Bringing all of your favorite activities for the summer, Float Fest is not just a music festival anymore but an opportunity for you to explore all of your human senses by combining nature, music, and lots of tasty treats in an adventurous and limitless way. It not only offers a stellar line up with Indie-Rock and Hip-Hop legends but a geographic location that allows you to make the best out of your camping or outdoors experience. Being located next to the San Marcos River you get to take a couple hours off the day to float around the river with your buddies, the festival provides tubs for you to tie together with all of your friends and will even give you a floatie for the beer cooler, because come on, we all know that’s part of the experience. The end of the river is strategically located next to the camping grounds and behind the main stage, so it all becomes a full circle, you get to jump off the water and get back into the fest. It’s just unlike anything in the area has to offer.
This year Indie legends like Cage the Elephant, MGMT, and Weezer blessed the stage with hard hitting electric strokes that really showed Texas some good old dance party. MGMT had a spooky and melancholic set that had the entire city singing along the classics, most people we’ve talked to had been fans for years and never seen them live. Cage the Elephant I must say had one of the best performance of their career, at least it felt like it. I’ve seen the guys a couple times here and there, but something about this year’s festivities that had Matt Shultz sending some of the most genuine Rock&Roll vibes out to the universe, performing like there was no tomorrow. It was truly a beautiful experience to share with all the attendees.
Towards the end of the festival, when we thought all fun was over, little did we know the fun was just about to begin. While thousands of fans tried to leave at the same time using all of San Marco’s exit farm roads we got stuck in the parking lot for quite some time, it was a bit annoying so we decided to step out of the car and smoke a cigaret. Little did we know we met some people walking into their camps, and they invited us to come with — we did not think twice. When we got there, we played beer pong, jammed out to some Kings of Leon and drank lots of straight whiskey, it was the whole southern experience. Suddenly a few people came past our tent and yelled out, what are y’all doing? Everyone is at the River, let’s go. So we went.
The river was in full motion, with bonfires provided by some of the neighbors, coolers full of beers and a lot of people ready to squeeze as much fun possible out of their weekend. It felt safe, it felt genuine everyone was awake and responsible looking after each other. So if you are thinking of stepping out to Texas next summer make sure you keep up with our friends from Float Fest, because something tells me next year will be even more intense.
Photography by Manuel Frayre
