All photos courtesy of Jess Bernstein Photography
Guest written by Erin Sanders
Utah knows how to get down when it comes to camping festivals. From morning yoga to amazing tunes and a wedding engagement, Bonanza Campout 2018 held in Heber, Utah closed out its third year in an unforgettable way! Festival goers experienced multiple new amenities held throughout the venue as well as larger camping areas with a view. Over the course of three days, music lovers experienced incredible acts from Rufus Du Sol, Zhu, Moon Taxi and a young duo, The Twits, who covered nostalgic hits from bands like Blink 182.
Better than ever
In comparison to last year, loading and unloading into the campgrounds seem to have gone much smoother than 2017 where you had to lug stuff a couple miles from the parking lot. Live Night Events made it easy and had four wheelers help carry your gear into the sites so you could get settled in with ease as well as plenty of help from staff and local law enforcement to direct you. “This was my first year camping on-site, and I was blown away by the whole experience,” says Utah native, Phil Thompson. “The whole camp vibe was incredible. Such a wide spectrum of people who wereall so frien
dly and open to experiences. I’ll definitely be camping next year. ”Not only has Live Nite Events locked down the boutique festival experience, their passion to include local artists into the experience is something we have never seen. In the very back of the mainstage, held a cabin where you could immerse yourself in psychedelic art that was up for purchase as well as local DJ collectives having everyone dance all day long. In the third year, LNE brought so many new features such as aerial dancers and fire performers to enhance the entire experience.
The Talent… Featuring Us!
While the diverse lineup brought mixed reviews from attendees, Bonanza exceeded last year’s attendance count at a peaking 17,000 throughout the weekend. “Epic production. World class sound and phenomenal vibes. Besides Zhu and Rufus, I thought the lineup could have been better,” explains Danny Graham. “I thought the music catered to a very young crowd especially at Pond Yacht.” The after-hours party within the campground was going all hours of the night with sets from Shaun Frank and Utah Local Fransis Derelle. To everyone’s surprise, pop-up sets also carried on from OWSLA’s Ekali. Pond Yacht had a vibe that had people going off. 
Whether the partygoers were bass music fans or not, the party sure was jammed packed until sun up. Ekali even tweeted about the late-nightparty with a makeshift stage made out of a boat. Halsey, the 23 year-old who has taken the world by storm with her #METOO story finished the weekend off with an incredible performance. Chelsey Huntsman, who came all the way from Hawaii said, “Halsey was one of the best female performers I’ve heard live. Her voice, her lyrics, her energy was electric. She connected with the audience through her stories in between songs which made me love her even more.”
Live Nite Events has created something so special for Utah and has already announced that they will return in 2019 at Rivers Edge in Heber, Utah. The advancements and adjustments they have made in just three years goes to show that this festival will continue to grow and has made its mark. If you’re a LNE diehard like us and love the Bonanza Campout location, be sure to check out Live Nite Events other festival, Reggae Rise, up in August. With performances from Atmosphere, Stephen Marley and many more, be sure not to miss out!
See you next year, campers!