Do you have something that ignites a passion in you so intensely you want to shout it to the world? Two of those passions of mine are Electronic Music and Alaska! This September, those two worlds collide at the Sacred Acre Festival on the Kenai Peninsula in Ninilchik, Alaska!
I had a chance to speak with the founder of Sacred Acre, Chris Miller, and in speaking with him, I found out it only takes one moment for an idea to be born. One night, in 2018, his wife read a passage out loud from a book by Ivo Dominguez, “The ‘Sacred Acre’ is a place that lies between low and high tide because in this magical place—two worlds collide. By high tide, it’s swum by sea creatures; by low tide, it’s walked by land animals. So in this magical place, we come to re-center ourselves, to harmonize with land and sea, and to find a sense of mindfulness unlike any other.”
This struck home for Chris. He knew there was a market for an Electronic scene in Alaska, and this created the perfect story for a festival. When putting this festival together, Chris covered everything, a fantastic lineup, transportation, accommodations and sustainability.
Lineup
The lineup has Electronic music heavyweights like Clozee, Opiuo and LSDream. These artists and their music are a perfect fit for the magic that will come to life in Alaska. In addition, they recently added keyboard legend Jason Leech who will be sure to play some flipped versions of songs we know and love. However, fantastic music does not stop there. On the lineup, there are even some Alaskan locals. Clint Samples and PREPMODE are some of the DJ’s on the lineup from the Last Frontier. Anchorage, Alaska-based artist PREPMODE is known for his turntable and mixing skills. While out here at Sacred Acre I’ll be jamming to music I know and love, but I will also be branching out to see what else can bless my ears.
Transportation
Being from Alaska, one of the main reactions I get when I tell people where
I am from is that it must be hard to get around. This could not be farther from
the truth in considering Sacred Acre! The team has put a lot of thought into
the logistics of this festival, like getting to the festival and getting
camping gear. Festival goers can step off the plane in Anchorage and get on a
shuttle that will take them to the festival grounds, where if they choose to
rent camping gear, it will be waiting for them too! Several types of
campgrounds at the festival range from lightly wooded areas to a site that
overlooks the Cook inlet with a chance to view otters, seals and whales!
I also got to speak with Chris about some recommendations he has if people
choose to explore Alaska beyond the festival. Along the Kenai, two cities to
visit are Homer and Seward! If you make your way down south of the festival,
you will find the city of Homer. This city sits along the Kachemak Bay and has
tons to offer visitors. One restaurant in Homer Chris recommends he is the
Green Can. It is known for its seasonal menu, delicious craft cocktails, and
sustainably caught seafood. When I make my way to Homer, I know this will be a
can’t miss stop! One last recommendation he has is to drive north to see North
America’s tallest mountain peak, Mt. Denali, formerly known as Mt. McKinley.
The camping is gorgeous up there and is the perfect time of year to see the
fall foliage. Alaska is so vast this list could go on forever!
Sustainability
One of the many great aspects of this festival is its sustainability
practices, which are dear to many festival attendees. This festival will be a
NO PLASTIC event which is just one of the many reasons this festival should get
a lot of love! In addition, Sacred Acre will boast hydration stations for
refillable water bottles, and reusable metal cups for alcohol sales, and all
vendors will use compostable and recyclable materials. Lastly, the creators and
producers of Scared Acre will be using part of the proceeds from the festival
to donate to local and national charities. These charities expose fishing
companies that use unethical fishing practices like trawling.
If you would like to find out more about the different types of trawling
that are destroying our oceans, please visit:
Stop the Alaskan Trawler Bycatch Facebook Group
