The 10 Best Sets We Saw at Electric Forest 2026

Electric Forest returned to Rothbury, Michigan this past weekend, June 25-28, bringing roughly 40,000 attendees to its namesake woods.

For me and for many, Electric Forest has always been one of the best festivals in America, marrying its jam band origins with a thoughtfully curated cross-section of electronic music, a heavy dose of whimsy and the chance to just get outside and touch grass for a few days. That all happened — and it was, as always, meaningful for both regular attendees and newcomers alike.

But this year a dark cloud of tragedy hangs over Electric Forest: As has been widely reported, a deceased newborn was found in a festival bathroom on Sunday morning, June 28. Authorities are requesting that anyone who may have information about the situation come forward. This event is horrifying, devastating, a situation that sits in direct opposition to the joy, fun and connectedness Electric Forest is known for and which was palpable throughout the site over the first three days of the weekend.

The festival world at large is, of course, not without its dark side. People overdose, sexual assaults are committed, drug deals go wrong. While many questions about the deceased newborn remain unanswered (“we ask that people avoid speculation on social media out of respect for the investigation and those affected,” the Michigan State Police statement announcing the news reads), the very fact of it feels like something sacred has been broken. In sharing the news on its Instagram channel, organizers stated that “HQ is heartbroken and knows that our Forest Family is as well.”

That heartbreak so many of us are feeling is unfortunately now part of the Electric Forest 2026 story, and those of us who were there will have to carry the knowledge that something unspeakable occurred while a lot of us were having the time of our lives. I’m not sure what to do with that other than to acknowledge it.

And yet — music happened, and a lot of it was not only fun, but life-affirming. Holding both of these things at once is maybe the only honest way to write about the weekend. Given that we had to leave the festival on Sunday, these are the best sets we saw over its first three days.