If boxing gloves or derby hats aren’t your thing this weekend, maybe try donning some futuristic clothing.
That’s what some of the 5,000 invited guests of Further Future will do as they attend a remote event that blends music with art, gourmet food, wellness events and some heavy hitting keynote speakers, including Downtown Las Vegas’ own Tony Hsieh and Google X CEO Astro Teller.
From the same people who bring the Robot Heart stage to Burning Man, the idea for a more intimate and directed gathering in the Nevada desert was born. But, according to Benjamin Alexander, one of the event’s directors, that’s where the parallel between the two events stops.
To get an invite to the event held at the Moapa River Indian Reservation 45 minutes north of Las Vegas, futuristic hopefuls had to write a message to the event’s Facebook page, explaining who they are and that they “have a basic understanding and appreciation of our values,” according to Further Future’s website.
“It’s kind of a movement of like-minded people that are wanting to escape the hum-drum of their day-to-day jobs, the nine-to-five experiences and just really enjoy some paradigm shifting and some perception-altering experiences with other intellectual and smart people that also just want to have a good time,” Alexander said. “And that’s really what we’re trying to put together here is a community.”
If you’re thinking the event is more in line with the likes of the Electric Daisy Carnival – think again. Electronic Dance Music-fanatics might be disappointed in the lack of epic bass dropping in Further Future’s lineup, which is more closely related to IDM – or Intellectual Dance Music.
Alexander shies away from using the term festival to describe Further Future, instead claiming the schedule of events are combined so as to create an overall experience.
“We want to have a situation where the people who are coming are invested in the ethos, they have an understanding of what it is we’re doing,” Alexander said.
But the emergence of these blended types of “experiences,” as events that combine the arts with mega-concerts is hard to ignore. All across the U.S., large festivals are growing in popularity and gaining such large followings, tickets often sell out within minutes of going on sale. So do exclusive, remote experiences such as Further Future represent the future of said gatherings? Only time will tell.
But don’t worry – If you have a date with a sports book back on the Strip, Further Future has arranged for a helicopter company to be onsite offering rides for those who have the means. Further Future begins Friday, May 1, and goes infinitly into the future - or, until Sunday, May 2 - whichever comes sooner.
Benjamin Alexander, director, Further Future