I’ve been to my fair share of music festivals, but I’ve been told the magic of Electric Forest is something special and well worth the 18 hour drive I’m about to make to Rothbury, Michigan.

1.  Dance my ass off at String Cheese.

I love the String Cheese Incident. Their shows are just giant, love-filled dance parties. I’ve never seen them at a festival before, and I’ve heard they put on a different type of show. Since they’re playing three nights, I’m sure I’ll have my fill of Cheese. If not, there’s always three nights at Red Rocks the next weekend.

2.  Go to yoga and hula hooping classes.

There is something about doing yoga outdoors that is always refreshing, and keeping your body and mind centered is the midst of the madness of a festival probably isn’t a bad idea either. I’ve been looking for the chance to take a hula hooping class since I started practicing about a year ago, because I’m still not too great at it. If you haven’t seen how incredible the teacher Luna Breeze is, you should probably check her out:

3.  Ride the new ferris wheel!

On the festival map, there are a ton of festival attractions (like a lake, glow in the dark disc-golf, a water park and more), but I think I’m most excited for the ferris wheel. I don’t think I’ve been on one for years, and I always loved them as a child.

4.  Participate in the new “Electric-ology” program; an effort to keep the festival green.

This year, the festival is amping up their environmental efforts. Electric-ology is aimed at promoting “waste reduction through the use of sustainable products, composting, recycling and most importantly, rewarded crowd participation. Your participation will earn EcoPoints giving you access to the rewards at the Electric-ology store in the Ranch Arena. Its the only place to win private artist jams, signed merchandise, tickets to Electric Forest 2013 and other exclusive prizes.”

5.  Wander Sherwood Forest.

This might be the thing I’m the most excited for. My friends have been talking about how incredible this place is for years, and the promo video makes it look like a raging fairy tale land:

If you’re going to the festival, look for me out there; I love making new friends! If you’re not, check back to elephant for updates, photos and more. You can also follow my updates on Twitter at @cassES89.

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Cassandra Smith is an editorial intern at elephant journal.  She is a fifth generation Colorado native who believes dance has the potential to liberate human consciousness from its cultural prison.  Cassandra formerly trained at Boston Ballet and is currently a senior at University of Colorado Boulder studying journalism, sociology and philosophy. Read her blog at cassandralanesmith.com.