Joshua Tree Music Festival Returns this October

By Crystal Harrell

This season, the Joshua Tree Music Festival Fall Fest will kick off from October 6-9 to provide a one-of-a-kind musical experience. Just as in previous years, music will rotate between two stages from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., creating a continuous flow of transcendental sounds in a diverse medley of genres and styles curated to blend together.

During breaks from the dance floor, attendees can enjoy yoga and workshops, indulge in a massage at the Healing Oasis, or take a stroll around the lake and the grounds to take in the various art installations and the raw beauty of the desert landscape.

“I’m looking forward to dancing into the sunsets and I’m excited to see every single act on October’s lineup; there might be surprise musical guests at Veggie Camp. You never know who’s going to show up and watching people enjoy the festival is the real icing on the cake after working so hard on it,” said Joshua Tree Music Festival Co-Producer Cassie Morrow.

Morrow has been involved with the festival for over 10 years, but maintains that the Joshua Tree Music Festival remains the same at its foundation: comprised of a great community, captivating music, a beautiful location, and a really sweet, laid back feel. One of the perks of having a permanent venue is that Morrow and Founder and Organizer of the music festival Barnett English really got to focus their energy on honing the experience—elevating the music, the art, the aesthetic, and the atmosphere. Each festival is an opportunity to fine-tune these things and deliver an even more amazing experience for the attendees.

“Our festivals are smaller, more inviting, overgrown family kind of gatherings—much different than larger events. With just one stage live at a time, we all get to hear every artist together. It’s that ‘shared experience’ that makes the memories more magical. Over 20 years and 37 festivals including two virtual, folks have been coming back and bringing more friends. That’s a real organic growth. So now the audience truly is a tight knit community, and that familial vibe is palpable,” shared English.

There is a wide range of genres represented at the Joshua Tree Music Festival, including electro-afro-funk, funk/hiphop/jazz fusion, protest anthems with a brass band twist, futuristic bass funk, and electro-trance folktronica, which are just a few that audiences will discover on October’s lineup.

Since 2003, there have been over 800 artists who have performed at the Joshua Tree Music Festival. Morrow’s favorite acts from previous years consist of Charli 2na, Elle King, and Fatoumata Diawara as stellar acts that were an absolute honor to host. English’s favorites include Dakhabrakha from Ukraine, The Hu from Mongolia, Fatoumata Diawara from Mali, Nortec Collective from Mexico, and Kraak & Smaak from the Netherlands.

“I hope that people feel the love that we put into the festival, that they love it as much as we do, that they feel inspired and bring five friends with them next time, who in turn love it and return with five more friends. The festival community growing in this organic way is a big part of what makes it so unique and special,” stated Morrow.

Musical highlights at the festival this October include Ibibio Sound Machine—a vibrant electro-afro-funk out of London; English-Nigerian lead singer Eno Williams is a force; and the razor sharp octet is focused on that dance floor. Ghost-Note is headed by Snarky Puppy’s multi Grammy–winning percussion duo of Robert Sput Searight and Nate Werth. Ghost-Note is an explosion of sound. Brass Against is a collective group of musicians who share the goal of creating music to inspire social and personal change.

“Guests can expect continuous music from morning till night. Choose your own adventure days from workshops, yoga or a hike up the hill. It’s a family friendly environment. You’ll have sore cheeks from ear-to-ear smiles. Perfect sunsets and, hopefully, perfect fall weather will be there too,” expressed Morrow.

One of the things that really stands about the Joshua Tree Music Festival is the intimacy that can really only manifest at a smaller event. Seeing these acts on the stage just feet away with a few thousand people versus over 80,000 is really something unique and special as the artists and attendees feed off the energy.

Besides music, attendees can start their day with a soothing gong sound bath or qi gong class, and take a pick of yoga classes such as Sensual Play, Core to the Floor, Rooted Flow, or sit in on discussions with topics ranging covering Harm Reduction, Plant Medicine, Grief, and more.

Collective effervescence is how festival founder Barnett English describes the Joshua Tree Music Festival experience. That joyful bliss felt during a shared communal experience and the incommunicable thrill of a group deliberately united in exaltation brings intense feelings of well-being and happiness—of rising spirits, and stretching life to the fullest. It also promotes renewing and solidifying the bonds that hold a community together.

“We intentionally strive to have a diverse line up. World, electro-funk n groove, New Orleans, twang n rollers, folksters and more. By mixing styles, it makes for a much richer experience. Quite often I hear from the Joshua Tree Music Festival attendees, ‘I don’t go to other festivals, but we come here twice a year.’  So for folks that don’t like the large crowds or long lines, we’re the festival for you,” said English.

Tickets and an official line-up of performances for the Joshua Tree Music Festival Fall Fest can be purchased on the official website, www.joshuatreemusicfestival.com. 2020 ticket rollovers have been sent out via email from support@aftontickets.com. Any other questions about the music festival can be emailed to love@joshuatreemusicfestival.com.