Playa Ponderosa by day.
This coming weekend, June Jam is set to mark its third year of fanfare-laden operation. Beginning in 2018 with a very small, boutique-style event in Prescott called Juniper Jam, the vision and determination has turned the small party into a multi-day festival and cultural free-for-all. “It was a pretty small event, somewhere in the neighborhood of about 300 paying attendees and then a lot of awesome artists. More of an artist summit than a festival.” said Christian Cortes, June Jam’s music and event coordinator.
Fast forward one year, and the owners and team members of June Jam purchased a beautiful plot of 75+ acres that has since been named Playa Ponderosa. The land is surrounded by the Coconino National Forest, a picturesque rounded red stone and high country desert with sub-alpine forests populated by Ponderosa trees and lush meadows. Complete with three stages, freshly chipped dance floors and their own exhibition spaces, The Promenade and The Nook, for those wide-eyed insomniacs seeking a full night of music and color.
“ [June Jam] is produced by mainly burners and Phoenix natives that would otherwise be at Burning Man this particular weekend,” said Christian. “The vision for the property itself has always been to host a large, open-format music and arts event. A lot of our team has been to Burning Man or helped produce aspects of theme camps at Burning Man, so we have traditionally had to work around the reality that some of our team is involved. Given the circumstances, we felt that it was a really good opportunity for us to fill that void for the regional burner community, but also for the people who might have not gone to the burn, are interested in it, or they have glimpsed that culture and might have some curiosity. Maybe their only exposure to music and art in that kind of format is the larger music festivals. We really are trying to capture everything that is not just music.”
Playa Ponderosa by evening.
June Jam features an exhaustive list of involved, expansive, and creative workshops and classes. Starting at 9 in the morning until late afternoon, classes are spread out throughout the grounds. The team aims to provide adequate space for patrons to participate in the many activities and classes at their leisure without feelings of overcrowding. “They did an amazing job curating this list of workshops that kind of hits on all aspects of fringe culture. You've got your movement and flow workshops, your yoga classes, a lot of stuff you would normally see, like more of a traditional music festival, transformative festival setting. Then there is stuff that is more inspired by the kind of programming at a theme camp at Burning Man - like shibari rope bondage and kink classes - hings that are more a part of fringe culture as opposed to something you would see normally.” Musical acts such as Moontricks, Random Rab, 5AM , Sortof Vague, Nox-Vahn, and Vinja are a small portion featured on the eclectic line up.
While dancing in the Ponderosa-lined meadow with audiophiles and creatives alike, attendees can rest assured that some of the best safeguards one could ask for in the post-covid world are present. Their team is asking people to get tested 72 hours prior to the event and providing colored wristbands to nonverbally signal consent without overcomplicating things or alienating people. Covid has taken us all for a ride but those that would like to gather in a safe way have options.
Playa Ponderosa by night.
“We do trust people to be responsible for themselves. We have one gate. It's the kind of festival where you get through the main gate, that's it. No additional security barriers. Personal accountability is a big part of how we run this event but we have had a lot of luck and respect from taking that model and really expanding it over the course of the last two years.” said Christian.
Tickets are still available to be a part of the stunning magic that is June Jam with varying packages. Limited RV camping remains but with sprawling protections us festival goers have always hoped for in place, get ready for an immersive recreational weekend of contrasting and colorful festivities. The team hopes to see a diverse crowd of creative minds, and we’re thoroughly inclined to be a part of it.
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