Electric-Ave-FAQ.docx

This guide was made by people who have attended every Electric Forest ever, for Electric Forest attendees, and covers all variety of topics that could be asked.

We also suggest joining the Electric Forest subreddit!

It’s a wealth of knowledge and is continuously updated with the latest news/events/need-to-knows.

Lastly, if you’re wondering what is all brought to a festival like this, checkout fwump’s ultimate packing template!
Most questions that are not Electric Ave specific can be answered with those resources, but for everything else that is Electric Ave specific, read on!

What is Electric Ave?

This is another tent-only option for Good Life, except the tent is provided to you by the festival. These tents include twin or queen-sized beds, chairs, end tables, and electricity for your tent.
The Electric Avenue camp is located on the south side of Good Life Village west. You have access to all of the Good Life amenities and quick access into the venue via Ranch Arena or Sherwood Forest.
It is HIGHLY ADVISABLE to bring a fan that you can plug into the provided electricity.
It is also advisable to bring some sort of shade so that you have somewhere to hangout outside of your tent (more on this below).
Please review all amenities provided by this camping option on the official Electric Forest page in order to better prepare your packing list.

How big is Electric Ave?

There hasn’t been a hard number confirmed, but there’s an estimated 400-500 people in the Electric Ave camp area.
In 2022, there were 206 EA tents, and tents can have between 2-4 people in them.

What’s the tent situation like?

EA tents are canvas Bell tents that are pre-setup with a large pole in the middle to support it.
It’s tall in the middle of the tent and gets shorter around the edges, where the canvas comes down.
All Electric Ave tents are the 5m Bell Tent size, confirmed by EF Good Life Support. The dimensions for those tents, per Bell’s page, are:

Total Floor Diameter: 5m (192 inches / 16 feet)
Internal Floor Diameter: 480 cm (189.97 inches / 15.7 feet)
Centre Pole Height: 300 cm (118.1 inches / 9.8 feet)
Center Pole Thickness: 3.1 cm (1.2 inches)
Wall Height: 60 cm (23.6 inches)
Door Height: 160 cm (62.99 inches / 5.2 feet)
Door Width: 340 cm (133.85 inches / 11.1 feet)

What’s the bathroom/shower situation?

The bathrooms are air-conditioned trailers broken apart by gender. All toilets are flushable and there’s running water to wash your hands with.

There’s one set of trailers by the venue entrance on the West side, and then there’s another set of trailers towards the Eastern side of EA.

The shower trailers are also broken apart by gender and have stalls with curtains. All showers in GL are free/included.

Expect to see a line outside during peak hours in the morning.
In 2022, there was only one set of shower trailers, on the Westside by the venue entrance to Ranch Arena.
There’s mixed reports on if the showers are open 24hrs or from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm. It likely comes down to who’s in charge of locking them/if they’re being closed for maintenance/etc.

What’s the layout of EA vs GL?

This is a Google maps image and is subject to change, but here was the lay of the land from 2022!

When can I arrive?

All Good Life level attendees, including Electric Ave, can arrive after 8:00 am on Wednesday.

Don’t feel rushed to ‘race for a good spot’ though! Electric Ave tents are pre-assigned, so it really doesn’t matter when you arrive, the spot will be the same. 🙂

There is a Good Life Welcoming Pool Party & BBQ in the Back 40 that usually starts around 2:00/3:00 pm on Wednesday.
There’ll also likely be music at the Good Life stage on Wednesday night.

Tents are assigned?

Tents are pre-assigned before everyone arrives, and when you check in you are given the number of your tent and the combination to the tent lock.
If you have a group of friends all in Electric Ave, you can email Good Life Concierge with your names and order numbers, and ask for a ‘proximity request.’

There are no guarantees, but it’s more likely to get you and your friends’ tents placed around each other.

Make sure to remember your tent’s (and your friend’s tent’s) numbers!

What’s the bedding situation like?

They provide the cots (twins or queens), a mattress, and bedding (pillow/sheets/blanket).

There are mixed reports on the comfort levels of the pillows, sheets, and blankets – so many people have been known to bring their own bedding to put on it instead.
Also, it can get very cold at night, so having an extra blanket isn’t the worst!

In 2022, there was also space underneath the cot that we’re able to store stuff in as well, to help keep free space in the tent.
Pro tip: Because of the temperature shift from day-to-night, stuff in the tent can feel damp when going to bed. To prevent this, put a sleeping bag over all the bedding and take it off before going to bed. 🙂

What’s the water situation like?

The closest official water station will be by the bathroom/shower trailers by the venue entrance.
Per the GL concierge, the water from the sinks outside the other bathroom trailers is potable as well.
In 2022, sometimes the water had a sulfur smell to it, so it’s recommended to bring either a filtered water bottle, or some plastic water bottles to use for brunch/etc., if you’re sensitive to things like that.

Can I set up a canopy outside my tent?

Yes, with caveats. Some rows of tents face other tents, and some rows of tents are on the outside and face trees without any tents in front of them.
If your assigned tent is on the outside, without tents across from you:

You’re allowed to set up a large canopy right outside your door.

If your assigned tent is on the inside, and you have tents across the row from you:

That lane between your tents is a fire lane.
They’ll only allow a small canopy (5x2 or so) to be set up outside your door due to fire marshal restrictions, and will ask you to take anything larger down.

Everyone is allowed to set up a canopy between the other tents, but be careful of tripping over the stakes and guy lines.
Everyone is also allowed to set up a canopy on the South wall/tree line, as long as it doesn’t block the fire lane on the south side of the tents.
Here’s a diagram for reference, red is a fire lane, and green is all good to set up in.

What’s the power situation like?

It is the end of an extension cord, one 3-prong outlet, dropped through a pocket in the tent.
The official description states it’s “for charging small electronic devices,” but it’s enough to run a couple fans and charge your devices at the same time.
They do not provide a power strip/surge protector/etc., so it’s recommended to bring a power strip (or two), and/or a short extension cord to help run power around inside your tent.

What’s the best way I can mitigate heat in my tent and stay cool?

One or two high-speed fans.

These do not draw a lot of electricity and will help move air through the tent to keep you cool on the inside.
Bonus: they are great white noise generators. 🙂
Example product here.

One or two reflective tarps.

Reflective tarps are great to keep the sun off your tent. The canvas of the bell tents can really hold heat and get cooking throughout the day, so any shade is a bonus.
There are two different kinds recommended: Aluminet Shade Cloth, vs a full Tarp with a metallic side.
The aluminet’s block only a set amount of the sun, ranging from 70-95%, but let air and water through.

Example product here.

The full tarp with a reflective side blocks 100% of the sun for a full blackout, but does not let air through.

Example product here.

Either way you go, you’ll want to bring extra stakes and guy lines to run through the eyelets and secure them to the outside of your tent.
For size recommendations, I am bringing two 8.5x12 tarps, one to cover the Eastside and one to cover the Westside.

There’s also a lot of zippered vents on the bottom of your tent, and a mesh screen door, make sure to keep those open to help suck in cool air from around your tent to help push hot air through the top of the tent’s vents.

Can I power a high-draw electrical device (portable AC, blow dryer, mini fridge, etc.) off the power in my tent?

Generally, caution is advised against these items, because:

The power dropped to your tent is split between you and your neighbors around you.
It’s not very strong, and blow dryers and portable ACs can exceed the watts/amps especially when kicking on.
If one tent trips the breaker by drawing too much power, you and all of the tents around you get shut-off.
The only way to turn the power back on is by having an EF technician (NOT concierge) come unlock the padlock box and flip it, which could take hours.

If you feel like you need these items and want to try it, no judgment here, but please be conscious of if it’s going to become an inconvenience. 🙂 Nobody wants to lose the high-premium electricity they’re paying for, especially during high heat.

Do swamp coolers work?

Sort of/not really. They rely on low humidity conditions to be effective, and Michigan’s weather can vary wildly.
However, buying ice at the festival can get pricey so it’s usually better to save the ice for drinks/food in the cooler.

How late does music go in Electric Ave?

Because EA is one of the closer camps to the center of the venue, you can hear most of the major stages from camp.
Music inside the venue usually goes until 2:00 or 3:00 am.
The Good Life stage goes until 4:00 am, after which it switches to the silent disco.
If you want to increase your chances of sleeping, it’s recommended to bring some sort of ear plugs, an eye mask, and/or a white noise machine. Custom ear plugs seem to be the best for comfort and noise reduction.

Tips to make my tent easier to find?

Some people get a telescoping flagpole and run a flag by their tent, which makes it easier to see from a distance.

Example flag pole with example mount.

Some people get tapestries, solar yard lights, fairy lights, and/or memorizing what row/tent number you have.

Example lights, more lights, and more lights.

What else should I bring?

There is a concierge golf cart that’s supposed to help transfer your items from your car to your tent, but they can be hit or miss during high-traffic times. Because of this, it doesn’t hurt to have a collapsible wagon to move stuff with, or ask if you can borrow a neighbor’s wagon!

Example wagon here.

Also, the table and chairs that EF provides are lack-luster, just little bamboo things that aren’t great to use. Thus, it wouldn’t hurt to have a small 4’ folding table, or collapsible camp chairs to drag around from tent to tent for when you want to hang with your neighbors.

Example camp chairs here.

Refer to fwump’s ultimate packing guide for any other suggestions.

Any other advice?

Don’t forget that GL stage has music that plays after the venue closes, with big artists making surprise appearances! You generally don’t find out who’s playing until you get there.
Above all else, bring your best vibes! Forest is the happiest place to be, and everyone is excited to be back!

More content TBD. 😊 Future questions/answers to include:

EA Concierge.
EA Wristband tier access.
Vacuum sealer.
Bell tent reflective cover.
Rechargeable hair curlers/irons.
Tent Damage Waiver procedure.
How to get to GA/back.
Golf cart concierge to unload on arrival.