Allison Marie

Elements Music & Arts Festival returned to Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania for another massive weekend of music, art, community and a little unpredictable weather.

For Thursday early arrivers, the weekend began with an extra night of music before regular ticket holders arrived Friday. Heavy rain Thursday into Friday left the grounds soaked, making boots a necessity for much of the weekend. Then, as Friday arrivals waited to get through security, another massive storm rolled in and temporarily closed the gates.

For nearly four hours, cars sat parked on the raceway waiting for the weather to clear. Instead of letting the delay kill the mood, chairs came out, food was made, games were played and neighbors started meeting neighbors. Once the gates reopened, the mud stuck around, but Elements was underway—and barely stopped until Monday morning.

Each of the four main stages brought its own personality. Air disappeared into the woods, Fire delivered massive production, pyro and its glowing globe, Water brought colorful, high-energy vibes, and Earth’s towering deer watched over the crowd. Beyond the stages, the Neon Forest and immersive art at every turn made simply wandering the grounds part of the experience.

Wild outfits, handmade totems, flow artists and complete self-expression filled the grounds, while rapid weddings brought strangers together to cheer on couples saying “I do” in the middle of the festival. Even the food had its standouts, including Rising Vibes’ street corn over crispy tater tots and plenty of New York-style pizza to refuel between sets.

Musically, the weekend’s biggest surprises and standout sets – just didn’t stop – including Level Up, Crankdat, Excision, Big Gigantic, GorillaT, ATLiens, Louis the Child, Subfeels, Above & Beyond, Ganja white Night, Chris Lake, Boys Noise, Svdden Death, Daily Bread, LSDream, Zingara and Nikita, The Wicked. Subtronics delivered the an unreal bass-heavy energy everyone that came was left wanting more, meanwhile GRiZ changed the pace Sunday with his laid-back, funky Chasing the Golden Hour set. The vibe

When the main stages stopped, the party simply moved to Vibe Village. “Smaller” stages kept new music going on the hour until nearly 7 a.m., creating an entire late night world of its own. Earplugs and an eye mask were valuable must haves for anyone hoping to sleep, but for everyone else, sunrise simply marked the end of another night.

Elements went well into the early Monday morning hours with close out sets from LSDREAM, Charlotte de Witte, and Porter Robinson. By noon Monday the raceway was gridlocked with thousands of attendees packing up camp and heading back to everyday life.

For more on Elements Music Festival, click here.