Crop top by Jordan de Ruiter, Bracelets by Spark and Thistle
With the ever-changing sky as my shelter (especially when escaping the heat of our tiny tent), music drifting from every direction and the best 35,000 housemates a girl could ask for, WayHome was an amazing home away from home. My first music festival experience was everything I could have hoped for and it was due in large part to the company I kept.
I hopped on a bus with one of the best women I know and found myself in another world a couple hours later. There was an instant camaraderie between the festival-goers that put any reservations I may have had to rest immediately. I may have packed a bunch of perishables without a cooler and had trouble putting up our tent, amongst other smaller hiccups, but strangers came to the rescue at every turn.
Their kindness let us enjoy everything WayHome had to offer from the incredible selection of food trucks to the WayMarket by Etsy and, of course, the performances. Not only was I floored by headliners Kendrick Lamar, Neil Young and Sam Smith, I was thrilled to walk away with some new favorite artists including Lowell, Broods and Future Islands.
Jordan de Ruiter and Spark and Thistle
There were some very high expectations circling WayHome considering it’s the sister festival of Bonnaroo, and it delivered in every way that mattered. Yet some of my favorite memories will be of simpler moments running across the field in a sun shower, lounging on a blanket looking up at the clouds as the sun beat down on us and swaying shoulder-to-shoulder to amazing music with the best of friends.
