This article takes a deep dive into why Seven Stars became my favorite festival experience to date. A picturesque valley in the mountains was transformed into a living expression of GRiZ’s heart and vision. Over three days, the Seven Pillars revealed themselves in music that opened us, art that invited reflection, and a community that felt both timeless and entirely present. What unfolded was a reminder that inclusion, authenticity, generosity, care for the land, curiosity, unity, and wild abandon are not just principles. They are lived experiences, shaped by every choice we make together. This piece reflects on those moments, walking through the pockets of magic that made the valley feel like a constellation of its own.
The Long-Awaited Return
After years of silence that felt like a collective inhale, GRiZ’s return landed with the warmth of a homecoming. The Valley of Seven Stars made it easy to see why artist-led festivals carry a deeper sense of intention, one that stands in gentle contrast to the energy of bigger, commercial festivals. Artist-led festivals feel like living extensions of the artist’s inner world. Every installation, every set, every late-night pocket of laughter and light becomes a reflection fo the journey they have taken, the lessons they have lived through, and the love they choose to share.
I still remember the moment I arrived. The mountains rose around us like quiet guardians, and the changing leaves painted the landscape in colors that felt almost too poetic to be real. The scenery stirred up a flood of emotions. It brought me back to the people I once shared GRiZ’s music and GRiZ events with who are no longer in my life, and at the same time it made me deeply grateful for the friends who are still here. The landscape felt like nature’s reminder that change is inevitable, but it can be beautiful too, especially in this strange, festival shaped version of passing time.
I found myself thinking about how rare and special it is to experience something for the first time with an artist I respect and adore, surrounded by friends who feel like family. There is a magic in that kind of synchronicity. A softness. A sense that you have arrived exactly where you are meant to be. What I later realized was that this feling was not mine alone. So many GRiZ fans were carrying the same quiet awe, because even after years of shows and festivals, Seven Stars gave us something rare. It was a shared beginning, a chance for all of us to be part os something entirely new together.
Seven Stars unfolded like an invitation. GRiZ opened a door into the cosmos he had been quietly shaping in his absence, and all of us stepped into the universe he dreamed into being.
The Seven Pillars
At the heart of Seven Stars sit the Seven Pillars, guiding principles that GRiZ has been threading into his art for years. They are not rules. They are invitations. Invitations to show up softer, louder, freer, more curious, and more intentional. Moving through the festival felt like stepping into a living example of these values. They appeared in the art, in the crowd, in the gentle ways strangers cared for one another, and in all the little moments that made Seven Stars feel like a universe built on intention and love. Every corner reminded me that community is something we build moment by moment, one interaction at a time.
If you need a refresher on the Seven Pillars, check out this article!
And once I noticed the pillars in motion, I began to see them everywhere. They showed up in the way people welcomed each other, in the way the crowd breathed together, and in the small acts of love that stitched the weekend into something unforgettable. Here are some moments where the pillars came alive.
The Pillars Reflected in the Festival Itself
This section weaves together my experiences and the stories fans have shared across social media, painting a fuller picture of how the Seven Pillars came alive for all of us. Tap on (or click) the arrow on each pillar to open it up and explore the moments behind the meaning.
Inclusion
I am quite a side quester when it comes to festivals, quietly slipping away from the friend group for hours just to follow whatever little spark catches my attention. Festivals give me the space to do that without ever feeling out of place. Somewhere in the middle of my galivanting, I found myself gravitating toward a group gathered around a giant INZO prism totem, signed by INZO himself. It felt like the universe tugged me toward them. The creator of the totem, @dorijacksonn, even snapped a photo of me in my full INZO gear with the totem she made. In that moment, wrapped in music and shared excitement, I felt completely included.
This story is only one drop in an ocean of moments that showed me what inclusion truly feels like. The LGBTQ community at Seven Stars created a space that felt beautifully expansive, welcoming both those who identify within the community and allies who felt held in that love too. That kind of acceptance carried a quiet permission to show up exactly as you are, which is the heart of the next pillar, Sovereign Self. Even when I wandered into the pit alone, I somehow always found the other side questers, forming a tiny constellation of wanderers who choose each other every time our paths cross.
Sovereign Self
Seven Stars felt like an invitation to show up as my truest self. The entire valley held this open, inviting energy where authentic expression was not only welcomed but celebrated. It was a space where the expectations of what masculinity or femininity should look like fell away, leaving room for each person to exist in whatever form felt honest. Many festivals carry a sense of inclusivity, but this felt especially meaningful knowing that GRiZ himself is openly and joyfully creating a world where queer expression is central, visible, and loved. Sharing that space with so many people in the LGBTQ community made the Sovereign Self pillar feel alive in the most beautiful way.
Being our authentic selves also means being open to vulnerability. It means allowing softness to be seen, letting our truth sit at the surface, and trusting that the people around us will meet us with care. GRiZ modeled that so clearly during his golden hour set, sharing the lessons he learned during his hiatus with a kind of honesty that rippled through the crowd. The moment felt like a reminder that vulnerability is not a weakness but a form of self-empowerment, one that anchors the Sovereign Self pillar in real, lived experience.
Sharing
The Sharing pillar came alive everywhere I turned. I kept meeting strangers who felt like instant friends, just like the TikTok I am embedding below. People exchanged perler necklaces and handmade trinkets with a kind of generosity that felt pure and unforced. I took time and care crafting the little gifts I brought with me, and that same intentional energy met me right back. I received so many beautiful, home-made tokens that I will cherish forever. And in one of my favorite moments, a kind raver sat beside me while I was taking a breather and offered me a slice of pizza, no questions asked. Moments like that reminded me that sharing is not about the thing itself. It is about creating connection, one small act of kindness at a time.
Leave No Trace
The Leave No Trace pillar was so deeply respected at Seven Stars that I was genuinely left speechless. It was the cleanest festival I have ever attended, and it was because of the people. Everyone treated the valley like a sacred space, picking up after themselves, checking their camps, and caring for the land as if it were their own backyard. The TikTok I am embedding below shows it better than words can, panning over immaculate campgrounds that looked untouched even after a full weekend of dancing. It was a stark contrast to what many festival sites look like at the end, and it made me proud to be part of a community that shows up with this level of intention.
Curiousity
When I think about Curiosity at Seven Stars, I remember the first-glance surprises. New music drops, rising artists I had never heard before, and moments where I let go of every expectation and simply listened. But it was not just the music. Curiosity showed up in the non-music offerings too, from the Women in the Music Industry: Panel Discussion to the creative workshops, including ProbCause’s Loosies session that encouraged people to draw with their non-dominant hand and trust their intuition. The whole festival felt like a spread of fresh soundscapes, new ideas, and untold stories, all guided by the gentle ethos you hear in tarot readings: take what resonates, leave what does not. With GRiZ’s bold, experimental lineup and all the thoughtful offerings tucked throughout the valley, it felt like every moment was a doorway into something new for anyone willing to explore.
Kula (Unified Heart)
Kula, the unified heart, pulsed the strongest during GRiZ’s Sunday set. At one point he paused and told us to look around, reminding us that our homies and the support of our peers are what make all of this possible. Community is not something we stumble into. It is something we build, nourish, and care for like a living being. Festivals make this truth easy to feel, because the love we show is the love that returns to us. When we move with kindness, the whole crowd softens. When we move with openness, the whole valley brightens. And the same is true on the other end of the spectrum. Cruelty echoes back just as quickly. Seven Stars made it clear that unity is a choice we make together, moment by moment, and that our shared intention is what keeps the heart of the festival beating.
Bunga (Wild Abandon)
Bunga, the spirit of wild abandon, felt like the pillar that landed the deepest for me. If you have been following my writing, you already know that this is the theme I carry everywhere. I had this same epiphany at Lost Lands, the realization that keeping our childlike sense of wonder alive is not about escaping the seriousness of life. It is about balancing it. It is about letting ourselves play, breathe, and be curious, even when the world feels heavy. This pillar is harder to capture in a single moment, because it is something we are meant to carry with us moving forward. It shows up in the ways we take breaks when we need them, ground ourselves when things get overwhelming, trust the flow when the path shifts, and lean on community when we cannot hold everything alone. Bunga is the reminder that joy and seriousness can exist together, that we can be both soft and strong, and that letting go is often the first step toward coming home to ourselves.
The Festival as a Mirror: Fans, Artists, and Shared Energy
The beauty of artist-led festivals is how the crowd becomes a mirror. The energy we felt was not an accident. It was a reflection of GRiZ himself. Artists set the tone, but the community amplifies it, carrying it like fireflies between campsites, art installations, and sunset sets. Every fan interaction felt like a gentle echo of the values GRiZ lives by. Even the other artists on the lineup seemed to radiate that same sense of play, intention, and joy.
Seeing the Seven Pillars in motion made that reflection even clearer. Inclusion showed up in the way people made space for each other. Sovereign Self pulsed through the valley as thousands chose authenticity over expectation. Sharing flowed naturally between strangers who quickly felt like friends. Leave No Trace turned the land into a shared responsibility that everyone honored. Curiosity kept us open to new music, new ideas, and new versions of ourselves. Kula reminded us that our unity is something we create with care and intention. And Bunga invited us to let go with wild abandon, trusting joy even in the midst of life’s heaviness.
Together, these pillars shaped the energy that bounced between the stages and the crowd. They reminded us that community is not just a backdrop. It is a living organism made from every choice we make, every kindness we offer, and every moment we open ourselves to something new. At Seven Stars, the crowd was not simply reacting to the music. We were co-creating the universe around us, reflecting and refracting the love, intention, and authenticity that GRiZ has always championed. That sense of shared authorship, of being part of something built with care, is what made Seven Stars feel different, and why it will stay with me long after the music fades.
We Are All Reflections of Each Other
Look, I learned many lessons at Seven Stars, but I think they all circle back to one truth: we were never meant to shine alone. Our humanity is a constellation, not a single star, finding its shape through each other. We become brighter together. We turn moments into stories. We turn dots into epics.
The Seven Pillars reminded us that what we radiate into the world continues far beyond us. Energy moves and energy returns. At Seven Stars, every smile, every shared sip of water, every glitter covered hug felt like a tiny star added to a galaxy we built together. That is why “Show love. Spread love.” hits harder now. It is not just a slogan on a t shirt or something that we all say, it is something practiced in real time. Show love, spread love is what happens when thousands of people choose kindness at the same moment.
In the end, we are all mirrors.
Reflecting.
Refracting.
Remembering.
And if we allow it, we can carry these pillars with us long after the mountain dust settles, turning every space we enter into a small pocket of Seven Stars.
Show love. Spread love.
Liezl ✧
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