Best Place to Watch Eclipse is at Oregon Eclipse Festival
By Sheyla Sanchez
Where is the Best place to watch the Eclipse? Imagine standing on a lakeside field as the moon awaits to engulf the sun. Crescent-like shapes shine through the shadows as they become crisper and the air drops just a few degrees. As you prepare to witness a phenomenon of cosmic proportions, the day gets darker and the sun’s flames become visible, dancing as if fighting for attention. Now, imagine 30,000 people surrounding you in this field, travelers from all over the world that have gathered to view this spectacle along other curious souls. On the other side of the lake, all stages sit hushed and dimmed to allow viewers to catch the solar eclipse in its natural glory and full totality.
What some call a “once-in-a-lifetime” event will grace our skies this August 21, and while you can argue that this phenomenon has been viewed more than in one occasion by some, they remain quite rare. The last visible one in the US occurred during 1979. While this may be a second chance for some, many of us will witness this stellar occurrence for the very first time, myself included, which will fulfill a childhood dream of mine- except at a larger, more magical scale. With over a dozen collaborators including Bass Coats Festival (Canada), Beloved (Oregon), Envision Festival (Costa Rica), Hadra (France), Lightning in a Bottle (California), Noisily (UK), Ometeotl (Mexico), Origin (South Africa), Rainbow Serpent (Australia), Re:birth (Japan), Sonic Bloom (Colorado), Symbiosis (California), and Universo Paralello (Brazil), you can expect it to be a truly immersive experience, rich in variety, fun, and empowerment of ourselves and others. Offering sound, yoga, and workshop stages with a myriad of other options to please all tastes, along with interactive art installations, villages and more, attendees have non-stop adventures awaiting them. This is by far the Best Place to Watch Eclipse!!
Releasing one the biggest line-ups of all summer, Oregon Eclipse Gathering hosts 360 acts set to take listeners on an otherworldly auditory journey at any of its seven stages, including Sun, Moon, Earth, Sky, Silk Road and Big Top. Curated with so much diversity, you can be sure that if a certain act doesn’t appeal to you, by simply checking out some of the other stages you shall find something that will, as each delivers a different sound and experience. Looking for the best bass tunes? Make your way over to the Moon stage or head to the Earth stage for some chill out west coast vibes. Some of the acts you can expect to feast your ears on are Bassnectar, CocoRosie, Ramdom Rab, the Desert Hearts crew, Dirtwire, The String Cheese Incident, Damien Lazarus, The Glitch Mob, Shpongle, Beats Antique, etc, etc, etc; seriously, the list could go on forever.
However, don’t expect the yoga and workshop stages to be overshadowed by the sound stages, as the sun will by the moon. Past the seven promising sound stages, The Village awaits where you can find yoga and workshops alongside much more magic. There’s an almost overwhelming amount of talks, workshops, interactive learning methods, and yoga practices offered to those souls with a hunger for knowledge. Many of these experiences seeking to connect you further with the Earth and how we can utilize it while respecting it. For those looking for more movement in their classes, they’re providing dance, ecstatic dance, and yoga classes; some with funky names like “Pirate Booty Yoga” and led by over 50 teachers. If you’ve struggled maintaining a healthy diet while living the spontaneous festival lifestyle, The Nourishment Lab might help you out, and for some family-oriented fun head over to the Kidzbiois Dream Village or visit the Wellness Oasis if you’re curious on subjects like Feng Shui and how to use cannabis medicinally. Enough of classes?! Relax the mind with a massage or some reiki, or sip on non-alcoholic, ethically wild crafted, cocktails steeped by the neighbors, the Village Witches.
As if the pristine beauty of a 55,000 acre ranch in the middle of the Ochoco National Forest overlooking a freshwater lake, trees, hills, and exquisite nature wasn’t enough, you add constant treats to your senses and a community that is all about self-expression, and you’ve found a wonderland. Without a doubt, witnessing a total solar eclipse has to be a moving experience anywhere in the world, but something tells me that there’s something special about crowds of lunatics consciously uniting to create, learn, connect and celebrate this stellar spectacle. Thousands from all over the world traveled to build this dream into a reality, utilizing each other’s best skills and knowledge to join forces and create something magnificent; and soon thousands more gather to hopefully learn the same. Wait, is that howling I’m hearing? BRB, I think the moon is calling my name! Hope to see you at the Best Place to Watch Eclipse!