Travel Tuesday: Oregon Eclipse Festival Fashion
People have been gathering to view eclipses for thousands of years and last week I finally got to experience one for myself at the most anticipated festival event of the year, The Global Eclipse Gathering. A collaboration between twelve of the world's most beloved festivals and over 50,000 attendees, last week’s celestial celebration was an event to remember. 
(Photo by: Kristina Bakrevski)
Located in Big Summit PrairieOregon and equipped with a body of water, shaded areas throughout the festival, and lots of sunshine, the festival was enchanting but not for the faint of heart. Conditions were difficult, the festival grounds were massive, uneven, and hard to navigate. The dirt and smoke in the air were thick at times, making it hard to see and breathe when people got to dancing. 
(Photo by: Kristina Bakrevski)
Getting into the festival was not much easier. Some people had to wait 17 hours in line to reach the festival grounds, a scenario still not understood by most of us. But once inside the memories of the long wait were replaced with absolute awe of the overflowing art, music, and global community that was being created. 
(Photo by: Kristina Bakrevski)
The collaboration of festivals from across the globe was felt in nearly every aspect of the gathering. From the heart pounding music emanating from international artists like Mira (Germany) and Goa Gill (India) to the unique festival vendors like Afro Blonde (Australia) and Indigenous Revival (Guatemala), Eclipse Gathering felt like a meeting of creative minds. Just talking to people from different walks of life on the dance floor was enough to leave most of us feeling cultured. Wolven Threads was definitely in good company amongst many top notch innovative brands. 
(Photo by: Haley Busch)
The art at Eclipse Gathering was some of the best I have ever seen. Nearly every foot of the festival had a space to get lost in or a piece of art to look at. The scale and amount of art rivaled that of Burning Man. Since the festival felt similar in size and in a number of attendees, there were many moments where people were referring to the event as “Burning Man in the Trees” a comment some long time Burners seemed to scoff at. But I had to agree, the space did feel like a misplaced Burn at times, with the levels of creativity overflowing in the best way. 
(Photo by: Kristina Bakrevski)
One of my favorite art pieces was that by an artist named Mars1. The giant painting was tucked back at the shabby chic’ Further Stage by the water. The piece was a psychedelic adventure in itself and the colors and shapes kept even my sober mind entranced for a while. I came back to get lost in its beauty a few times throughout the festival bringing different friends each time to admire its intensity with me. 
(Photo by: Yeshua Christopher)
Musically for me, the Sky Stage was where I spent most my days. It has been house and techno that have fueled most of my travels lately, and there was certainly no shortness of either genre. With bookings like Max Cooper, Dj Tennis, The Desert Hearts Crew, Damian Lazarous, Marques Wyatt, and Oona Dahl everyone who posted up at the Sky Stage was in good hands. I did venture out of the house and techno bubble to experience incredible performances by The Librarian, Treavor Moontribe, Shovel Man, Grouch, Random Rab, and many other talented performers. 
( Photo by: Galactic Seabass)
The music, art, and people were truly inspiring but nothing could have prepared me for the magnificent eclipse we were about to witness on Monday morning. I have to first take a second and thank my boyfriend Trevor for waking me up in time to see it. Without him, I surely would have missed it. He and I walked our way out near the Eclipse viewing platforms and took a seat in the field. The energy was buzzing, this, after all, was the reason the festival was held here. This was the reason we took this long journey, manned the elements, and made sure to be up by 10 am after a night of partying. Everyone sat there anticipating the moon’s movement. Most sat with friends and loved ones, others with strangers, and some by themselves holding crystals and writing in their notebooks. I sat there with my love a little grumpy but also excited to see if this was going to be as magical as I imagined.
As the eclipse began to take form everyone was silent. The air grew cold and began to darken. The crickets and scurrying from the animals that could be heard moments before had ceased. As the moon made its way in front of the sun and once totality of the eclipse was finally met, the crowds erupted with emotion. Some laughing, some yelling, many of us crying. We all sat there in completely astonished. This was one hundred times more stunning that I could have ever dreamed up. 
(Photo by: Jamal Eid)
I took a moment to think about what the eclipse represented to me. For me, it was a representation of shadow work, of working through the darkness, of feminine standing in front the masculine. As someone who can be harsh and aggressive at times, I took this as another reminder to be more gentle with myself and others. To not mask my weaknesses and to find strength and beauty in vulnerability. I couldn’t help but notice that even during totality the light still showed through. This analogy touched my heart. 
(Photo by: Kristina Bakrevski)
I am pretty certain that Eclipse Gathering left every single one of its attendees transformed in some way. Most experiences worth having require hard work, and resilience and this one was no different. I am incredibly proud of everyone that made the trip and am forever grateful for those who worked hard to bring this experience to the masses. A friend later shared with me that this was the biggest gathering for an Eclipse in human history. I did some research and this seems to be true. I am so happy to have been a part of that and have since become a self-proclaimed eclipse chaser. The next one is in a couple years in Chile’ and there is one after that in Iceland, I really I hope to be there for both.
