Austin, Texas, what a weekend it was.
Dates: April 10-12, 2015 [The festival has expanded from 2 to 3 days]
Location: Carson Creek Ranch, 9507 Sherman Rd, Austin, TX 78742
Camper’s Entrance Address: 1500 Crozier Lane, Del Valle, TX 78617
Age Restrictions: 18+
Ticket Info: 3-Day GA ticket passes, 3-Day GA + Camping passes and VIP passes were available for purchase far in advance (online and in several hard ticket locations throughout Texas). Closer to the time of the festival they released single day passes. You could also upgrade to camping, if you decided later that you wanted to set up tent instead of driving in every day.
Prices: General Admission (single day and 3-day): $55 – $149+, VIP: $279+, Camping Upgrade: $75+, RV Camping Upgrade: $300 [Compare this to 2014, which saw $99 for 2-day, $54 daily]
Lockers: $45 for 3 days (available, as far as I know, only for campers)
General Store: Set up near the main entrance, decent selection of tents, sleeping bags, snacks, batteries, glow sticks, etc.
Getting to the Festival & Parking
So the camping entrance and parking lot was an easy 8 minute drive from the Austin airport, or about 10 minutes from the La Quinta Austin South, which is where we stayed the night before. Certainly not the nicest hotel around, but it’s conveniently located about 2 minutes driving from the Walmart Supercenter across the highway. Would have been even nicer to stay within walking distance of Walmart, but I couldn’t find anything on that side of the road.
Since we arrived by taxi, we didn’t need to pay to park, but it would have been $20. It was easy-going, self-serve parking- meaning you could park wherever you liked in the large rectangular lot. By the time we arrived at 12:30pm, most of the area near to the entrance had filled up. Organizers also started laying down wood shavings to help prevent the highly trafficked areas from becoming giant mud pits (it had been raining heavily all morning).
Camping & Security
Entering the venue was an organizational nightmare, no sugar coating it. We stood in line for 45 minutes before an angry security man stomped over and told us that the line we were in was for re-entry only, and that if we were going in for the first time, we needed to move to the other line. This “other line” was located about 200 yards down the parking lot, making it a bitch to get to because of the mud, the vehicles, the people milling about and the luggage left everywhere.
At this point, the sun decided to come out, and it was suddenly 90 degrees and blisteringly hot. We stood in the second line for an hour and a half, moving very, very slowly towards security. Met some great friends though, and cracked open plenty of beers to pass the time. Also, speaking of beer, rumor had it that there was a limit of how much alcohol you could bring in through security. Not only did they not check or ask us how much we had, but- if we’d had a car- we could have simply stored all we wanted in the trunk and gone out to re-stock as often as needed.
We made past the ATM machines and up to the security checkpoint- luggage, coolers and supplies in tow. Do yourself a favor and get one of those $59 Folding Camping Wagons from Walmart. Security barely glanced at our shit, perfunctorily digging through a suitcase or two before IDing us for 21+ wristbands. These were for a) allowing you to buy alcohol inside the festival and b) allowing you to re-enter the festival after 2pm. For some strange reason they decided to prevent re-entry for minors after 2pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Vendors & Merchandise
There weren’t any hot food vendors in the camping area, through there were one or two hippie clothing stalls and a General Store, which sold camping supplies, tents, snacks, batteries, etc. There was also a cooking area with two or three BBQ pits where you could grill. The BBQ pits were surprisingly popular, and almost always busy whenever we walked by.
To purchase made-to-order food, we had to make the trek down the wooded path from the camping field, through security and into the festival venue. Most of the venue was gated off and didn’t open until noon, including the Euphoria Stage, Unearth Tent and Dragonfly Amphitheater, merch and shopping stalls and a few food vendors. But there were a handful of food options that offered plenty of early morning grazing options.
The easiest and quickest food vendor of the lot was the Pizza stall, which was the very first in the row at the festival entrance. They had cheese, pepperoni, special and gluten free options for between $6.50 – $7.50/slice or $22 – $27/pie. Lines for the rest of the vendors were very, very long, and we waited upwards of an hour both Saturday and Sunday mornings. The quality of food we tried- a breakfast sandwich, a quesadilla and a breakfast burrito- was pretty decent, but again, organizational nightmare. Orders were being messed up left and right and vendors seemed to struggle to keep supplies in stock.
Available food and drink options included: pulled pork sandwiches, paninis, pancakes, grilled cheese, fried oreos, wraps, cheesesteaks, build-your-own-mac and cheese, soups, french fries, smoothies, hot coffee, iced coffee, sports drinks, sodas and beer (Blue Moon was $7).
A downside of purchasing from the food vendors inside the venue was not having anywhere to eat our food once we finally got it. It had rained both nights, causing the ground to be wet and muddy and altogether not pleasant for sitting. There was a tent set up at one end of the field (for workshops and yoga), but it was still wet under there too. Note to self: plan ahead and bring chairs or a tarp.
Final note on one standout vendor: We had the great pleasure of meeting two sales reps for Tentsile Tree Tents. If you- like me- hadn’t heard of them before, Tentsile sells these elaborate, spaceship-esque tents that hold between 2 and 8 people. Really, really cool looking, not to mention a fun way to meet people at a music festival.
Stages & Artists
Euphoria is a small festival, so it was a quick walk between the three music areas: Euphoria Main Stage, Unearth Tent and Dragonfly Amphitheater. The most unusual of the three was the Dragonfly Amphitheater, which was located right on the water, nestled between two clumps of trees. It was set “below” the audience, with wide terraces set into the hill along which you could stand, dance or sit. Very neat, small feel. Multiple viewing areas extended outwards towards the stage on either side of the amphitheater- plus, there were a handful of hammocks strung up in the trees.
Euphoria Main Stage was your typical festival main stage, with great sound and lights and plenty of room at the back if you needed to escape the crowd. The Unearth Tent was also sick, very reminiscent of the tents at Bonnaroo, with open sides and vaulted ceiling. The highlight of the tent was by far RL Grime, who closed the festival with an amazing light show and, of course, the killer drops of his recent hit- “Tell Me“.
Other highlights included a surprise joint performance by Break Science and Manic Focus, which amped up the crowd in preparation for the masterful Big Gigantic. Of course, Mr. Derek Vincent Smith of Pretty Lights stole the show, turning the sky into a multicolored ocean of shifting waves and clouds. Also keep an eye on Thomas Jack, he’s going to do big things.
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Photos from Euphoria Music Festival
