photo by Don Idio for Festival Squad

Electric Forest has made dreams come true… again.

One of the best things about Electric Forest is how much the festival engages with the community and its attendees. For example, their Plug-In Program gives people an opportunity to get engaged via creative outlets like the sticker design contest and art installation sponsorship. The festival also makes a difference by getting involved in eco-friendly practices via Electricology, and inspire kindness with the new Wish Machine.

Now, meet Brendan Kaplan, a young guy who had trouble convincing his mom to let him attend the Electric Forest. Brendan decided to get creative and make a Powerpoint presentation to show them what it was all about, making a point to highlight all the positives, including the festival’s dedicated security and on-site medical personnel, the exercise he would get, and the fact Forest is as much as cultural movement as it is a weekend vacation.

“[It’s] a cultural movement – Electric Forest is one of many music festivals in which the participation of such a festival makes you an active participant in music and teenage/young adult culture.”

“Exercise – it’s one mile from end to end, and the majority of the festival will be spent jumping up and down dancing. Technically this is perfect conditioning for summer sports!”

“Security – entering the campground, cars are searched as well as bags. Along with that, people are searched upon entry to the festival grounds. There is also no high buildings anywhere near the campgrounds. Within the festival are 24-hour patrols and on-site medical tents.”

The next part of the story is our favorite. Brendan decided to get Electric Forest involved by reaching out on social media.

We got in touch with Brendan to hear what inspired him to reach out to Electric Forest. He told us that wasn’t his original intention, and at first, he had only posted it to his Snapchat story; but his sister Natassja posted it to the Facebook group “Electric Forest Year-Round”, which currently sits at over 42,000 members.

Meanwhile, Brendan had no idea this was going on. “I was in class so I was unable to check my phone. But as soon as Natassja posted it in the group, my phone started going absolutely nuts! Every second, my phone was buzzing with a new comment trying to convince my parents to let me go to the festival…When I realized how many people were in support of this idea, I decided to tweet at the Forest to see if I could get their attention.”

@electric_forest I’ve made a PowerPoint to convince my parents to let me go. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/7X1rg9nIQI — Brendan Kaplan (@brendan_kaplan) January 11, 2018

Brendan’s mother indicated that it sounded like something that would be of benefit to Brendan, but she wasn’t entirely convinced yet.

This is Brendan’s mom. I keep waffling back and forth. It sounds like a great experience…but I’m still not sure… — Mindy Kaplan (@symphonyinlace) January 19, 2018

Electric Forest HQ took notice and decided to help convince his parents by upgrading his presentation a little, including some tweets from other forest family describing what the festival means to them and why he should be there. But the real cherry on top was Electric Forest’s offer to provide him with a free wristband if his mom would grant him permission to go.

Hey Brendan’s Mom – HQ and the #ForestFamily are here to help! 💚 See your DMs for our version of @brendan_kaplan‘s presentation (with a few upgrades that may help convince you) – and let Brendan know The Forest has a free #EF2018 wristband for him! #LetBrendanGoToElectricForest pic.twitter.com/5Ak1xIhuru — Electric Forest (@Electric_Forest) January 19, 2018

“I was in complete shock. Although I tweeted at them, I didn’t think that they would actually respond. It was so amazing, and their HQ was a blast to converse with,” said Brendan.

Needless to say, that was all the convincing she needed!

Wow, I don’t know what to say…I can’t say no…so…yes, he can go! Thank you Electric Forest for your support! — Mindy Kaplan (@symphonyinlace) January 19, 2018

We can’t wait to be back in the Forest, and with new Forest Fam member Brendan. Info on tickets here.