Your Festival Guide to Lightning in a Bottle 2024
Jump To: Dates/Location/Line-Up | History of LIB | Festival Facts | What To Bring | Additional Info | Full Line-Up
It almost doesn’t matter what kind of music you are into. You will most definitely find it on one of the 7 stages at Lightning In A Bottle this year. Each stage features its own unique aesthetic, vision, and sound. The wonderfully immersive core stages; Woogie, Thunder, and Lightning will be trampled upon by some of the biggest names in electronic, techno, house, pop, and folk music, including Labrinth, Skrillex, James Blake, and M.I.A.
The other four stages just announced their line-up. The Stacks, The Junkyard, The Compass, and The Grand Artique will feature artists like Glass Beams, Strawberry Disco Circus, Justin Cambell, Fuzzwald and the Rabbit, Henry Pope, Mystic Grizzly, and Little Dinosaur to name a few.
Lightning in a Bottle is a truly immersive off-the-grid experience and this year they are doing something different. Normally the festival is 5 days, but this year they introduced their 3 day tickets and hotel package options. They are also rolling out their new Easy Peasy Pre-set Camping and Pre-Set RV options. So for those of you that want to take the festival at your own pace and without the added stress, these packages may be the perfect option. The convenience of having your accommodations taken care of from the very start, will surely set the intention for a worry free and enjoyable weekend.
And if you do choose the full five days to explore all the music and art that the grounds have to offer, be sure to get there early so that you will have your pick of the best campsites and attend all the pre-parties and get yourself fully immersed in the festival BEFORE the crowd arrives.
And let’s just say that the music may NOT be enough for you, you can be sure to expand your mind and be inspired by a variety of topics including indigenous cultures, psychedelic medicine, love & relationships, healthy eating, and more at the immersive Compass area. Push past your boundaries and let yourself fully go and soak up all that the LIB has to offer.
DATES, LOCATION, AND LINE-UP
LIB will be held over Memorial Day weekend, May 22-27, 2024 in Bakersfield in Buena Vista Lake at the Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area in Kern County, CA. For those of you flying into LAX for the festival, that’s about 100 miles outside of LA.
This year’s line-up is incredible with some strong female representation like CloZEE, Nora En Pure, Honey Dijon, Nia Archives, Jyoty, ANNA, Sama’ Abdulhadi and more.
Headliners
M.I.A. One of my all time favorites. When "Paper Planes" came out in 2007, I couldn’t stop listening. This British Rapper and record producer is a force and her music is still just as relevant today as it was when she began her recording career in 2002. And who will ever forget her epic Oscar nominated song, "O…Saya" from “Slumdog Millionaire.”
James Blake This English R&B superstar has a soothing baritone voice, 2 Grammys and is known for his hits like "Retrograde," "Life Round Here," and "Overgrown."
Fatboy Slim Arguably one of rave’s biggest legends will be doing what he does best at LIB this year. And for all those younger festival goers, you need to check out his Grammy win for best music video in the infamous video, "Weapon of Choice" featuring Christopher Walkin dancing around a hotel lobby.
Skream The English electronic music producer, will be performing a dubstep set. He remixed one of my personal most favorite songs in the world, “In For The Kill.”
Tycho his moody ambient sounds will be perfect at creating the most epic Sunset set
Labrinth English singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He composed the soundtrack for the first season of HBO's Euphoria and Won the Emmy for the song “All For Us” with vocals by Zendaya
Skrillex Has won 9 Grammys- the most out of any electronic dance artist. This past year he had a double album release and several marquee festival appearances worldwide. Also did a remix of La Roux’s “In For The Kill”
The History of Lightning in a Bottle
Last year, LIB celebrated its 20th anniversary and each year, has furthered its mission to inspire creativity and foster interconnection. Brothers Dede, Jesse, and Josh Flemming created The Do LaB, a colorful stage that was originally an art installation at Coachella years ago. After a couple years of being a fan favorite when they first started out, Coachella began booking artists to perform in their tent and the trio later went on to start their very own music festival, Lightning in a Bottle. Today anywhere from 20-30 thousand festival goers get to experience some of the biggest names in music, art, workshops, educational talks, amazing food and even a slew of art cars that are famous for their Playa reputations at Burning Man.
Festival Facts
Every festival pass includes free tent camping. And if you’re parking in the lot, camping in your car, or bringing your RV, you’ll need a vehicle pass. General admission and VIP Festival passes must be purchased separately.
New this year to the festival are the Easy Peasy Tent Packages, which features basic tent packages with bedding. Enjoy worry free camping when you arrive at a fully set up site in the designated Easy Peasy Camp.
The same goes for Easy Peasy RV Packages. Fully powered RV packages that are fully set up for your arrival allow you to just get straight into all the festival action.
And for those of you that are looking for a more elevated experience, like VIP amenities, private lounges, and air conditioned restrooms, check out the Atlaswyld tent packages, luxury tent camping with access to high end amenities. And for the ultimate luxurious festival experience, purchase one of the Atlaswyld airstream packages.
And for those traveling with a family, reserve your spot in the family camp, a community campsite for families and kids.
LIB offers exclusive hotel and ticket packages. They have 3 day, 5 day, VIP, and “Just here for the Party” packages.
If you’re staying at local hotels, check these ones out for shuttles to and from the festival. The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bakersfield Central, Hampton Inn Bakersfield-Central, Four Points by Sheraton Bakersfield, and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bakersfield.
Lockers will be available at the festival and are accessible at any hour of the day or night. They are $55 and include power outlets and phone charging stations.
Bring your own reusable water bottles. LIB has filtered water stations located throughout the festival in efforts to create zero waste, zero shipping, zero fuel, and eliminates plastic packaging and toxic chemicals leaching into the water.
Do yourself and everyone a favor at the festival this year and purchase shower tickets at the shower booth! Showers are available in the campground plazas. Remember to pack your biodegradable soap. I love this one from Dr. Bronner’s.
Charging stations are located throughout the festival area, as well as backstage for VIP attendees and in Atlaswyld Campgrounds. Check the festival map for locations.
Want to be fully charged all the time, then bring your own portable power bank. This one is solar powered and holds up to 8 days of power on a single charge.
LIB always has some incredible food vendors that offer organic and locally-sourced options. Vegan & gluten-free options available.
And if you're looking for crafted goods, like jewelry, clothing, skincare, or health tonics made by local artists, head to LIB’s Marketplace!
For the most up to date information, check out their website.
What To Bring
If you’re camping in your car or tent, you’ll want to arrive prepared. While no one can predict the weather, you want to make sure you have a few necessities on hand to make your experience the most comfortable possible.
Nights can be cool on the lake and days can be high 80’s during Memorial Day weekend. So be sure to bring options that will keep you warm and cozy at night and layers to peel off during the day. I love some of our new pieces at SpiritHoods like the ultra soft electric blue lynx classic collector hoodie for men, the ultra soft raspberry tiger classic collector edition romper and the pink zebra burnout velvet bodysuit for the ultimate in dance apparel.
The dust can get brutal at the festival, so be sure to bring a bandana, sunglasses/goggles, and a filtered mask.
And if you’re bringing your own tent and camping, consider getting some aluminet to stay cool from the excessive heat and sun. You're welcome.
A no bake tent will also be sure to keep you cool once that sun comes up.
Don’t forget a portable battery, and for comfort that will rival the Atlaswyld camping, purchase a Cooler AC from Etsy and as long as the festival doesn't run out of ice, you'll stay plenty cool!
A rave fan and/or a battery operated hand held fans are always great to have on you at all times. This one even has a misting option!
Sunscreen and chapstick are a must! Keep them in your fanny pack and on your person at all times. And it’s important to get some much needed shut eye during your festival stay. Be sure to pack an eye mask and good quality earplugs. You never know what your neighbors are gonna be like and how late they’ll be keeping you up.
It has been known to get hot at LIB, so avoid heat stroke by staying hydrated and taking a dip in the lake every now and then. You can always find a meditation class, an art class, or just chill under some art tent at the festival.
And if you forgot something at home, head to the General Store!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Want to stay in the loop or perhaps meet some new friends that are also heading to Lightning in a Bottle this year, then join these two groups and get connected! Check out this reddit community and this Facebook page.
Check out Music Festival Wizard for up to date information on festivals. This website is dedicated to covering the scene and music news with the latest on line-ups, reviews and commentary.
Another great resource is this music festival app. It’s pretty new and they are adding to their list of festivals daily. So be sure to keep checking back.
And for a little inspiration and to help get you get in tip top festival mood, be sure to watch this cool 20 year Lightning in a Bottle recap video on youtube
AND if you're looking for some festival wear style suggestions, check out these blogs written by yours truly where I cover some of the best in sustainable fashion for men and women.
Oh! And I also wrote these blogs on other fun festivals, A guide to some of the World's Best Music Festivals, Your Guide To This Year's Electric Forest Music Festival, Your Guide To This Year's Top Pride Festivals, and Your Festival Guide To Electric Daisy Carnival.
The FULL MUSIC LINE-UP LIST
Skrillex
Labrinth
Lane 8
James Blake
M.I.A.
ISOxo
Tipper
Fatboy Slim
CloZee
Nora En Pure
Bob Moses (Club Set)
Cannons
Bomba Estéreo
Honey Dijon
Damian Lazarus
Mura Masa
Of The Trees
Floating Points
Overmono
Barclay Cresnshaw
Nia Archives
Jyoty
ANNA b2b Sama’ Abdulhadi
Justin Martin
Aluna
it’s murph
Qveen Herby
Skream (Dubstep Set)
Tycho (Sunset Set)
Adam Ten b2b Mita Gami
Ayla Nereo
DJ Holographic
Elephant Heart
Fleetmac Wood
Galen
Glass Beams
goddard.
IAMNOBODI
Jasper Tygner
Jimi Jules
La Lom
Machinedrum
Maddy O’Neal
Mette
Miss Dre
Nimino
Oakk
Parallelle
PawPaw Rod
Qrion
Rohaan
Sinego
Shermanology
Venbee
Yulia Niko
Anastazja
AQUTIE
Blaq Pages
Borak
BrittanyFromEarlier
Cocobuckk
Dela Moon
DJ Dials
Ella Romand
Jubilee
Little Dinosaur
Maria Tambien
Raecola
Siren & Seer
Sweet Anomaly
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