Held from July 15th-17th, Gratitude Migration 2016 was billed as more than just a festival on the beach. Upon entry, festival-goers received a guide that described the event as “an extraordinary journey into a world without limits.” By the end of it, I’m confident most people in attendance felt Gratitude Migration well surpassed its expectations.
The second annual edition of Gratitude Migration was held on hELLO Beach in Keansburg, New Jersey. A reasonable commute from New York City, Philadelphia, and New Jersey enabled access for a diverse crowd of (mostly) East Coasters. The beach setting was perfect for the festival; it provided a Playa experience on an actual playa! The beach had an amazing view of New York City’s Verrazano Bridge and World Trade Center in the distance, which was illuminated every morning by a gorgeous sunrise. Campsites and stages were only a stone’s throw away from the beach, so attendees could easily swim in the water without leaving the rest of the action. Attendees even danced all day and night on an artificial “Desert Island!”
The beach setting was complemented by the layout of the festival. hELLO Boulevard, a long walkway through the center of the festival, allowed attendees to walk between the campsites and stages. Campsites were interspersed between the stages, providing a sound buffer between stages while keeping attendees in the midst of the action even while visiting their campsites. Campers in the Third Eye Village, for example, could walk between the beach, the PEX Fire stage, the Third Eye stage, and their campsites within only a minute or two! Moving between stages was not particularly difficult either; a walk down hELLO Boulevard or down the beach allowed access to every campsite, stage, and art installation.
The various stages, camps, and villages each provided a different experience to attendees. The four largest points of the festival were themed after the four elements – Earth, Fire, Air (Wind), and Water. The Gratitude Earth stage, towards the north end of the festival was set up for DJ and live performances with a gorgeous LED phoenix rising above the artists. On the opposite end, the PEX fire stage was set up with mesmerizing pyrotechnics that heat up the crowd.
Vendors, artists, shade, and drum circles could be found at the amazing Center Camp Wind Temple. A variety of courses and sessions were scheduled at the Water Healing Temple and Wellness Village, including a few courses in Acro-Yoga! The School of Dreams hosted a number of TED-style talks; although, the speaker schedule was altered by some stormy weather Saturday. Among the other stages were the live music Mandala Biergarten, the ebb + flow stage, which played dreamy music to dancers on the beachfront, the Don’t Sleep stage, and the Third Eye Stage, complete with participants climbing into a fire cage.
The Gratitude Migration 2016 lineup featured over 100 performers that were scheduled to show off their talents over the duration of the festival. Although attendees could obtain paper performance schedules, many opted to let their ears carry them and wandered to whichever stage had the most appealing sound at the time. On Friday night, New York underground legend Eli Escobar spun his signature brand of house at the Gratitude Earth stage. This stage carried on until morning, where David Hohme played a remarkable set during a beautiful sunrise. On Saturday night, the ebb + flow takeover brought Oona Dahl of “All Day I Dream” fame to the Gratitude Earth Stage. At night, Desert Hearts took over the PEX Fire stage. Complete with fire dancers, insane pyrotechnics, and phenomenal performances by Deep Jesus, Tara Brooks and Lee Reynolds, the Desert Hearts takeover astounded those in attendance.
Gratitude Migration organizers and participants were committed to the Leave a Positive Trace policy. Participants contributed by making sure to dispose of refuse and recyclables in proper containers. Volunteers and organizers remained late to ensure that the beach was in even better condition than before the festival.
Gratitude Migration gave attendees the opportunity to experience the freedom of Burning Man on the East Coast. Amazing music, a positive and inclusive environment for attendees from all walks of life, informative courses and talks, and the participants themselves made Gratitude Migration a tremendous experience. The full Migration experience can’t be conveyed in a review article – those who did not attend should definitely see for themselves at next year’s festival!
