[Recap] Mystic Valley Festival 2017: Why Firsts Are Hard to Forget

You tend to remember your “firsts” – first heartbreak, first love, first kiss. Whatever “first” occasion you experience for the first time, there is always a certain lasting sentiment that remains tied to that moment making it hard to forget. The first ever Mystic Valley Festival for many attendees will surely have that exact same lingering impact. Word is, the festival has already positioned itself firmly in a very special place in the hearts of all the adventure seekers who reveled in the festival grounds at the beautiful Mountain Creek Golf & Resort between 3-5 February, 2017.

The event was surely a spectacle. The barren lands between the mountainous scenery was turned into a musical playground fitting for any wanderluster. The promise was to offer everyone a piece of everything. For those who were fortunate to go, you will know what we are talking about. However, for those of you who did not manage to attend, let us share with you why this “first” would be ever-so-hard to forget and why we would probably be talking about it for years to come.

The Stages

You would think 8 stages for a festival would be overkill. Why would anyone need that much variety? Well, you would be surprised. The most entertaining part about Mystic Valley 2017 was exactly the fact that you could walk anywhere you want and find something new to listen to. Every single stage had its own style and unique set-up. The path for you to roam on was one that was meant to be taken. Venture off alone or with your crew to find a mixture of EDM, hip-hop, drum & bass, techno, trap, house, nu disco, or trance. Wherever you choose to stop, it was a guaranteed good time. Each stage was stunning in its own way and no matter what you were feeling at the time – you will find it.

The Crowd

We have not seen a crowd this engaging in a long time. Whether you were lost or simply went to party alone, there were people ready to take your hand and dance with you all night long. Maybe it was the cool breeze in Khao Yai that put everyone in such an awesome mood, but for a festival of this magnitude it was surprisingly easy to make new friends. Not only that, everyone seemed to play along with the spirit of the event and came through dressed up in full team gear! We saw teams of Native American girls with full on headdresses, construction worker outfits that glowed in the dark, and many other colorful iterations other very creative costumes. It was surely a sight to see and made the festival experience a whole lot livelier in every single corner. Because let us face it, the people at the festivals themselves is a big part of why any festival is such a special place to be at.

The Food

The organizers were not kidding, they did manage to secure a parade of awesome vendors to come and feed the attendees. What they forgot to tell us was how awesome the dining area actually was. When we first arrived there it looked like a proper hipster food court with a beer-gardenesque vibe. If it was not for the awesome music blasting at the Mainstage nearby, we would go as far as to say that many people would have just sat at the food area and hung out for the whole night. Think about it: amazing weather, hay stacks for chairs, a nice cold brewski, and you choice of gourmet hotdogs, pizza, burgers, and/or any of your local Thai favorite dishes – what more do you need? Add to that the fact that the prices were fair and this is why we feel the food was also a big big highlight!

The DJs

Look, we will be the first ones to admit that it would have been physically impossible to actually catch ALL of your favorite DJs across the 8 stages. With over 50 DJs and so many styles on offer, it was insane. However, with such an awesome lineup and the chance for the different stages to curate their own roster and lineup, the sheer amount of DJs in attendance was unheard of! The beauty of this arrangement was that everyone was able to discover new DJs and really enjoy some of their shows. Walking past a stage and hear something you like? Chances are the DJ on stage is an awesome DJ you may have not heard of before. It was the perfect way to ensure that there was never a dull moment in the festival grounds as with so many talented DJs around, random parties will pop up at any time.

The Vibe

It was a surreal experience to be dancing under the moonlight between the gorgeous mountains. This was truly when the stage, the crowd, the food, and the DJs came together as one to really create the vibe. Mystic Valley Festival may have sounded like your everyday music festival on paper, but if you were there you would know that despite the dusty roads and the long walks – the festival was a lifestyle event which really embraced every attendees differences and made sure that the experience on offer was something so memorable you cannot help but think about the next edition even before you leave. You can sell a product, but it is so hard to sell a feeling – but when you manage to do that like Mystic Valley Festival has done, then you have struck gold because the feeling we got as we left was that of longing and wanting to go back.

So for those of you who did go, see you next year again surely. But for those of you who may not have been fortunate enough to attend, you have heard it from us, it is surely the place to be. Make sure you get to plan in advance for next year’s edition by following Mystic Valley Festival at their official website and their Facebook page to be kept in the loop for any of the latest news. We will surely closely monitor.

Words by Tang Kalayanamit
Images by Surapas Amornwatee