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By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
ROTHBURY — Electric Forest 2025 will take place one week earlier than originally scheduled with a new event date of June 19-22.
The massive music festival, which attracts tens of thousands of people every year to the Double JJ Resort, takes place Thursday through Sunday with early entry days of Tuesday and Wednesday. Local people should expect EF attendees to begin arriving at the venue Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
The Rothbury Village Council recently announced the new dates at its regular meeting last week, said Village Clerk Brandy Williams. This is a change from the original dates of June 26-29 established in the mass gathering permit approved by the village.
“The dates set forth above may only be amended after approval by the village, except that the organizer may, upon eight months’ written notice to the village, amend an approved date by advancing it earlier up to one week,” states the permit.
The maximum capacity allowed at the event is 70,000 people, according to the permit.
The village will receive a $7.50 surcharge for every ticket sold in 2025. “In exchange for the village authorizing this permit, the organizer agrees to pay the village a surcharge on each ticket sold by organizer or its agents to any mass gatherings,” states the permit language. “For calendar year 2024, the surcharge owed to the village shall be $7.45 for each ticket sold to attend organizer’s mass gatherings. For calendar year 2025, the surcharge shall be $7.50. The surcharge shall increase by 1 percent annually thereafter. (The) organizer shall provide the surcharge funds to the village within 60 days after the conclusion of each individual mass gathering.”
The village has received nearly $1.8 million in revenue* from Electric Forest that benefits the community, such as lowering the tax millage rate; improving streets and sidewalks; installing benches and waste receptacles; upgrading police cars, DPW vehicles and grounds equipment; and improving the Rothbury Community Center, according to village officials. EF funds allow for making major improvements at Czarny Field.
In 2018 when the festival ran for two weekends, the village received nearly $387,000 from EF, according to village records.
An event the size of Electric Forest does not come without controversy. Some local residents were upset with the festival organizers’ decision prior to the 2024 event to change the neighbor wristbands to Sunday-only entry — an unfavorable change for the locals who used to have access to the festival all four days. Last year’s event was plagued by thunderstorms, which ultimately caused EF to end early Sunday.
Next year’s Electric Forest Festival will now begin less than a week after the National Asparagus Festival in Hart, which is scheduled for June 14, 2025.
*Amount does not include revenue generated from the 2024 event.
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