The one word that really resonated in my mind as I left Hulaween 2025 is SYNCHRONICITY. From the staff to the attendees, everyone seemed to be flowing on one frequency together, and at a festival this large, I feel that is rare. So as I ventured through Suwannee Forest this year I had one question on my mind. How is this all possible? The conversations I had this weekend really showed just why Hulaween has been so longevitous. Here is our Raver’s Choice recap from Hulaween 2025.
The theme this year was The Radiant Veil. When speaking to the creative director of the festival, Justin “JB” Bolognino, he explained that the goal of this years theme was to “learn how to get light and shadow to dance together“. I asked JB, What is your WHY? His response? “To save the children“. People come to this festival from all over the world to heal their inner child. They say after the hula experience not only are they reminded of who they are, but they will carry that same love to their children. That is so important, and this message definitely was felt throughout the weekend. Also shoutout to Justin’s magical side kick, his daughter, who proudly guided us through the forest on our media walkthrough. The best piece of advice I carried with me from the interview with JB was when asked why he thinks Hulaween has been going for 13 years he said, “We either WIN or we LEARN”. (Update: I found out in a later conversation with him that his nickname is The Synchronicity Architect. Truly nothing is a coincidence.) The storyline this year was exciting to watch unfold. Great work from the underground Ants with building the DEF stage, and to their lovely helpers at Duende Productions.
SHOUTOUTS
- THE ART
Performance art was alive in the forest with shadow puppetry, stilt walking, fire performers, aerialists, musical instruments, secret doors, and more. The mural maze (@muralmaze) was incredible. Everyday I watched artists paint their hearts into their vision. Finally on the last day, I asked the artist, Akyros (@Akyros_), “What is your WHY?” and he thought for a long moment and said “Survival”. This place reminds you who you are. You have to attend to truly understand, but check out our video at the end of the article for a small insight into the insane artistry. - THE TEA SANCTUARY
If you needed a calm space to unwind this year, you would stumble upon a spirit lake Tea Sanctuary. Inside, you can have insightful conversation while sipping different hot tea options from over 200 year old plants. - END OVERDOSE IMPACTS
I am so proud of this organization. They not only trained a whopping 1,129 people on how to save a life, major artists such as Franc Moody, Sippy, Borne, Stvsh, okayJake, Susto, and Balthvs all came by to get educated and trained as well. They gave away over 2,259 doses of narcan. Thanks for making the world a better and safer place every day <3 PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO THIS ORGANIZATION ON THEIR WEBSITE TO KEEP THEIR MISSION ALIVE! - THE INCENDIA STAGE AND THEIR FJ (FIRE JOCKEY)
Not only were there performance artists top tier, but their pyro effects person has the best music/fire timing we have seen. Thank you Ross Heninger. - THE DEF STAGE NO VIP
Something that really stood out to me was their NO VIP line. Anyone could wait and have an onstage experience with their favorite artist. It really helped build community, which in return made the energy coming from the stage all weekend absolutely magnetic. Keep up the great work DEF team!!! - THE HOUSE OF LOST
Don’t forget to attend at Midnight at the House of Lost next year, and bring your ID. The rest is a surprise. Not only is this stage absolutely stunning, but it also hosts weddings. Shout out to all the lovebirds who had a union this past weekend. - THE VENDORS
You all were fabulous. Shout out to the gates workers, medical team, and team of Suwannee, you were always positive and joyous. All the food and drink vendors this year were excellent. For me: Cosmic Charlie’s, Spontaneous Consumption, surfing coconuts, and my bee girls at Juicy Life took the cake! - THE ORACLE
This year, if you received a magic card, you can attend “The Oracle” (pronouns WE/US) over spirit lake at three specific times of the day, to ask them one question. What a cool addition to an already abundant time. - THE CLEAN EARTH INITIATIVE
I loved seeing everyone pick up trash and keep the forest clean. The incentives totally worked, and I loved to see the people who came together because of it. There were bathrooms everywhere, and signs placed throughout to help with guiding the festival. - YOU
THANK YOU! Props to you, Hula Fam, for elevating the energy this year, and always looking out for each other. It warms my heart to think about, and I hope this culture only continues to grow. Check out some awesome photos of y’all below from Hulaween’s official instagram.
I would like to shout out the amazing work of Silver Wrapper and Purple Hat productions, as well as Collectiv Presents for bringing the insane production that we experienced. From lighting and sound design to stage execution, we remained elevated all weekend between multiple different stages. Also shout out to Hulaween’s team for noticing any errors and quickly fixing them on the day, rather than waiting til the following year. This does not go unnoticed!
PERSONAL TOP 20 MUSICAL ARTISTS HULA 2025: (loved so many this was hard to pick still)
Maz – For me this set was healing. He understands how to portray human connections through song.
Tape B B2b Disco Lines Surprise Set – no explanation needed, you already know this match was madness.
Gorgon City – Came solo, not in the normal duo, but I have never heard a set like that from them before. I feel like I saw a whole new side of one of my favorite artists. When he began there was 5 people in the crowd (due to schedule conflicts) but by the end of the set it was tree to tree with people.
Gia Nobody b2b Sol. – They brought a heavy energy from the very beginning of their B2b. It really set the tone of the day and I was impressed with their song selections.
Nikita The Wicked – Coming up in the industry quickly, his music composition is eclectic and energetic.
Franc Moody – played tunes of his latest record, brought straight vibes.
The String Cheese Incident– Thank you founding fathers. They are not just a “jam band”. They are a multi- genre musical experience that everyone can enjoy.
ODD MOB – He’s been killing the game and his set showed exactly why. Excited for the next set of his.
DJ PEE WEE – Anderson Paak. DJ set???? Yes please.
CLOZEE B2B LSDREAM (LSZEE) – The perfect way to get weird in the woods
GOOSE – I really enjoyed the positive vibrations and energy coming from their set
Mary Droppinz – played 3 or 4 sets throughout her time there, and brought spice everytime.
LINSKA – A new force in the industry but her song selections were sexy and full of techno.
Zeds Dead – So many amazing songs and love their fanbase. Shoutout to their outfits.
Peekaboo – we always need a Peekaboo set. He never misses and always is dropping heaters.
Sammy Virji – He played banger after banger, and are reminded how many songs he has or is featured.
Glass Beams – I have never seen them before but left a fan. Great energy start to finish.
If you’d like to see a visual of Hula 2025, video recap link coming soon to our socials! You can also check out our Hulaween shot on Huji photos below, with descriptions on each one (: I really enjoyed writing this one. Overall, the culture of Hulaween is what makes it so special. Everyone talks about it. Tune in for next years addition of the Hula Times! If you’re missing the festival beforehand, tune in to the recorded DJ sets they will be posting periodically. See you next year, HULAWEEEN!
