bass music to an exuberant crowd.
Sunday featured a lot of the more laid back sets and less aggressive in-your-face brostep. Acts like Tipper, Claude Von Stroke, Deadmau5 and LP Giobbi headlined.
There were a number of renegade stages in the Vibe Village campgrounds that hosted a variety of underground talent, secret sets, and surprise performances. For example. Pretty Lights put on a very special secret set at Club Renegade on Friday night.
Sunsquabi and Papadosio, two of my favorite jamtronica bands, delivered amazing shows. However, since I missed Papadosio’s set and had to leave the festival early, I ended up watching their sets on YouTube a week later.
The sound quality was great all around the festival. Earplugs were required in some spots, but mostly the sound was crystal clear at each stage.
The Environment
The setup and production of the festival was nothing short of enchanting. Its layout seemed intentionally designed to where it was small enough that I didn’t have to walk too far to get from one area to another, but large enough that I rarely felt too cramped in one area. The campgrounds, on the other hand, are huge. I would highly recommend bringing a bike if you plan to camp.
The Neon Forest area was by far my favorite, with illuminated trees, art hanging from above, performances, and interactive experiences. There was one spot of the Neon Forest where you could hear and see the Earth Stage through the trees, with lasers dappling the canopy and a plethora of hand-woven neon net hammocks. A small group of ravers headbanged to DJ Diesel in a nook of glowing trees hundreds of feet away from the stage. It was so cool to see little hidden pockets of people having a blast around every corner.
📸: Elements Music & Arts Festival
The forested area of the festival reminded me a lot of Electric Forest and Suwannee Hulaween, but with a unique northeast twist. I also appreciated The Bizarre, with its various offerings like Frick Frack Black Jack, barbie doll foozball, and impromptu circus performances. A bizarre band played weird wonky music using power tools as instruments on a small stage. The Fun Factory behind The Bizarre featured a variety of fun activities like sock puppet making, game shows, and more.
With roaming performers, art installations, pop-up experiences, inflatable astronauts and purple one-eyed giants to massive octopus totems with moving tentacles, it was possible to have a blast at the festival without ever attending the main stages.
During the day there were yoga classes, workshops, and random educational offerings like a live reptile display with rescued animals. At Elements, one could expect the unexpected.
📸: Elements Music & Arts Festival
Amenities and Prices
Elements is worth the price, but expect to spend a lot. GA tickets were over $500 for a 3-day pass, VIP almost $800, GA single day passes were $200. Various add-ons stacked up the prices. You had to buy a separate shower pass or ferris wheel ticket, and then potentially wait in long lines to use them. Commuter parking passes were $100. Don’t even get me started on the food and drink prices.
There were 15-minute facials for $200. Cabana and an RV passes costed more than the GA festival ticket itself. I didn’t experience these premium and VIP offerings, so I can’t say whether they’re worth the splurge. GA was not overpacked and there was plenty of room on the dancefloor, and getting a good view of the stage was usually easy.
Elements did offer free shuttles to nearby hotels and the box office, as well as free water refill stations. The refill stations had UV water filters, but some of the stations were next to porta potties. When the porta potty hand washing stations ran out of water, some attendees were rinsing their hands in the water refill, which is unsanitary. I hope in future years that Elements will consider filling their hand washing stations more frequently, and having staff at the water refill to make sure it remains sanitary.
Camping vs. Communting: Which is Better?
On-site camping at Elements was included in the 3-day GA and VIP tickets. It definitely had its perks, like ease of access to the festival all weekend, a sense of community, and late night sets in the Vibe Villages to name a few. However, you should be prepared if you plan to camp at Elements or any festival for that matter.
Music played in the festival until around 2 a.m. and continued in the campgrounds until at least 4 a.m. By 8 a.m. I woke up to a roasting tent in the sun. On top of that, I didn’t feel like paying for a shower or waiting in line for one.
With a venue surrounded by forest, I wish there could have been an on-site woods camping option. Woods camping could provide more opportunities for shade as well as hammocks.
I have friends who camped in the woods about 30 minutes from the festival and commuted in. They enjoyed a quiet and cool environment for sleeping, even during the day. They told me that getting an Uber or Lyft to and from the festival was surprisingly easy and affordable at around $25 each way.
The trick with rideshare, however, is to leave before the stages close to avoid surge pricing and cell service congestion. By the time the stages shut down or even when the sun comes up, you may be waiting hours to get a ride. If you are commuting all 3 days, I recommend getting the commuter parking pass, which will save you money and headaches, especially if you are carpooling.
Camping on-site is worth it if you’re well prepared and you’ve got gumption. If I go again, however, I’ll likely follow in my friends’ footsteps and stay at an off-site campground, Airbnb, or hotel.
📸: Elements Music & Arts Festival
Vendors
Elements had a wide selection of craft and food vendors. The food was delicious with lots of vegan and gluten-free options. The various vendors offered everything from gourmet options like lobster rolls to typical fried festival food. A lot of the food that I saw was overpriced with small portions. It was $20 for 3 chicken tenders and a small basket of fries, or $14 for a 16oz smoothie. Alcoholic drink prices were even crazier, with the festival charging around $20 for a single drink.
The various craft vendor selections were immaculate, with options to peruse both inside the festival and in the campgrounds. Vendors sold all kinds of art, jewelry, custom clothing, and more.
Festival Operations
Organizing a festival is no easy feat, and the dedicated Elements team works hard to listen to community feedback to make the event better every year. I heard from Elements veterans that there many upgrades to the experience this year. As a first-time attendee, I can’t speak to the improvements, but I can touch on where I felt there was room for growth.
Some of the festival operations seemed pretty disorganized, while other operations went relatively smoothly. Having an off-site box office may have helped with traffic, but some attendees (myself included) still waited hours to pick up tickets due to overwhelmed staff. There were long lines of cars to get into the campgrounds. For some early arrivals, there was nowhere to park on the side while understaffed security thoroughly searched cars, unnecessarily holding up the lines for hours. Many staff and security members didn’t know where to direct people to their campsites or RVs.
On the other hand, the staff at the medical tents, info booth, accessibility booth, and sanctuary booths were incredibly helpful in making sure that everybody had a safe and fun time.
Vibes
Elements had amazing vibes. The attendees that I met were all respectful with big smiles on their faces. It seemed like everyone had a trinket to gift or kandi to trade. The feeling at Elements is one of community, where participants are there for more than just a party. People came to connect, participate, and take care of each other. From the various DIY stages, Vibe Villages, and general shenanigans, the feeling of being at Elements is one of inclusion, community, and belonging.
Elements isn’t perfect—there’s room for improvement in organization, pricing, and amenities—but what it delivers in terms of experience is nothing short of transformative. I met countless strangers and even friends who attended this as their first festival, who said it was a life-changing experience and that they would be back. I share their sentiment and, if the opportunity arises, I’ll be back. There are countless festivals to choose from these days, but there’s nothing quite like Elements.
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Special thanks to Courtney Earls for contributing to this article with thoughtful insights and exceptional photography.
