Elements 2025 is officially in the books.
After a disheartening yet memorable 2024, thanks to Hurricane Debby followed by Bonnaroo’s devastating June cancellation, I spent the weeks leading up to Elements praying for sunny days.
Set at the beginning of August and hurricane season, the weather is always a gamble, but this year, the festival gods were on our side, and Elements saw nothing but sunshine coming through rainbow-colored skies.
The weather, however, was just part of the story. Set in the woodlands of Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at the Pocono Raceway, Elements Music Festival is the perfect fusion of nature and electronic music. From mind-blowing production and immersive art to stacked lineups and the people themselves, the four-day festival is quickly becoming one of my favorite festival experiences.
2025 marked my third Elements and second at the Poconos venue, and if I had to describe the weekend with one word, it would have to be swirly.
Meet the Elements
What makes Elements stand out is how naturally the setting and the music come together. Representing the four elements of life, earth, fire, water, and air, each stage comes alive in its own way.
Fueled by the sounds of artists like Mary Droppinz, Odd Mobb, J.Worra, and more, the forest surrounding the Air stage transforms into a canopy of lights, with lasers cutting through the trees, making every set feel connected to the landscape.
At Earth, the wide-open backdrop turns golden during sunset, creating some of the most striking moments of the weekend, whether it was Boogie T.rio shredding on Saturday or Pretty Lights setting the vibe on Sunday.
Fire delivered high-energy performances with pyro and visuals that lit up the night sky. From Kaskade on Friday to Tipper and Deadmau5 on Sunday, Fire brought an unrelenting force of sound.
Water, shaped like a giant octopus with laser eyes, hosted heavy-hitting dubstep from Liquid Stranger, Ahee, and Wooli, keeping the energy intense from day into night.
An Enhanced Experience
It’s no secret that Elements has had its issues in the past, but one thing you can’t knock is their dedication to making improvements. This year felt bigger, smoother, and more accessible. After last year’s Water stage created crowded spaces and tricky entry points, the new location was open, easy to navigate, and allowed fans to move freely while staying immersed in the production.
Safety was also a priority, with medics visible throughout the festival without getting in the way. The schedule was structured efficiently, making it possible to catch every must-see set with minimal overlap. Whether it was hopping from Wooli to Zeds Dead or Pretty Lights to Tipper, transitions felt effortless. Even entering the festival was faster, giving more time to explore and settle in. Taken together, these improvements made Elements 2025 feel not just well-executed but thoughtfully designed for fans.
Standout Performances
Elements 2025 delivered one of the most stacked lineups the festival has ever seen. As a bass head, I might be biased, but this year felt like a weekend built for the wubs. The performances ranged from festival mainstays like Zeds Dead to rising stars like Capochino, giving each day a unique energy while leaving space for discovery.
Three Pretty Lights Sets
When I say “things got swirly,” things got swirly. Pretty Lights opened the weekend with a surprise late-night set on Friday that set the tone. By Sunday, the sunset set over Earth was pure magic, each track flowing perfectly with the fading sun. Later that night, Pretty Lights returned to close out the festival, keeping energy rolling from start to finish. Three unique sets across the weekend swirled together into an experience that will be remembered for years.
Alleycvt
Despite technical issues, Alleycvt delivered one of the most intense sets of the weekend. Her energy never dropped, and every hit landed hard, cementing her status as one of bass music’s brightest rising stars.
Crankdat, Levity, and Tape B
After a glorious sunset performance from Kaskade, the weekend reached another peak with Crankdat leading into Levity and Tape B on Friday night. Each artist threw TF down, but the highlight of it all came when all three shared the stage as Crankity B, dropping a new collaboration that had the crowd erupting.
Zeds Dead
One of my most anticipated sets was Zeds Dead, and they delivered. Their tour set for Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness mixed heavy drops, melodic highs, and deep cuts, closing out with their iconic Pure Imagination mix. Decked in their Pulp Fiction suits, they closed Saturday night after Wooli, Boogie Trio, and Boogie T, providing a high-energy nightcap that kept the crowd buzzing.
Areas for Improvement
Despite all the enhancements, a few areas still need attention. The VIP sections, particularly at Earth, were oversized. Condensed VIP areas made it harder for GA ticket holders to move in and out of the crowd, and much of what had been GA space in 2024 was now cordoned off.
Food options in the campgrounds also need improvement. For those camped in the back, it could take 20 minutes just to grab a meal or morning coffee. Adding vendors throughout the campgrounds would make a noticeable difference.
Bathrooms were another challenge. Long wait times forced some attendees to miss nearly full sets or use the woods. Implementing urinals or troughs at each stage would drastically reduce lines and improve convenience.
Elements 2025 excelled in production, music, and atmosphere, but addressing these areas would make the festival experience truly seamless.
The Crowd
The crowd was one of the highlights of the weekend. People looked out for each other and shared a sense of community that made the festival feel like a homie fest combined with a large-scale event. That energy is part of what makes Elements unique.
With a crowd this size, there were some bad apples. Multiple reports of theft came in, and one of my own festival fam had a phone stolen. Single-day tickets and daily shuttles make the festival more accessible but can also attract attendees who do not always have the best intentions.
Even with those issues, the crowd is what defines Elements. It is the people, the friends, the strangers who become friends, and the shared energy that give the festival its pulse.
Wrapping It Up
Elements 2025 proved why this festival continues to stand out. From the immersive stages and stacked lineup to the community that carries the weekend, the experience was as much about connection as it was about music.
If 2024 was about survival, 2025 was about flow, letting the music, the people, and the environment swirl together like the face-melting sounds of Pretty Lights. From sunrise to nightfall, Elements carried the weekend’s highs, with moments that left you with a lingering euphoria that stayed long after the festival ended.
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