It was a sunny day, November 3rd and I had just completed a 6 hour drive from Pittsburgh to the GnomeX location, Sandy Bottom. Upon arriving I call Dane, our knight in shining gnome hat, and wait for him to lead me to our home for the weekend.

I see that red pointy triangle in the distance and am excited to reunite with my friend. Dane helps me wagon my excessive amount of camping gear to the site. The grounds are beautiful, I admire the trees reflecting off the water on the lake while we walk. I see the gnome statues and know I am home. For now our camp consists of a few picnic tables, fire pit, our famous yurt and a few other preset tents for campers. Soon it was about to become so much more! I get to work on setting up my camp.

Some might say bringing a stand alone hammock, tent heater, entire kitchen set up and 5 squishmallows just for one person is a bit extravagant, but I say it's necessary! With the comfort of knowing I have a cozy place to lay my head at night, on to the fun part, decorating the campground.

I set up a freebee table for anyone to put unwanted rave clothes, Kandi or trinkets on for any of the campers to grab. We also provided hand warmers, earplugs, and a stress ball with a QR code on it to scan if you need help at the show. After hanging a few lights for the evening ambiance, it's time to help the gnomies check in. My favorite part is interacting with the campers. I see lots of new faces and a few old friends. Many contrasting people from different walks of life, all gathered together by the love of music, to share a personal experience.

With the show being tomorrow, the first night is pretty chill. Sitting by the fire listening to music, we get a chance to get to know each other. The vibe is welcoming and relaxed. Knowing I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, I call it an early night. I awake to the birds chirping and the sounds of happy campers giggling and making breakfast.

There are new campers checking in and everyone is buzzing with excitement for today. We share food and festival stories, then help each other get ready. Now that everyone is fed and covered in glitter, it's time to make moves. The courtesy shuttle service provided makes it easy to get to and from the show. Using the buddy system to make sure everyone is accounted for we head out to the shuttle in groups when we are ready to go. 

Day one’s lineup consists of Beastboi, Automhate, Level Up, Wooli and of course, Subtronics.

A solid evening of heavy bass music. Dane, our fearless leader in gnomery, ironically sits in section “X” so it’s easy for us to find him. Sometimes we break off into smaller groups, or go on solo side quests, but we have a snapchat group in case anyone is in need of a gnomie.

I made sure to get some sick Level Up merch because she’s one of my favorites, but I have to give the best set of the night to Wooli. When we got back to camp I realized this was the consensus. The camp is radiating with that post-show-glow feeling. We sit by the fire listening to music, making marshmallows, and reminiscing about our evening.

We even had a few friends that weren’t camping come and visit us. 

The second day’s schedule was Austeria, Tape B, Imanu, Mersiv, and Subtronics closing out the festival. In my personal opinion, a very well curated evening of deep wubs. I caught a vibe with Tape B. Imanu played the best drum and bass set I’ve ever heard.

My favorite memory of the whole festival was during Mersiv where our group was together on the rails. Nothing better than raging out with your gnomies!

Subtronics’s closing set was different than any I had heard from him before. It was wonky and he experimented with many different genres. He sent us off with some inspiring words thanking us for allowing him to express his creativity.

As always we got his speech about not drinking and driving, and what to do when you get home safe. IYKYK. 

A solid evening of heavy bass music. Dane, our fearless leader in gnomery, ironically sits in section “X” so it’s easy for us to find him. Sometimes we break off into smaller groups, or go on solo side quests, but we have a snapchat group in case anyone is in need of a gnomie.

I made sure to get some sick Level Up merch because she’s one of my favorites, but I have to give the best set of the night to Wooli. When we got back to camp I realized this was the consensus. The camp is radiating with that post-show-glow feeling.

We sit by the fire listening to music, making marshmallows, and reminiscing about our evening. We even had a few friends that weren’t camping come and visit us. 

I was sad to say goodbye and to see the weekend come to a close, but also happy to have met so many new friends. One thing I’ve learned going to GnomeX events is, it’s all about the connections you make in life. At the beginning of the weekend it’s possible to sit at the campfire and think you have nothing in common with the person across from you. But with the power of bass music and a little gnome magic, we all find connection and create a whimsical community.

~Ariel Helene