12 Hippie Festivals in the US for Free Spirits and Flower Children

Peace, love, and groove on at these events across America. The hippie movement of the 1960s and 1970s was a significant cultural milestone in US history. While the peak of the era may have come and gone, its influence is still alive through its music and community gatherings.

As more of an alt-hippie who’s not ready to give up all my earthly goods yet, I do love jamming in my wook clothes and joining desert renegades. After being active in the festival scene for a few years, here are 12 hippie festivals and events so you can live or relive the summer of love.

1. Burning Man

Every August, a pop-up city is erected in the middle of the desert, filled with art installations and costumes better than anything at Halloween. Burning Man is the only place where you can ride a giant flamingo bike to a pancake-making competition in a pirate ship bar, and it is still considered normal.

For a week, you’ll be part of a gift economy, where only bartering is allowed but you are expected to bring everything you need to survive and thrive. If you don’t mind the heat and dust storms for surprise techno raves and to shed off mainstream society, this is your paradise.

The legendary festival culminates with a massive wooden man set ablaze.

2. Rainbow Gatherings

All year round, Rainbow Gatherings set up shop in forests and meadows across the country and the world. In these temporary hippie communes, everyone calls each other “brother” and “sister.”

There are no formal schedules, just spontaneous drum circles, yoga sessions, and probably the best vegetarian potluck you’ll ever attend. It’s all about living in harmony with nature and each other.

Unlike other festivals on this list, this is much more underground. The one time I got invited was when someone shared vague directions to remote grounds in the middle of nowhere. They usually last a few weeks.

3. Lightning in a Bottle

Lightning in a Bottle is often called “Burning Man” lite. The festival comes with amenities if you didn’t bring enough food or want to take a shower, but has the same fantastical atmosphere.

Set around Buena Vista Lake, California, this five-day festival blends electronic music with art, yoga, and mindfulness workshops. I’ve taken everything from a Guasha workshop to shuffling classes.

The art installations are next-level, turning the festival grounds into a psychedelic playground where you can boogie at Woogie or head pound at Thunder. In between, cool down around the lake with your floaties. Everyone here is all about good vibes.

4. High Vibes

Based on the name alone, you can probably guess its conscious festival in North California is all about positive energy and getting spiritually supercharged. The crowd is a mix of hippies, yogis, and folks who just want to vibe high—literally and figuratively.

Surrounded by serene nature, everyone is grooving to uplifting tunes or attending wellness workshops, such as yoga sessions or herbal medication classes. Expect to see a lot of smiles, hugs, and maybe even a few spontaneous group dances.

5. Lucidity Festival

Lucidity is all about narrative arcs. Every year, the festival creates a new storyline that ties in with its focus on co-creating a more sustainable and interconnected world. Every year acts like a season, like in TV shows.

It meshes art, music, and personal growth workshops to create an otherworldly experience. You’ll wander through immersive art installations that make you feel like Alice in a psychedelic Wonderland. Workshops here are designed to open your mind, from lucid dreaming classes to shamanic journeying sessions.

6. Eeyore’s Birthday Party

While not exactly a hippie festival, Eeyore’s Birthday Party is the ultimate bash held annually around Austin since 1963. This day-long community event is filled with people dressed in the quirkiest costumes, celebrating a fictional donkey’s birthday with unbridled joy. You’ll see everything from fairy wings to furry suits and maybe even a few Eeyores wandering around.

It’s a family-friendly gig with arts, crafts, and carnival games specially designed for the little ones. Music will be playing all day, with a highlight drum circle so massive that everyone feels the beat.

7. Symbiosis Gathering

Symbiosis Gathering brings together music, art, and holistic workshops to create a collective experience that celebrates creativity and sustainability.

The festival takes place at Woodward Reservoir in California and has the most diverse lineup of any festival on this list. You’ll be dancing to beats that range from electronic to world music, all while surrounded by mind-blowing art installations.

8. Oregon Country Fair

Step into an alternate reality at the Oregon Country Fair, where everyone is encouraged to let their inner weirdness shine. This fair has been taking place since 1969 and has become known as one of the most unique festivals in the country.

The fair is like a mini-city in itself, with handcrafted shops, organic food stands, and stages for live music and theater performances. Get ready to be surrounded by extravagant costumes and an all-around atmosphere of acceptance and love.

9. Hulaween

Hulaween is a 4 day festival in Florida where Halloween meets Woodstock, and it’s every bit as crazy as it sounds. Jam out to live music in the middle of a forest that’s been transformed into a haunted wilderness.

You’ll find neon art installations that are both mesmerizing and slightly terrifying, and people with the wildest costumes. You can spend your days exploring spooky trails and your nights dancing under the stars with werewolves and witches.

10. Summer Camp Music Festival

Summer Camp is basically the adult version of your childhood summer camp but with a lot more music. A melting pot of genres, over 100 bands perform on multiple stages. The crowd is as diverse as the music lineup, featuring hippies, hipsters, and everything in between.

Community is key here. During the day, there are interactive workshops and activities on social consciousness and awareness, and later at night, the music is turned on to the max.

11. Gem and Jam Festival

Over the past years, Gem and Jam has become Tucson, Arizona’s premier festival. This festival brings together electronic dance music and live jam bands. It’s small, with only a few thousand attendees, but the indie spirit is strong.

The setting in Tucson, Arizona, couldn’t be more perfect for this fusion of sound and earth. The music lineup here takes you on a journey through different genres like dubstep, funk, and bluegrass. While exploring the festival grounds, stop at the vendor booths on an expanded venue that keeps evolving.

12. Dark Star Jubilee

Dark Star Jubilee is like stepping into a time machine set to the golden era of the Grateful Dead. This 4-day camping festival is a haven for Deadheads looking to relive the magic of the iconic jam band.

Besides the multiple sets of Dark Star Orchestra (a tribute band), there are also performances by other well-known names in the jam scene that capture the essence of free-spirited energy. You’ll be swaying to the music, surrounded by folks who know every lyric and every note.

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