In early April the Texas Eclipse Festival succeeded in bringing together discussions of inner space and outer space, where wellness practitioners and star scientists could collide ideas. It combined the party-throwing firepower of producers from at least 9 music festivals. They also produced a massive music lineup with acts like Subtronics, Tipper, Lee Burridge, Boogie T.Rio, Barclay Crenshaw, Of The Trees, Mark Farina, FlowDan, LP Giobbi, The Librarian, and more — there’s even a stage dedicated to Psytrance.
All in all, it packed plenty of flavors for music snobs of every off-shoot and sub-genre. Even the spicy ones. Despite its broad appeal, the music merely served as a palate cleanser in what seemed to otherwise be a buffet of timeless rave memories. Ultimately some of the genres may not have been for everyone, but for those who expect things to get a little weird when the sky turns dark Texas Eclipse didn’t disappoint.
Naturally, collaboration between so many producers came with a number of planning and logistical challenges but eventually they were all overshadowed by the good times experienced en mass. Even when the last day was cancelled as a result of severe weather warnings it didn’t seem to cast shadows on the time people were having. After everyone had already overcome so much to be there it somehow seemed appropriate that another cosmic force would attend the party. In a way, it was funny that such a curveball would happen in the final days at all. Like the sarcastically labeled “trauma bonds” participants forged at Oregon Eclipse (2017) and Burning Man (2020, 2023), those who had gathered from around the world to experience the celestial event in Texas may have struggled from one moment to the next but it’s how those moments were survived together that will make the shared memories gold.
With a tally of almost 60,000 people descending to the rural region in Texas, Texas Eclipse was a huge undertaking. As a one-time event and the first festival at Reveille Peak Ranch, it was bound to have some hiccups — and it did.
“ We understand that canceling a music festival is disappointing for everyone involved.” The organizers posted in a statement after the festival. “Not only does it disappoint our guests, artists, and us, but it also entails developing and implementing refund policies, managing customer service inquiries, dealing with insurance matters, handling negative press, and more. However, the alternative could have been far worse. If the forecasted weather had occurred with a full audience present, we would have faced a potential disaster instead of a safe and orderly exit from the venue.”
What the social media-scape didn’t see was the immeasurable cultural impact the event made in Texas, and the cosmic moments that participants enjoyed when they rallied to see eachother through the unexpected. Beyond the opportunities to learn from indigenous elders, NASA scientists, world renown yogis, famous environmentalists, there’s something to be said for the gravity Eclipse created when it pulled people together from so many people together. From SHIFT’s drone shows to immersive spaces like Meow Wolf’s Gone Fishing, the event wasn’t short on spectacle on land or in the sky either. In other words, weather got a lot of the spotlight but it didn’t overshadow the cosmic bliss so many reported experiencing on social media.
To understand more of what the event was actually like for those on the ground here are 10 cherished memories captured by Texas Eclipse’s participants on Instagram.
Drone Show
ASL Interpreter Throwing Down for Tipper at Sunset
Paul Stamets and Pamela Kryskow talked about Mushrooms
Meow Wolf Unveiled Gone Fishing
Incendia was lit
Indigenous elders held a Sacred Fire Ceremony
Desert Hearts Moon Stage Takeover
Global Meditation from Unify
Adrien Grenier Spoke on the Environment
Totality brought the calm before the storm
