With a lineup that features more than 90 musical artists including headliners Odesza (Friday, June 10), Skrillex (Saturday, June 11) and Bassnectar (Sunday, June 12), Mysterland USA has now laid out plans for the arts and culture aspect for the three-day event. Those headed to New York’s Music, Culture & Arts Festival can expect an unparalleled full sensory experience with a curated and hosted by NPR personality Anya Kamenetz, The Healing Garden’s restorative powers curated by Sarah Schroder and back by popular demand, the Incendia 50’ fire dome illuminating the night sky, plus a variety of installations, interactive settings and experiences from the House Of Yes, Modern Gypsies, Nova Zef And Pendulum People, Funkrust Brass Band and Guerilla Science, among others.
“I’m excited to feature so many different artistic communities at Mysteryland this year,” says Kevin Balktick, Art Director of Mysteryland USA. “Nearly every project at this year’s festival is created by a collective, much like how a festival itself is the result of so many different people unifying to create something beautiful. Mysteryland is a special festival for the arts and artists, even by ID&T’s impressive creative standards. This festival is dedicated to making arts and culture an integral part of the experience, and not just calling it ‘decoration.’ Mysteryland is special in the way that it champions artists in the same way as the musical performers. Needless to say, all of the artists are thrilled to be working on the hallowed grounds of Bethel Woods, and presenting their work to audiences that have often never seen anything like it before.”
INCENDIA 50’ FIRE DOME
Back by popular demand, the Incendia 50’ fire dome will illuminate the night with its breathtaking flame effects and fire performers.
HEALING GARDEN
The centrally located Healing Garden’s tipis and tents will offer an alternative to the otherwise bustling festival experience. Led by Sarah Schroder–who has curated Mysteryland’s Healing Garden for over a decade in both the US and Netherlands–sessions in yoga, healing, meditations and workshops will be available to festival goers.
HOUSE OF YES
This performance-obsessed nightclub and creative collective in Bushwick, Brooklyn mixes dancing, spectacle, music, aerial, circus, nightlife entertainment, video, weirdness, glitter, cocktails, sex, brunch, theatre, art, food, magic and everything else that inspires people to connect and celebrate life.
MODERN GYPSIES
Known for their originality, skill and love for the craft combine forces to create unforgettable experiences. Modern Gypsies will bring their world-renowned development of cutting-edge interactive and immersive performance concepts, breath-taking stage acts and visual elements to Mysteryland.
NOVA ZEF AND THE PENDULUM PEOPLE
A pendulum swings in search of an honest direction… every creative team member of this collective opens their heart to the truth that they are that for one another. Pendulum People have teamed up with recording artist Nova Zef to bring a live show packed with earth shaking dance, galactic uniform and mind-bending visuals to the sounds of global bass. Pendulum has transformed their individual talents and years of cypher performances into a collective of futuristic consciousness, expressing global change. They hypnotize their audience, taking them on a journey with their unique spectacle. With original music, words, choreography, costuming, mask design, puppetry, live drumming and visuals, their goal will always be to elevate the people.
FUNKRUST BRASS BAND
Funkrust Brass Band is a New York-based, twenty-piece brass band playing all-original music that blends punk, disco, EDM, metal, funk, Balkan brass and New Orleans second line. They top it off with glam outfits, choreography and megaphone vocals to create one-of-a-kind high-energy experiences.
GUERILLA SCIENCE
Guerilla Science creates events and installations for festivals, museums, galleries, and other cultural clients. They are committed to connecting people with science in new ways, and producing live experiences that entertain, inspire, challenge and amaze. This year at MYSTERYLAND, Guerilla Science will be treating festivalgoers to a three-day program of mayhem and mischief, all in the name of science. These include Flavor Feast, where attendees will explore the science of attraction with Sensory Speed Dating, transporting participants to other worlds with our Intergalactic Travel Bureau, with many more mind-blowing surprises along the way.
HOUSE DANCE INTERNATIONAL
House Dance International (HDI) is the first Urban Dance Festival dedicated exclusively to the art form of House Dance. The New York based collective will feature face-to-face dance competitions in the categories of House, Vogue Waacking, Hustle, and Experimental as well as the First Group House Battle (5×5).
BANGON!NYC
BangOn!NYC brings the Brooklyn warehouse party atmosphere to Bethel Woods, with a flotilla of glowing sculptures, line-up of loft party heroes and New York’s finest party people.
DRIPPED ON PRODUCTIONS
Dripped On Productions–an urban art company founded by artists BKLYN Neville & Denton Burrows–will offer a variety of unique interactive offerings including: Dripped On (featuring live painting, body painting and dope beats) and DO Graff City (Dripped On Artists will provide body painting and “design your own” graffiti hats and t-shirts).
THE JUNXION
Anchored by mobile art cars and buses the Junxion is a mobile unit that will form like Voltron at MYSTERYLAND. Their art cars will not only transport the party, but transcend what a party can be with top DJ’s, performers and artists whose deeply personal expression will touch a universal chord with all who witness. Their singular mission? Elevate what is possible for parties and entertainment.
FASHION BAZAAR
The Fashion Bazaar, curated by Festy Besty, will make its Mysterland debut in Bethel Woods this June. Featuring clothing from top-notch NYC pop-up shop THE VINTAGE TWIN, to cutting-edge designs from the carefree MINKPINK and bedazzled jewels from BODY BAUBLE (started by young entrepreneurs, Ashley Graver, Tara Mullally and Danielle Bernstein–founder of the fashion blog–WeWoreWhat), the bazaar will have a cure for any festival fashion emergency.
To view all shops, click here.
DEEP HOUSE YOGA
Leading the health-conscious clubbing movement, Deep House Yoga is a fusion of the ancient practice of yoga and the sounds of today’s underground dance music. It unites the mental and physical benefits of yoga with the spiritual connection we feel to the music we love. Embracing styles from ambient to groovy house, deep techno and more, Deep House Yoga deepens our yogic practice by connecting people in a way only great music can. Graced with tunes from resident DJs George Faya (DHY) and Tasha Blank (The Get Down), yoga instructors will lead festival goers through an exercise of the mind, body & soul.
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Led by instructors, Artur Kirillov and Tony Bergamo, festival goers can expect a little bit of meditation, a dynamic warm up, a few elementary techniques and escaping holds, how to tactically get up off the ground, execution of a few strike combinations, calisthenics and stretching.
FOOD LINEUP
Mysteryland’s food offerings this year will satiate any festival goers’ appetite. Featuring a mix of local upstate N.Y. favourites and universally loved NYC eats, festival goers could get lost sampling through the food options alone.
COMEDY
The first-ever MYSTERYLAND comedy tent will be curated by Sirius XM’s Brett Siddell and will open Friday night with a headlining performance from “Saturday Night Live”/ Good Neighbour writer and performer Kyle Mooney and friends taking over the Spiegel tent.
LATE NIGHT MOVIE NIGHT – “Going Furthur”
Saturday late night will include the East Coast debut of “Going Furthur” (www.goingfurthur.com). The documentary will screen at Midnight, 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM in the campgrounds on Saturday night. Fifty years after the iconic first Trip, Ken Kesey’s son Zane took the Furthur Bus–and his father’s legacy–back on the road, for its longest running tour in history. Armed with a new band of Merry Pranksters, the Furthur bus traveled over 15,000 miles in 75 days, riding into music festivals, community events, tribal gatherings and national landmarks, reestablishing itself as a symbol of radical self-expression and cultural revolution all across the country. Through archive footage as well as over 400 hours of film, it explores the roots of a culture birthed in the early sixties, and how the mission of those first few idealists have influenced a new generation. This is an on-the-ground account of how Ken Kesey, the pranksters and the acid tests helped to generate a non-conformist society of free thinkers, artists and altruists who are now pushing the evolutionary envelope of human potential.
FASHION AND LIFESTYLE
Throughout the Holy Ground campgrounds and main festival grounds, vendors from across the country will be offering up their wares for festival goers to sample and purchase. Check out all the beautiful vendors here.
SPEAKER SERIES
Mysteryland’s speaker series will be back with a wide range of thought provoking and mind expanding talks and panels. The talks will have a “how to” theme, helping participants solve the core mysteries of their lives.
Mysteryland USA is set for June 10-13, 2016 at the Bethel Woods Center For The Arts (home of the legendary 1969 Woodstock festival) in Bethel, New York. Grab your tickets here!
