Electric Forest will be without its famous renegades this year, after EVOL Afters, a sound system crew known for its annual appearance, became the last to confirm it will not be returning to the Michigan festival this month.
The festival afterparty offshoot of Windy City event promoter and art vendor EVOL Chicago made the announcement on social media today. Following earlier reports from another afterparty crew, DeBussy Bus, that renegades would be barred for 2025, the confirmation marks the final nail in the coffin for the late-night festival tradition.
Widely known as the birthplace of “Subjohnics” (John Summit B2B Subtronics), EVOL Afters orchestrated early morning renegade sets at Electric Forest for the festival’s last eight editions, hosting other notable names such as Big Gigantic, Tape B, SVDDEN DEATH, INZO, Levity, Ranger Trucco, and AYYBO.
“While we won’t be back in the Forest this year, our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for everything we’ve shared with you,” EVOL wrote on Instagram. “The energy, love, and memories created at EVOL AFTERS were nothing short of extraordinary—and that’s all because of you.”
Their statement went on to assure fans that this isn’t the end for EVOL Afters, rather, “it’s just the end of a beautiful chapter.”
At last year’s festival, when weather-related cancellations to main venue programming were announced on Saturday and Sunday, larger-than-anticipated crowds flocked to the renegades, making it difficult for medical teams to access collapsed patrons and leading to the show’s early shutdown in compliance with safety policies.
In March, Electric Forest accordingly announced new extended hours, which will keep the festival’s main venue open until 4AM nightly.
Electric Forest returns to Rothbury, Michigan’s Double JJ Resort this June 19-22, with performances from Justice, Tiësto, Liquid Stranger, Zeds Dead, Sara Landry, Disclosure, Barry Can’t Swim, Louis The Child, and many more.
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Featured image courtesy: Electric Forest. Credit: Alive Coverage.
