This year, I had the privilege of seeing more sets than I have before, and I still left wanting more. On my opening night, I saw Drug Church at the Shrine, and it was electrifying; it felt like the festival’s defibrillator, completely setting the tone for the rest of the week.

Every year is always a blast, but this one felt different. I think a big part of that is it being my third time there, but there’s still always this sense of mystery when you walk into a venue. Even if I’ve been to the Shrine what feels like 20 times, you don’t really know what each band is going to bring to that stage.

Now, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous for the interviews I had set up this year. I had the chance to speak with Timeworm, Pink Fuzz, Slow Caves, Pileup, Whitmer Thomas, Tokyo Tea Room, and Emma and Fallon. Every interview left me feeling inspired, and I really loved hearing everyone’s different perspectives.

I found myself asking many artists the same question: How does it feel to play a festival crowd compared to your own?

In my head, I thought for sure it had to be more nerve racking, but I was so wrong.

Hands down, most of the answers I got were that it actually feels less stressful. When I asked why, I kept getting similar answers, just in everyone’s own words. Timeworm talked about how last year they kicked off the festival, which was nerve racking, but they now look forward to playing for a crowd that doesn’t really know them. Pink Fuzz said that every show matters no matter who’s in the room, but at festivals they love the feeling of people discovering them for the first time and, in their words, “trying to win them over.”

Another question I asked was: What does community look like for you right now?

A lot of the answers reflected the kind of environment Treefort naturally creates. Slow Caves talked about how most of their support comes from other touring artists, people who actually understand what you’re going through. When I spoke with Pileup, we got a little sidetracked talking about Portland, but it all came back to the same thing: having a support system of people who get it, whether that’s local or on the road, it makes a huge difference.

My favorite question I asked was: If you could go back to when you were first starting out, what advice would you give yourself?

Whitmer Thomas said, “start smoking, start drinking, stay out really late, go to every show, watch every movie,” which gets at the idea of experiencing things and being part of it all. Tokyo Tea Room focused more on the creative side: “just keep going, the more you do, the more you learn, the more you'll know.”

Even though they’re coming from totally different places, both answers point back to the same thing: stay engaged, whether that’s socially or creatively.

The more I asked these questions, the more it started to click how important these kinds of community spaces are, places that actually give people the room to share their art.

Because of that, one perspective I was really looking forward to this year was talking to Emma and Fallon on the press team, the people who make it possible for press like me to be here and express our art. Over the last three years, they’ve been my direct point of contact for everything festival related, and they always kill it. They’re constantly giving updates, answering questions, and handling all the last minute chaos that comes with something like this.

When I asked about the most challenging parts of the weekend, they both emphasized how much the venue teams, management, and the press rely on each other to keep things running smoothly. Even with last-minute artist restrictions or changes, it really comes down to having good people around you who can problem solve together.

I also asked what makes someone in the press stand out. Emma said, “We want to see intentionality and your vision, we want to know you have excitement and passion for covering the fest.” Fallon added, “Treefort is a festival of discovery, and we want people who aren't just coming in to see the headliners because there is so much more the festival offers.”

This year, there were around 300 people covering the press, with about 50 on the core team and 250 from different publications. But honestly, the biggest takeaway from that conversation wasn’t the number; it was how much they care about people actually wanting to capture the festival for what it is at its core.

Every year, when I get home from the festival, it feels like a reset. December through mid-February is always so slow for live shows (no one wants to tour in the snow, let’s be real), and Treefort always snaps me back into it.

This festival has shown me time and time again how much art and expressing it really matter to a community.

If you haven’t made it out yet, I can’t stress enough how fun it is. You’ll leave with new bands, new friends, and probably a completely different idea of what you came for in the first place.

Hangover passes are on sale, dont say I didn’t warn you for next year!