cover photo credit: Tara Gracer (taragracerfoto)

Each autumn, when the Spanish moss sways heavy over the Spirit of the Suwannee, something stirs. The air grows thick with possibility, the forest hums with hidden beats, and the swamp opens itself as a stage for the unthinkable. This is Hulaween – the gathering where music, myth, and masquerade collapse into one kaleidoscope weekend.

As Hulaween enters its twelfth year, the festival has unveiled a lineup that feels less like a schedule and more like a spell: six journeys with The String Cheese Incident beneath The Meadow’s canopy, two soaring sets from Goose, a blaze of electronic fire from ILLENIUM, and the golden touch of Parcels. Molly Tuttle‘s bluegrass brilliance and the joyful chaos of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong thread the roots deeper, grounding the spectacle in raw musicianship.

Each stage at Hulaween is more than a platform; it’s a portal:

• The Meadows is the heartbeat, pulsing with fireworks, sprawling crowds, and the kind of performances that become etched into the lore of the park. From Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge to Shadowgrass, it’s the anchor where genres braid themselves into one glowing tapestry.
  
• The Hallows is a different animal: dark, unpredictable, hungry for experimentation. Zeds Dead brings bass thunder, The Disco Biscuits unravel jams that bend time, and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead takes over for a two-hour odyssey. Glass Beams gloat into the ether, LSZEE (LSDREAM b2b CloZee) explodes with cosmic alchemy, and somewhere within the shadows, LSDREAM leads a Lightcode meditation that feels like a soul reset.
  
• The Amph is pure kinetic release. Vinyl spins under the hands fo DJ Pee .Wee – Anderson .Paak‘s alter ego – while Sammy Virji injects U.K. garage fever. Digable Planets lace hip-hop history into the night, and Disco Lines keeps the bodies moving in ecstatic unison. Here, funk, house, and bass crash together, demanding sweat and surrender.
  
• Spirit Lake, meanwhile, remains the festival’s sacred playground. Project-mapped waters shimmer, sculptures breathe fire, and the very ground seems alive. Gorgon City, Tinlicker, and Sultan + Shepard weave hypnotic textures against the backdrop, while moe. stretches jam improvisation across two sprawling sets. Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country and The Infamous Stringdusters with Sierra Hull remind us that even in the surreal, roots still matter.
  
• And then there is OFF LIMITS, the 360-degree underground curated by the women-led collective DEF. Here, BLOND:ISH spins celestial grooves, Odd Mob twists bass into kinetic sparks, and secret sets bloom like whispers in the crowd. Surrounded by project mapping and pyro, this stage feels like a hidden temple for those seeking something wilder, stranger, more intimate.

But Hulaween isn’t just about who plays; it’s about how the swamp transforms. Every year, themes ignite the imagination, and 2025 unfurls four visions across each individual day:

1. Beyond the Radiant Veil: There’s No Place Like Home – Oz reimagined in masquerade, where the swamp itself becomes both yellow brick road and dreamscape.
   
2. The Mad Hatter’s Purple Ball – a plunge into violet wonder, spinning whimsy and madness in equal measure.
   
3. Vampires, Sinners & Saints – a carnival of heroes and monsters, angels and villains, all dancing in the flicker of firelight.
   
4. Wicked Dark Disco Circus – the finale, sequins and animal prints, disco glitter fused with forest magic, a delirious send-off to the 12th chapter.

This year also sees the launch of Wizard Passes, offering cozy GA and GA+ glamping with everything from bedisde lighting to throw blankets – comfort woven into the wilderness. And for collectors, Sangho Bang’s limited-edition screen prints and merch drops fuse festival spirit with high art, extending Hulaween’s reach beyond the weekend itself. For more ticket information, visit Hulaween’s website HERE.

The story behind Hullaween:

Since its birth in 2013, Hulaween has refused to play by the rules. It’s one of the last great independent festivals, a sanctuary where electronic meets jam, where hip-hop finds bluegrass, where fire art kisses live oak branches. Anchored by The String Cheese Incident but untethered in every other way, it remains a singular pilgrimage.

This fall, from October 30 to November 2, the swamp calls again. For those who step into its depths, the line between reality and fantasy will blur. Masks will slip, spirits will rise, and under the canopy of Suwanee, Hulaween 2025 will become not just a festival, but a living, breathing story.