Lightning in a Bottle 2024 Recap & Review

I finally arrived. Lightning in a Bottle has been a dream of mine to attend and I finally did it. I’m really excited to share my Lightning in a Bottle experience which was a true divine alignment trip and filled with synchronicities. Serving as a reminder that we are always exactly where we need to be. Let’s get into it!

Overview / Background

I had first heard about Lightning in a Bottle through Do Lab which I had learned about when attending my first Coachella in 2017. I loved the vibes of the Do Lab stage and was told that if I loved that stage then I would love Lightning in a Bottle as Do Lab puts on that festival. It soon became a dream of mine to attend. I had a ticket for the 2020 festival, which was canceled. Because of that, Do Lab gave attendees the option to either refund the ticket, roll it over for when they return, or donate the funds from the ticket to keep them afloat. I donated my ticket in hopes that I could one day attend when it felt aligned.

Lightning in a Bottle did make its return after the pandemic; however, I waited for when it felt right for me to attend. It wasn’t until this year when the lineup dropped that I had this overwhelming feeling that this was the year for me to go and I would make it happen no matter what. With the festival being Memorial Day weekend, it was already easy to get the time off. I polled around my friends to see who would be interested and my friend Ineke was down. We bought our 5-Day VIP passes and a car camping pass. We decided that I would fly into San Diego and make the four-hour drive with her and we would camp together and take on Lightning in a Bottle together. This recap and review are going to encompass all the things we experienced. If we want to see how this experience played out in real-time, check out my vlogs on YouTube.

Venue

Lightning in a Bottle is hosted at Buena Vista Lake in California which is just 2 hours north of LA and outside of Bakersfield. It’s a dusty and flat terrain venue that works like a recreation park right alongside the Buena Vista Lake. Do Lab completely transformed this venue into a summer camp-like playground for both adults and children. The festival is essentially planned around the coast of the water and then the campgrounds surround the festival. There are three different camping sections and where you are placed is determined upon arrival.

Depending on where you get placed camping-wise, it can be quite a walk to the festival gates. We got to the campgrounds at 10 pm on Wednesday night and got a prime spot in camp High Noon that had us right by the plaza so we were close to bathrooms and showers which was nice. We were also a 10-minute walk to the festival gates which was super convenient.

I definitely recommend doing the five-day ticket (Wednesday-Sunday) as it gives you more time to explore and get settled into the festival and campgrounds. Wednesday was spent with us setting up our campsite then Thursday we could explore as the schedule is a little bit lighter. Friday the festival is in full swing so it was nice for us to get our bearings before that. There is so much to explore and even then I don’t think we covered all of it. It is a lot of walking so your most comfortable shoes are best.

Overall Experience

As a camping festival veteran and longtime Electric Forest lover, Lightning in a Bottle’s overall experience exceeded my expectations. I try not to go in with any expectations and yet, I was so surprised how easy the whole experience was. Even looking back, I really don’t have any complaints to report back on. It was an amazing five days filled with authentic expression, connection to self and new people, learning and expansion, and just feeling FREE. I’ve gone through my own dealings of personal challenges recently and this portal was like coming home to myself and reminding myself what life is really all about. I also felt like I received love back in so many forms as someone who gives their love out into the world a lot, it was nice to be in receipt of that energy.

I like to describe Lightning in a Bottle as a choose-your-own experience. You could have a whole weekend experience dedicated to learning in attending the various sessions and workshops. You could spend your weekend healing through movement and breathwork with the programming they have. You could dance and embrace your inner child. There is so much programming aside from the music. The festival grounds are also “open” basically 24/7 making it easy to go back and forth between camp for disco naps or recharges and then continuing with your schedule. You can also take a dip in the water as needed to stay cool. I really loved the ability to choose what I needed in the moment that supported me best whether it was going to a set or taking a break or going to a workshop. Lightning in a Bottle truly showcases how well-rounded of a festival experience you could have when you have your intentions aligned.

Security

There is standard camp security when you arrive at the campgrounds. It wasn’t super thorough for us, but I think it just depends. Once inside, you’ll have a small security checkpoint at the various festival entrances between the campgrounds and the festival. They’re mainly checking for weapons and alcohol as they sell alcohol inside of the festival. Security was always relatively quick and I think that’s because of the come-and-go open hours of the festival that there weren’t any peak times to enter the festival.

VIP

The VIP experience is a little different than what I’m used to with Good Life at Electric Forest. The VIP experience is solely for the festival and not within the campgrounds. There isn’t a VIP camp area like Good Life at Electric Forest. We essentially camped in regular car camping, but then had VIP access within the festival. This meant we could go to the three VIP lounges at Woogie, Lightning, and Thunder stages. These VIP lounges had shade, AC trailer bathrooms, comfortable couches and daybeds, food and drink options, and charging stations. At the Lightning stage (the main stage) there was a VIP viewing area which was amazing to be super close to the artists. You also got access to the Atlaswyld Beach Club which is near the Woogie stage. We didn’t get a chance to check this out even though it was included.

With the ticket price being $ 779.00 (the 5-day price is for 2025), we found this to be super worth it. You could beat the heat take a break in the lounges and charge your phone. I also found the VIP viewing area at Lightning worth it as well. We even learned a hack after the fact that when your tent gets hot at your campsite, you could just go to the VIP lounge and continue sleeping there as the festival is open and so are the lounges even if there is no music. 

One thing I do hope for next year is for the VIP lounges to have better viewing areas at Woogie and Thunder. Those lounges were alongside the stage but didn’t have the best sound or view of the stage. I think this would be a huge selling point to have a better viewing area for VIPs at those stages. VIP was worth it for me and I already purchased VIP tickets for LiB 2025.

Non-Music Features

One of the best parts of Lightning in a Bottle is how much there is to do outside of the music. It was a very full and packed schedule from sunrise to sunset and repeats. This was the most programming compared to a festival like Electric Forest. They have two yoga areas for movement-like workshops. They have a Learning Kitchen for workshops related to nutrition and food. Artclave is where you can creatively express yourself in art classes. Even for kids and parents, they have programming. And that’s only part of it. We did yoga, an elixir class, a sensual dance class, and we wish we had done more. I definitely would love to prioritize more workshops next year.

There are other experiences to take part in at LiB like rollerblading, taking a dip in the water, karaoke, cassette DJ’ing, and a Brodega. There are so much intentional art installations as well as other fun activities for you to explore. I feel like we didn’t even cover it all so I highly recommend taking some time to explore and see what you stumble upon.

Food

The food at Lightning in a Bottle was super diverse and yummy. We ate breakfast at camp and then got a meal inside the festival. I usually opt for more filling carb and protein-heavy meals. I found myself getting chicken and waffles (priced around $20) throughout the weekend, but also really enjoyed a poke bowl I got on the last day of the festival. There was also a boba stand where we got passion fruit lemonade with boba in it multiple times as it was super refreshing in the hot sun. I definitely recommend having things at camp for breakfast and snacks then you could have a meal inside the festival. I didn’t drink at this festival, but they had a couple of non-alcoholic options that were great. Also throughout the grounds, there were so many water stations which was super nice to see. Never had to worry about waiting in long lines to get water or anything.

Weather

From what I had heard from past LiB veterans, we lucked out with the weather. It was definitely a hot weekend, but you do your best to keep cool and they have lots of shade and misters around the festival. Based on where this festival is at, it can get super windy and dusty. You definitely need to make sure your camp items are staked down properly as the wind can get pretty intense. I also recommend packing dust masks (1 for each day) as it does get super dusty. I luckily didn’t get sick and didn’t deal with too bad of sinus issues thankfully. At nighttime, it does get a little cold when you’re not in a crowd, but it just depends. I think a light jacket and pashmina works great. I had a furry jacket one night and then it ended up being too hot in the crowd.

Music

The lineup was what initially drew me in with some of my favorites that I’ve seen like Skrillex, Lane 8, Nora en Pure, Clozee, and Justin Martin. But also, I saw so many names I had been wanting to see like ISOxo, Overmono, Labrinth.

Favorite Sets from the Weekend

• Day 1 – Thursday
  • Honey Dijon
• Day 2 – Friday
  • Yulia Niko
  • ISOxo
  • Lane 8
• Day 3 – Saturday
  • Elephant Heart
  • Maddy O’Neal
  • Labrinth
  • Honorable Mention: Skrillex Surprise Set
• Day 4 – Sunday
  • Rufus du Sol Surprise Set
  • Overmono
  • Skrillex Main Set

Stages & Production

There are 13 stages for you to groove at. Not counting the art cars that are playing music throughout the day as well. The main five stages I would say are: Lightning, Thunder, Woogie, The Stacks, and The Junkyard. Each stage at Lightning in a Bottle had it’s own vibe to it from the set up of it to the visual aspects and the lightning. The sound was great at all of the stages and they were all easy to navigate through the crowd. One thing to think about is there is some walking time between Woogie, Thunder, and Lightning which is where a lot of the main headliners of the lineup play. Just something to plan for when you have sets you want to see you might have to leave a little early to account for walking time.

Vibes

Lightning in a Bottle had some of the best vibes I’ve experienced at a festival.

Crowd

I instantly noticed just how free, authentic, and expressive this crowd was. Festival and club culture has become crowds of people not dancing and always recording on their phones to get their viral TikTok. When looking back at all of my footage, there were barely any phones out and people are connecting with one another. We had so many serendipitious moments with strangers. We became friends with people we still talk to to this day. It was so refreshing to be in a crowd like this with friendly faces and radiant energy. LiB prides itself on a few pillars that are reminiscent of the Burning Man principles that I think contribute to the crowd. It’s a very community driven less mainstream type of crowd.

What to Wear

You really can express yourself how you want at Lightning in a Bottle. I recommend clothes that are breathable during the day as it’s pretty hot and like I said could have some clothes for nighttime and could change at camp. No matter what you wear, comfortable shoes are a must. I really saw a variety of outfits so you really can wear what you want and express yourself how you want.

Tips for Next Time

• I highly recommend the 5-day ticket. It gives you more time to get settled and explore. You also might get a better camp spot.
• Comfortable shoes are a must, it’s a lot of walking. 
• Bandanas or dust masks help a lot with the dust. 
• Having a portable shower at camp can help with the long lines and paying for a shower.
• It gets somewhat cold at night so you can go back to camp and change.
• Make time for activities other than the music, you never know what you’ll stumble upon.

Cost Breakdown

• Order Total: $1,050.41
  • Ticket: $779
  • Camping Pass: $165
• Flight: Used Southwest Points
• Outfits & Accessories: $100
• Walmart Run: $100
• Food: $35 a day (4 days) – $140
• Rental Car: My friend Ineke covered this since I had the camping pass & other items
• Gas: $75
• Total: Ballpark ~$1500

Would I attend again?

Well, I already have tickets purchased for next year if that gives you any indication. This festival could easily take the number one spot and I’d love to attend again to solidify that. I highly recommend this festival especially if you’re into spirituality or personal development. Regardless, it is truly a special experience for any music lover and I hope you take the chance to experience it.