Every college graduate dreams of a cool trip after they finish school and before they start the “real world.” Mine was a backpacking trip through Europe with friends of mine I’ve known since I was young. But due to scheduling conflicts and money issues, we decided to cancel the trip. We thought “Hey, let’s just do a southwest roadtrip instead!” That didn’t work out either.

Then one day, I get a text message from my best friend since Kindergarten, Emily, saying “Let’s go to Wakarusa!!” Honestly, I had never heard of Wakarusa, but at this point I was down for anything, and it was a lot cheaper than what we were originally planning.

Wakarusa is a 4-day music festival in the middle of the Mulberry Mountains in Arkansas, and is described as a place “where music meets mother nature.” Think Woodstock but for our generation. From EDM to Reggae to sultry, calming music, Waka is an experience and has something for everyone. The overall theme was becoming one with nature, enjoying music, and embracing the love and kindness humanity has to offer. Emily and I went in blind, with a blind guy tagging along (lol), not knowing what to expect, not knowing what we’d encounter.

From the moment we arrived at our campground with our toilet paper and tent, we were greeted by friendly volunteers and fellow Wakarusians looking to enjoy the mountains and the music. “Waka Waka” and “Happy Waka” was said by everyone we passed, and a sense of relaxation and peace was flowing in the air. This place was a safe haven where people could feel free to be themselves, have great, deep conversations, enjoy different, great types music, and just love other humans in a beautiful location.

We became shade rats during the day, chasing any shade we could to escape the heat. If you stayed in the tent anytime after 9 a.m., you were basically asking to be baked in an oven. So we ventured every day to the Mulberry River to cool off and listen to music on the Riverside Stage.

After lying by the river all day and napping on a blanket, we would prepare for the 3 mile bus ride up the mountain to the main grounds for the night. With water bottles and hammocks in hand, we boarded the bus and made our way to the rainbow walk-through for the performances.

We would go from stage to stage checking out who was on what stage, and we stayed if they sounded like they fit our mood for the night. Eventually, every night we would end up at the Satellite Stage, which I can only describe as a world that I could’ve only imagined in my dreams.

Trees surrounded the area and the stage was down in a valley surrounded by more trees. Hammocks were hung up everywhere, and it was about 20 degrees cooler than everywhere else on the festival grounds. Color-changing lights lit up the trees and huge, colorful lanterns lit the walkways. Tightrope walkers, fabric and net dancers provided more entertainment if you somehow didn’t like what was on stage at the time.

This place became my happy place.

Now, those close to me know this, but I’ve been struggling for a while now with depression that keeps me in bed all the time and anxiety that cripples me from doing a lot of things I used to love to do. I’ve been going to therapy, which although it shouldn’t, embarrasses me to admit. I’m constantly scared that when I am happy, my happiness is temporary and I can’t seem to shake that feeling.

This festival did something. It did something good. I felt tired, but a good tired. I felt relaxed for the first time in a long time. I wasn’t worried about what anyone else was doing or how they were perceiving me because everyone was there to enjoy life and great music. My anxiety went on the back burner. Something shifted, and it was a good shift.

This festival gave me happiness. It gave me freedom. It made me look at life as a beautiful thing, and enjoy music on a whole other level. I’m not saying it has cured anything I’ve been dealing with, but it has given me something to hold onto.

Whether it was Ben Harper’s smooth voice guiding me to sleep on a blanket or White Panda’s great mashups that made me wanna dance, Waka changed my heart and fueled my soul.

I wanna say I got lucky with Waka being my first festival, but to quote me and Emily: “It’s not luck–It’s Waka.”

Happy Waka, I’ll see you next year.