The Sacred Acre is a Festival experience that can only be felt when you arrive here, the ancient and precious place where the ocean meets the land.
Sacred Acre takes place in Ninilchik Alaska. This 3 day, fully immersive, multi-dimensional festival experience combines the transcending music of some of the world’s top EDM artists, with the largest and most visually stunning laser and digital art stage displays ever showcased in Alaska. Even rivaling some of the top festivals in the world.
At Sacred Acre you will experience the breathtaking beauty and energy of Alaska, dancing, P-L-U-R, community, & art.
Every ticket sold to the Sacred Acre Festival shows your compassion and commitment to protecting, preserving, and nurturing our planet. A portion of the profit will be donated to local and national charities that help regulate, stop and hold accountable the fishing companies that use the abhorrent fishing practice of trawling, damaging ecosystems and making our oceans more venerable while murdering tens of thousands of marine animals here on the Kenai Peninsula and in oceans around the world.
As the producers and creators of Sacred Acre we want you, our guest, our customer, to know, we have put our hearts and souls into this Festival. We want to change our industry and our planet. That is one of the many reasons we have pledged to produce The Sacred Acre Festival in the most eco-friendly, and sustainable way possible. You will have an experience that represents our core value and mission of protecting Alaska and our worlds oceans.
Sacred Acre AK 2023… Come Dance with Us!
To Be Announced: Line Up, VIP Experiences, Shuttle Passes, Arches Camping, etc.
The first year of Sacred Acre music festival brought a musical experience unlike any other to the small town of Ninilchik, Alaska. Acts from around the world and those from surrounding areas in Alaska came together to give festivalgoers an experience they will never forget.
Clint Samples is a DJ currently residing in Anchorage, Alaska. He has over 20 years of experience and has a true passion for electronic music. During his multiple sets at Sacred Acre music festival, he played a wide array of different genres, smoothly blending sounds and keeping the energy going all weekend. Party Guru Press got the opportunity to have a conversation with Clint Samples about his history in the electronic music world, as well as his thoughts on the first year of Sacred Acre. Check out our conversation below:
Party Guru Press:
We’re here with Clint Samples at Sacred Acre music festival and are very excited to be here. So first off, is there any meaning behind the name Clint Samples?
Clint Samples:
So it’s kind of like a meta-joke on thievery, sampling, and music. It was actually a painter’s name. There was a touring exhibit at the museum in Anchorage one time. A good friend and I were walking through, and like, I’d kind of grown tired of my 1999 DJ name, DJ Paradox – I started when I was 15, and time-space stuff was big on my mind then- I found this incredible watercolor exhibit, and we were reading the guy’s name, Clint samples, and I was like there it is! I’m gonna steal the guy’s name. That’s about stealing. That’s the story.
Party Guru Press:
Sampling the name Clint Samples, that’s awesome! Can I also ask, what actually got you into the electronic music world?
Clint Samples:
Man, that goes back. Honestly, like there are some early films, and then there’s my dad. He exposed me to the orb, and the Crystal Method, and, like, a lot of really early electronic music. Then when I was 14, I went to a party that was supposedly a laser show. So this is what got me into Raving. So my buddy and I get brought to his brother’s “laser show”, and we have no idea what we’re in for. We get up to this balcony, and his brother says, “You cannot leave this balcony”. We’re 14, and he thought, you know, it’d be responsible to just unleash these children up on the balcony and tell them they can’t go anywhere else. That didn’t work. And it was like I walked into a place that I didn’t know existed. I was like, there’s a concert for electronic music? There are concerts for electronic music?! Like what is this? I didn’t even know what the word rave was at the time. The following years that was like the rest of my life. I dove in really hard. At 15, I started playing records, and I’m 37 now.
Party Guru Press:
Wow, so you’ve played a few shows, then.
Clint Samples:
(Laughs) Ya, just a couple.
Party Guru Press:
Are you living in Alaska now?
Clint Samples:
Yeah, I live in Anchorage.
Party Guru Press:
Very cool. Is it exciting to see this level of production for electronic music out here, where it’s not usually that common?
Clint Samples:
Absolutely. I think it might be the first time anyone in this state has even heard a 21-inch subwoofer. It is a real pleasure to play on that Void system. The production quality of this event is absolutely raising the bar, and I think it’s incredibly important to showcase the state for what it is and for people like yourself to get to see and experience it.
Party Guru Press:
We just saw your first set of the festival, and it was fantastic! I see on the schedule that you’re also playing a late-night set tomorrow. Do you tailor your sets differently if they are daytime sets or late-night sets? Do you try to create a different feeling depending on when you play?
Clint Samples:
Most definitely. Whether the stage’s size or the time of day, the intention is super important. The late night one is going to be deeper, it’s going to be prettier, and it’s gonna carry people through that dark part of the night where things can get a little heavy.
Party Guru Press:
Speaking of the different stages, we are currently outside of the Abyss stage, which I’ve personally watched you construct over the past two days. Does it feel more rewarding, and do you feel more connected to the crowd in an area that you’ve personally created?
Clint Samples:
Absolutely! It definitely feels more like home. Being a part of the production, from rolling up the truck to building the stage in any form. I’ve done it at other places, other stages, other domes, and other more standard style stages, and really being in it from day one is a really good feeling. I like to be a part of every aspect of it.
Clint Samples at Sacred Acre in Ninilchik, Alaska
Getting to speak to Clint Samples was a great experience for Party Guru Press. Even after 20 years of performing, Clint Samples has a genuine passion for the electronic music community. He cares about each and every person who comes to watch him perform. From building stages, to curating sets, to making people feel included and happy in the darkest times, Clint Samples is a genuine person and an exemplary DJ.
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:
