In a truly incredible example of women working together, every year hundreds of workers come to “the land,” a 650-acre parcel of privately-owned land, to build three huge stages, lay trails, power up the electrical grid, and construct hot showers for festival-goers. After the festival ends, everything is removed and stored away for the next year, giving the land an entire year to recuperate from the presence of several thousand campers.

For many “festies,” as those who attend the festival are called, the festival is akin to a religious experience, and many feel that the land is the one place where they truly feel safe and free to be who they are. In an effort to reach out to women of color, the festival includes a Womyn of Color tent where only women of color are admitted, and almost all of the festival is handicap-accessible. Attending the festival can be an overwhelming experience for many first-timers (a.k.a. “festie virgins”), and after the festival many women find it difficult to transition back into the real world.

The festival is not an idyllic experience, however, and it has weathered many controversies since its beginning, including debates about race (the festival continues to be predominantly white) allowing boys to attend (boys older than five are now limited to camping in the nearby Brother Sun camp), concerns about allowing s/m to occur on the land, and more recently, challenges to its policy to admit only “womyn-born womyn.” Since the mid-1990s, transgender activists have camped down the road from the main gate to the festival in order to raise awareness about the policy, which only permits women who are biologically female and who continue to live as women to enter the festival.

This year the festival got off to a soggy start with four days of rain—much of it heavy—and extremely chilly nights. The opening night celebrations were marred by intermittent rain that unfortunately drove many women back to the relative shelter of their tents rather than watch energizing performances by musician Magdalen Hsu-Li and spoken-word poet Alix Olson. But when the sun broke through on Thursday it was clear that the festival would still be an unforgettable experience. The sunny, warm weekend was filled with that special combination of friendly flirting, sincere helpfulness, and relaxed toplessness that characterizes the festival every year.

Women’s music as a genre tends toward the acoustic and the folksy, and for younger women who may have grown up on the riot grrrl movement of the early 1990s, women’s music may seem downright boring. But the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival has changed with the times, and newer performers such as Kinnie Starr, Erase Errata, and God-Des have infused the festival with hip hop and rock. Women’s music fans will still find classics such as Jamie Anderson, Tret Fure, and Lucie Blue Tremblay. The festival is a great place to discover newer talent as well, and represents a unique opportunity to see a full spectrum of performances by women, ranging from comedians such as Kate Clinton to a brand-new rock opera based on the Hothead Paisan comics arranged by Animal Prufrock.

Beyond the music, the most incredible thing about Michigan is the sense of community that all festies experience. Despite the horrible weather, nearly everyone seemed willing to help out when needed—whether it be simply showing up for your mandatory work shift to help keep the festival running smoothly, or by helping your neighbors set up tarps at their campsites to keep themselves dry. And when the sun came out, thousands of women emerged from their camps in all their festival finery, which often meant little to no clothing at all.

What is unique about Michigan is that it is big enough to provide a different experience for everyone who attends. For women who are looking for a spiritual experience in a woman-centered environment, the Michigan festival should not be missed. For younger women who may be in search of that legendary party (and there are quite a few), Michigan is a great opportunity to have a whole lot of spring-break-type fun.

Next year will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, and it promises to be a huge celebration. So if you’ve never attended before, start looking through your camping gear, and make sure you pack something for all kinds of weather. Yes, you will have to use the port-a-potties, but hey—you also get to spend a week with an amazing diversity of women, many of whom will be more than happy to keep you warm should the weather turn chilly.

Michigan Womyn's Festival Official Site