Headstash

Headstash's AURA Festival Preview Guide

AURA started in 2010 as a homegrown, minimally promoted festival that totaled an admirable 800 in attendance. The success of the first year forced AURA II to relocated to their current location at Forever Florida where the festival sold out last year with 1,800 people.

Papadosio and The Heavy Pets have been the headliners for the past two years (Dosio for all three, actually) while the bands have grown and matured in their own right. This year, the layout has been rearranged to accommodate 2,500 fans with three nights of music, and the date has been changed from January to March to take advantage of the warmer weather and the college Spring Break calendar.

  

Best Things

Forever Florida. The Forever Florida Eco Preserve in St. Cloud is bar none one of the most interesting and relaxing places to hold a festival. The massive 5,000-acre ranch preserves the natural beauty and majesty of Florida, and the only inhabitants are the natural flora and fauna.

AURA 2011 - Photo Credit: Calder Wilson

The sandy entrance road winds for miles through dense jungle, taking you on a safari-like adventure that ends at the front tent full of smiling faces. Couple that with the fact that it’s only 40 minutes from the Orlando Airport and you'll be hard pressed to find anything missing from this incredible location.

Very little overlap. The biggest advantage to small festivals is the close proximity of all the stages with minimal overlap between artists. Rarely, if ever, do you have to make that tough choice between your two favorite bands. Plus, most of the headliners are playing multiple sets throughout the weekend.

Live art. AURA prides itself on harboring a sense of community and respect for the arts. Beyond the music, the festival takes a great pride in the stage lighting design, art installations, live painting and of course, live fire poi. You can find creativity and artistic beauty everywhere you look at AURA.

Worst Things

Sulfur water. Because of the nature of the campgrounds, the groundwater has a very high sulfur content. Water from the taps is potable and benign – it just smells like a wook on the ride home from Bonnaroo.

Long walks. The camping area runs the length of an airstrip, so if you’re stuck at the back, it’s a bit of a trek to get back and forth from the stages to camp. But it’s all relative: the walk is big for AURA, but at any big festival you would be thrilled to be so close to the stages.

Do’s

Bring enough cash. There will not be an ATM on site at the festival, so stock up and come prepared to make all of those potentially unexpected purchases. The last thing you want is to miss out on that great local beer or have to pass on an amazing piece of art because your wallet is light.

AURA 2011 - Photo Credit: Calder Wilson

Prepare for the weather. March is the most beautiful time of year in Florida, but it’s not quite summer yet. Many people traveling from the frigid North may forget just how powerful the sun can be that far south. There is nowhere better to be for Spring Break than a great festival in Florida, but sunscreen is a must. The nights can get cool, so bring a sweatshirt or blanket for when that temperature drops.

Check out the variety on the BLP Stage. With amazing bands constantly alternating on the side-by-side main stages, it can be difficult to tear yourself away from that area. The BLP Stage acts as a showcase stage for a variety of great acts and workshops.

Bands, DJs, live loopers and everything in between get their chance to tear up the BLP Stage, and this awesome medley of variety will never disappoint. Also, don't miss the songwriting and electric drumming workshops hosted by very special artists in attendance.

Don’ts

Don't be late to the gate. General camping at the festival is car camping, but it runs along one long row. The later you arrive at the festival, the farther down the landing strip, and farther away from all the action, you have to park and camp.

AURA 2011 - Photo Credit: Calder Wilson

All of the campsites are equal in that no site is shadier, larger or more congested than any other, so the only difference is how much daily exercise you’ll get. The gates open at 10:00 a.m. on Friday.

Don't miss the beers at the Dunedin Tent. This year, AURA has collaborated with Dunedin Brewery to bring local, craft-brewed beers to the festival. Many of the brews are AURA themed, such as the AURA Gold Ale or the The Fritz IPA. The specialty beers will be tapped at specific times during the weekend and the quantities are limited. Be sure to check the program guide to make sure you don't miss the beers you want to try, or better yet, pop into the Dunedin Tent whenever you are thirsty for a frosty surprise.

Don’t ignore the dry grass. Florida is perpetually plagued by drought and the natural grass at the festival has a very dry and hay-like consistency. Last year, a few car fires started spontaneously and the fire department had to be called in. Luckily, no one was injured in the fires, but a few cars didn't make it home.

Be extra careful of your cigarette butts and other camping-related hot items. Though the exact cause of the fires was unknown, some locals speculated that the heat given off by running car engines was enough to cause combustion. If you must run your car, make sure it’s not for long.

Atmosphere

AURA strives to bring together a variety of musical genres and styles, with no particular genre dominating the festival. The heady blend of livetronica, prog-rock, reggae and various types of fusion makes for a diverse listening experience and a diverse crowd of all ages and backgrounds.

Many of the bands are up-and-coming, giving AURA a very homegrown and local feel. Since it’s a small festival, many festivalgoers are passionate about the familial vibes and communal experience. 

Besides the intimacy of the general festival, the grounds at Forever Florida create a total immersion into Florida's natural beauty and majesty. The vibes given off by the grounds alone are enough to keep a smile plastered on your face. As with any small festival, security is easygoing and supportive, and everyone in attendance feels like a VIP.

Who To Check Out

Nick Noyes and Third Nature Collab Set. Nick Noyes is a badass live looper based out of Asheville, North Carolina. He created shock and awe through the crowds of both the tent and the main stage last year with his genre-bending versatility and full band sound.

AURA 2011 - Photo Credit: Calder Wilson

Third Nature is an experimental livetronica trio from Connecticut that features Nick's brother Merrick Noyes tickling the ivories. Their sets have been combined this year into one two-hour mega collab featuring the music of both artists. 

Damn Right! Baltimore's Damn Right! is a livetronica explosion that will knock your shoes off your feet. They got down super hard last year and this year should be no different.

The Werks. The jammy quintet from Ohio defies classification with their technical and eclectic melodies and rhythms. They have been bursting onto the national scene this year and burning the house down everywhere they’ve played. Their songs and improvs are a whirlwind of emotion with the stylistic force of freight train.

Final Thoughts

The headliner is not Bassnectar. None of the stages are sponsored by Pepsi or Playstation. You don't have to go back to your hotel at midnight because the music has stopped. And it wouldn't be AURA Music and Arts Festival if any of that were true.

The crowd that attends AURA is passionate and knowledgeable. The venue is exceptionally unique and scenic. The music is totally homegrown, diverse and kick-ass.

Overall, AURA is the consummate small festival – you'll feel right at home.

 

AURA 2011 - Photo Credit: Calder Wilson

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For more information about AURA III, check out the festival's official website.