Upcoming Electric Forest dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Start with the campsite, then the tier
Electric Forest is a four-day festival, Thursday to Sunday in late June, at the Double JJ Resort in Rothbury, Michigan, and almost everyone sleeps on the grounds. That makes the lodging package the closest thing this event has to a seat choice. It sets which toll gate you use, whether you can roll in on Wednesday, and how far you walk to the music each day. The 2026 edition, the 14th, ran June 25 to 28.
The quick call: a group of friends on a first trip should buy General Admission (GA) with standard car camping. Buy Good Life if you value shorter lines, cleaner facilities and a quieter place to recharge, or if you want Wednesday arrival without paying for an add-on. Whatever you choose, make sure a resale listing includes the camping you need, because lodging packages are the scarce part.
GA and Good Life, side by side
All passes cover the full four days. There are two main tiers, and each one pairs with its own set of lodging options.
General Admission
Entry all four days, plus restrooms, showers, food vendors, artisan shops and workshops. Lodging runs from plain car camping (you bring the tent) up to preferred car camping with Wednesday entry, RV and powered RV sites, Higher Love and Maplewoods packages, pre-set tents, and lakeside packages at Lucky Lake. Group camping lets friends hold neighboring sites.
Good Life
The premium tier: its own entrances, lounges inside the venue, reserved stage viewing areas, free use of its restrooms and showers, and separate food vendors. Lodging includes tent camping, Village and Meadow car camping, powered and pre-set RVs, air-conditioned A/C Landing tents, bungalows and the Back 40 area. An Enchanted Experience package sits above it.
Which is worth it
GA is plenty for most fans. Good Life pays off over four long days if restroom lines and crowd density wear on you, and its reserved viewing areas are the closest thing to a guaranteed sightline at a big stage.
When you can roll in and which toll to use
Your pass decides your arrival window:
- Thursday, 12:01 a.m. Eastern: standard GA camping opens.
- Wednesday, 12:01 a.m.: for Wednesday arrival add-ons, group camping, preferred car camping and GA RV passes.
- Wednesday, 8 a.m.: free early arrival for Good Life.
- Monday, 4 p.m. Eastern: all campgrounds close.
Rothbury is off US-31 and reached by car. As of 2026, GA and Lucky Lake campers used the South Toll from Exit 136 (Winston Road), RV and enhanced camping used the North Toll from Exit 140 (Stony Lake Road), and Good Life had its own toll entry off Exit 136. Will Call moved to Winston Speedway in Rothbury that year, and wristbands had to be collected there before heading to any toll. Arrive on your first eligible day if campsite position matters, and budget time for the line at the tolls.
Staying in a hotel is possible but uncommon. In 2026 the festival ran shuttles Thursday through Sunday from near the South Entry tolls, leaving in the afternoon and evening and returning after midnight.
Sherwood Forest and the music mix
Electric Forest is built on an unusual pairing: electronic music and jam bands on the same bill. The wooded section of the grounds, which the festival calls Sherwood Forest, is the heart of the experience, with stage takeovers, a silent disco and roaming performers filling the gaps between headline sets. An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people attended in 2025. Insomniac and Madison House Presents produce it.
The booking pattern holds year to year: bass and electronic acts after dark, jam and funk bands through the weekend, and a few surprises that bridge the two crowds.
From the Rothbury Festival to two decades of headliners
The site's first festival was Rothbury in 2008, a jam-centered weekend that drew 30,202 people and featured members of Phish, the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers Band. It ran again in 2009 and skipped 2010. In 2011, Pasquale Rotella of Insomniac and Jeremy Stein of Madison House relaunched it as Electric Forest. The String Cheese Incident hosted from 2011 through 2016 with three sets a year, and 2014 brought the first sellout. The festival ran two weekends in 2017 and 2018, went back to one in 2019, and was not held in 2020 or 2021.
- 2011 to 2013: Tiesto, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights and Skrillex, then Passion Pit, Above & Beyond and Empire of the Sun.
- 2014 to 2016: Ms. Lauryn Hill, Flying Lotus and Umphrey's McGee; then Kaskade, Flume, Carl Cox, ODESZA and Skrillex again; then Major Lazer and Porter Robinson performing live.
- 2017 and 2019: Illenium, My Morning Jacket and ODESZA; then STS9, T-Pain and ODESZA once more.
- 2022 and 2024: GRiZ, Big Wild and Disclosure; then Excision, Charlotte de Witte, Ludacris, Nelly Furtado, Pretty Lights and the String Cheese Incident.
Presales, payment plans and resale timing
The festival sells through a loyalty presale first and a public on-sale a few days later. For the 2024 edition, loyalty sales opened December 4, 2023, and public sales December 8. Payment plans let buyers spread the cost. On the resale market, specific lodging types tend to run out well before festival admission does, so shop for the camping first. Every order through Reserved Seat is backed by a 100% guarantee.
Camp rules, alcohol limits and packing
The festival goes ahead in rain or shine, and a Michigan June can bring hot afternoons followed by cold nights. Pack sun hats, sunscreen, warm layers, rain gear and sturdy shoes. Empty reusable bottles and hydration packs are allowed.
- Alcohol at camp (as of 2026): beer and wine only, sealed, capped at one case of beer and one box of wine per person. No kegs, no hard liquor, and nothing from camp may be carried into the venue. The drinking age is 21.
- Banned everywhere: fireworks, grills, generators, glass, kegs, drones, weapons, bicycles and large speakers.
- Banned in the venue: outside food and drink beyond one sealed water bottle, chairs, tents, professional cameras and frisbees.
- Children: a wristband is required from age 3; kids 2 and under do not need one.
Rules are revised every year, so read the Electric Forest festival info page before you pack.
Frequently asked questions
Is Good Life worth it at Electric Forest?
It is for fans who want separate entrances, lounges, reserved stage viewing, free showers and restrooms, and Wednesday arrival included. Most first-timers do fine with GA.
Which Electric Forest pass lets me arrive on Wednesday?
Good Life includes Wednesday arrival from 8 a.m. GA holders need a Wednesday add-on, group camping, preferred car camping or a GA RV pass, which open at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.
Do kids need a ticket for Electric Forest?
Everyone age 3 and up needs a wristband. Children 2 and under do not.
What alcohol can I bring to camp at Electric Forest?
As of 2026, sealed beer and wine only, up to one case of beer and one box of wine per person. Kegs and liquor are banned, and alcohol stays in the campgrounds.
Can I stay in a hotel instead of camping?
Yes, though most fans camp. In 2026 the festival offered hotel shuttles Thursday through Sunday from near the South Entry tolls.