Rothbury OKs EF through 2035

– OCP file photo

Rothbury OKs EF through 2035

Permit now allows for 70,000 attendees

ROTHBURY — It looks like the hugely-popular Electric Forest Festival is here to stay for at least another dozen years.

The Rothbury Village Council recently approved extending the mass gathering permit for the music festival that takes place at the end of June at the Double JJ Resort through 2035. The council voted to change the mass gathering ordinance from 10 years to 15 years at a December meeting and approved Electric Forest’s permit for 12 years at a January meeting.

“The village council approved a change to the mass gathering ordinance, extending the ability for permits to be pulled and approved for the length of 15 years — over the previous 10 years — at the regularly scheduled meeting on Dec 12, 2023,” said Rothbury Village Clerk Brandy Williams. “The permit now allows for up to 70,000 attendees — up from the previous 50,000. This simply gives the festival the opportunity to plan for additional music and site upgrades, including potential capacity, but there will not be an increase to the Electric Forest’s attendance for the foreseeable future.”

EF, which attracts tens of thousands of people from all over the US and beyond, began in 2011. EF’s long run in Rothbury was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021, but returned in 2022 and 2023, drawing massive crowds like it did before the pandemic.

Prior to EF, the ROTHBURY music festival attracted huge crowds to the Double JJ in 2008 and 2009.

“We greatly appreciate the Village of Rothbury’s approval of our gathering permit for Electric Forest through 2035,” said Alexandra Dunne of AEG Presents, EF’s production company. “With this long view, the festival can plan for additional music and site upgrades including potential capacity, but there will not be an increase in Electric Forest’s attendance for the foreseeable future.”

Wristbands for the 2024 festival went on sale, Dec 8, and sold out in less than 24 hours, said Dunne.

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