I attended the inaugural Eaux Claires Festival, curated by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, and it has…read morealready earned it spot as an annual must-do event in my book. It was affordable (~$90 for 2 full days), and within a good driving range where you feel like you're embarking out of the Twin Cities, but you're not really going too far. It's a fun state of mind that's easy on the mileage.
I'll get right to the point. My favorite sets: Bon Iver, Sylvan Esso, Policia, Doomtree, Lizzo. There were plenty of porta potties, which were also kept clean and stocked. The scenery was just dreamy - rolling hills, trails through the trees, light-up color-changing forests, and cool art installations. Depending on the times of the sets, I was able to grab drinks at the right time without crazy lines. I loved the local artists and stores that were in the "village" there. I think each of my friends and I ended up buying something.
Some cons though: the food, or lack there of. There was like 20,000 people and like 10 vendors. Lots of people waited in lines over an hour long, only for the vendors to run out of food. A lot of the merch sold out quick too. And the crowd leaving at the end of the last set was not managed well, because thousands of people were forced down this one narrow roped off path.
