{"id":113585,"date":"2019-01-03T13:54:11","date_gmt":"2019-01-03T18:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=113585\/"},"modified":"2019-01-04T17:49:26","modified_gmt":"2019-01-04T22:49:26","slug":"wanderlust-festival-10-year-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/es\/journal\/wanderlust-festival-10-year-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Years of Wanderlust: A Co-Founder Looks Back"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ten years. It\u2019s not accidental that we humans are fascinated with years ending in zero. A decade is long enough to have a perspective, and usually one that stands the test of time. Now, with more than 20 percent of my life spent enthralled by (and sometimes in thrall to) Wanderlust, I have a perspective. Unsurprisingly, it\u2019s not the one I started out with.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wanderlust (the concept) was born out of a few currents swirling around my fellow co-founders and me back in the late aughts. Schuyler (Grant)\u2014my college friend and spouse of Jeff (Krasno), my partner in a startup music company\u2014had gotten the yoga bug years earlier, after dance and a childhood injury left her with a wonky back. Yoga worked its magic, and she launched the quirkily-named Kula Yoga Project<\/a> upstairs from our Tribeca music offices. Upstairs yoga led to destination yoga retreats in Costa Rica, where, much to our surprise, a jungle yoga retreat turned out to be just like a festival, only with more fauna than actual attendees.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The co-founders in 2009.<\/div><\/div>\n

Though Schuy\u2019s retreats were the spark of the idea, Jeff and I had been dying to try our hand at a festival of our own since watching our good friends successfully launch Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, and other next gen festivals. Around the same time, our friend Scotty Nichols floated the idea of doing a music festival at a ski area in the summer. He had in mind something traditional, but the idea of a festival built around yoga, music and nature, in an incredibly beautiful setting, with blissed out yogis and no fences required, seemed more compelling to all of us than another beer-fueled slopeside reggae smokeathon. <\/span><\/p>\n

I will fast forward past the many eurekas and tribulations from there\u2026 Jeff\u2019s couch-borne epiphany that yielded our name, Wanderlust\u2026 the ill-fated decision to book a full lineup of music <\/span>during<\/span><\/i> the heart of the yoga program\u2026 the delicious irony of raising money for a progressive wellness business right after the crash of 2008\u2026 the wonderful support Jeff and Schuy got from Shiva and other top teachers when they pitched the very unproven idea for a yoga+music festival\u2026 the hilariously bad decision to truck a stage up to the top of Squaw\u2019s funitel, recreating a mountaintop concert experience that even Bill Graham never dared to repeat. Then there was Michael Franti\u2019s appendicitis, taking out our dream year-1 headliner (he returned several times a few years later)\u2014and Common\u2019s amazing willingness to fly in to replace him. The first one is always the hardest (as we learned again from Wellspring<\/a> this year), but this was a beast.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jeff
The co-founders in 2017.<\/div><\/div>\n

We learned a few things right at the start: yogis loved the event, but didn\u2019t want to have to juggle their favorite teachers and bands. People who weren\u2019t into yoga hated Wanderlust, and simply didn\u2019t show up. And pretty much no one, including ourselves, had any idea how to explain the event. This festival where you practice yoga, hike, meditate, eat local food, then get down under the stars? Maybe it was something for Burners heading past their youth, but it sure wasn\u2019t for the rest of us.<\/span><\/p>\n

As our current would have it, the rest of the world drifted towards us in ways that we didn\u2019t anticipate. Yoga went from a burgeoning fringe activity to a Gwyneth-induced frenzy<\/a> (ask her) in only a few years, growing at an annual rate of more than 30 percent. At the same time, the financial crisis of 2008 had a profound psychological impact on our nation. Many people turned to yoga and meditation for solace, and many more decided that the whole cluster was an opportunity to rethink their entire career path (which is always easier when you don\u2019t have a job). The ongoing wars (still ongoing) and political dysfunction of the early Obama years also played its part. Perhaps most importantly, the stunning rise of Facebook and other forms of social media\u2014perhaps the only industry to grow faster than yoga since 2008\u2014led to a surprising dark side that\u2019s only recently been understood. Turns out that social media replaces in-person human contact in about the same way as cocaine replaces the need to eat.<\/span><\/p>\n

The idea of a festival built around yoga, music and nature seemed more compelling than another beer-fueled slopeside reggae smokeathon.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As we floated along with the zeitgeist, we began to think more and more about our role in it. In truth, we reverse engineered our mission from our guests, rather than creating it. True, Jeff brilliantly crystallized our mission with the aspirational phrase \u201cfind your true north,\u201d but that moment (in 2014) took place years after we\u2019d realized our place as part of a tribe characterized by a singular trait:\u00a0 we are all seekers. Seekers are people who live in state of perpetual motion towards an elusive goal, that of becoming our best selves. One\u2019s best self isn\u2019t a destination\u2014it\u2019s a journey. It changes, so we are restless. We wander not because we are uncomfortable, but because we will not accept complacency. We <\/span>yearn<\/span><\/i>. In short, we have wanderlust, both literally (as that word has been passed to English from its romantic-era roots) and figuratively. We have an innate desire to travel or roam within our own consciousness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heady statements aside, I think we can all agree on some things that the world could use a little more of. <\/span>Practice<\/strong>, because any meditative practice reduces stress, increases compassion, and makes us healthier and happier. That\u2019s just hard science\u2014no woo-woo or 9-day stays on the Playa required. <\/span>Community<\/strong>, the in-person kind, because so many of the institutions that corralled us around the proverbial campfire have fallen victim to scandal, science, clannishness, or mistrust. <\/span>Purpose<\/strong>, because it turns out that humans literally can\u2019t live without it (ask our friend Roy Spence<\/a>). <\/span>Inspiration<\/strong>, because, with all due credit to Margaret Mead<\/a>, a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens is the only thing that ever has changed the world.\u00a0<\/span>And celebration<\/strong>, because who doesn\u2019t need more of that?<\/span><\/p>\n

We realized our place as part of a tribe characterized by a singular trait: We are all seekers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We at Wanderlust are trying, however imperfectly, to satisfy those very basic human needs. Over the years, we\u2019ve become very clear on <\/span>how<\/span><\/i> we are doing it\u2014and it\u2019s not in the way I would have expected a decade ago. We are trying to build the world\u2019s most beautiful, spacious, delicate container (let\u2019s call it a cup), something worthy of housing the incredible people that have been willing to fill it. They\u2019re my guides and yours, teachers like Seane<\/a>, Shiva<\/a>, Rod<\/a>, Elena<\/a>, Eoin<\/a>, and our co-founder\/muse, Schuyler<\/a>. They\u2019re musicians who do so much more than play: Michael Franti<\/a>, Moby<\/a>, Nahko<\/a>, Drez<\/a>, MC Yogi<\/a>, Garth<\/a>. They\u2019re speakers, from Wayne Dyer<\/a> to Deepak, from Russell Brand<\/a> to Paul Hawken<\/a>. They\u2019re performing artists, from Quixotic<\/a> to Shakti Sunfire<\/a> to the homegrown Wanderlust Spectacular<\/a>. But most of all, it\u2019s all of you, because Wanderlust has always been, and always will be, a participatory event. You don\u2019t fumble your way towards true north by passively observing as life passes you by\u2014you fumble your way along by <\/span>doing<\/span><\/i>. And almost everything that exists at Wanderlust is something you can do, and do with others. That\u2019s a full and tasty cup.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Wayne
The late renowned author and speaker Wayne Dyer speaking in 2012.<\/div><\/div>\n

So whither Wanderlust in 2019 and beyond? \u00a0I\u2019ve spent a decade thinking about that, and a few days ago I sent around some musings to our tireless, dedicated and truly amazing team<\/a>, if only to distract them from their post-NYE head throbbings. <\/span><\/p>\n

Bravery\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Wanderlust was a crazy idea when it started, and for it to stay vital, it needs to remain a crazy idea. We have to be unafraid to try new things, create new events, rejigger existing events, confront -isms<\/em> in wellness and beyond, and offer up the most insightful leaders in the space of mindful wellness, even where that might court controversy. We jumped into the rapids in 2018 with the launch of Wellspring, but looking back it was the best thing we\u2019ve done since we put a music stage on top of a mountain (OK, that\u2019s a low bar\u2014but it felt like just as much of a leap). In 2019, we\u2019re excited to offer Passport<\/a> (what could be better for your wanderlust than that?) and our new 2-day Wanderlust festivals in major cities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Excellence<\/h3>\n

The world has changed since 2009 when Jeff, Schuyler and I launched our idealistic roadshow. We know there are lots of festivals offering quality yoga, wellness and fitness experiences\u2014heck, even Coachella can offer up a halfway decent yoga class to sweat off your hangover. If Wanderlust is going to continue to have a place in your heart, we’ll need to offer the best teachers, the best venues in the greatest locations, the smoothest operations, the best experience\u2014and be really good at 20 other things, from music and food to whimsy and innovation to the curation of local vendors. We\u2019re committed. We have to continue to seek our true north as a company, not just as individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inclusion<\/h3>\n

Wellness and practice cannot be something just for the privileged, any more than democracy can be. While we do not pretend that Wanderlust\u2019s destination festivals are affordable for all, we are equally committed to working to make them so. While it may be counterintuitive, the very concept of scale, the bringing together of a large community at once, is what makes it possible to deliver a great experience at a price that most people can afford\u2014that and the support of our sponsors, many of whom are themselves B Corps and purpose-driven companies<\/a>. In an age of ever-smaller and more expensive elite wellness events, we\u2019ve remained committed to our original vision of creating premium but democratic wellness festivals. <\/span><\/p>\n

When we realized that not everyone can attend a Wanderlust Festival, we responded by introducing Wanderlust 108<\/a>, which is now taking place in more than 20 countries at very accessible pricing. We\u2019ve also worked to ensure that our talent lineups include diverse voices from a multitude of backgrounds. In 2018, we created Wander for All<\/a>, which is a bundle of initiatives like discounts for students and those under 25, military discounts, free access for kids under 18, and a scholarship program rewarding those who bring yoga and mindfulness practice to their communities. We know there is more to do, but we are inspired to keep pushing.<\/span><\/p>\n

In closure\u2014for now, and just for this decade\u2014I can only hope that Wanderlust has been as transformative to you as it has been for me. I am a different person because the tides washed me up on Wanderlust\u2019s shores, and while true north will always be somewhere <\/span>out there<\/span><\/i>, I\u2019m better for the search. I\u2019m blessed to work with the experts, artists and creators who grace our events, studios, and more recently, our media, on a daily basis. I feel incredibly lucky that I can wake up and feel that in some small way, this company\u2014our company, our events, your events\u2014are a net positive for the human condition. I’m grateful to you, my fellow seeker. <\/span><\/p>\n

Happy decade, Wanderlust, and happy new year to you all.<\/span><\/p>\n

With love,<\/p>\n

Sean Hoess
\nCEO + Co-Founder<\/p>\n