If you have ever been to Coachella, you have probably seen the large colorful mushroom-gilled structures spewing out cool mist into the air. This rainbow fungi stage is decorated with vibrant dancers, innovative artists, and pulsing music. Affectionately known as the DoLab, this stage that originated as a mere art installation has become a cult favorite amongst the music-savvy. At Coachella, it is now where big artists throw surprise sets. What many people don’t know is that the DoLab also throws a lakeside camping festival every year, just two hours North of Los Angeles, called Lightning in a Bottle.
A Day in the Life
Lightning in a Bottle is a five-day camping, music, and arts festival that has many wonderful elements to parse out the days. You might wake up and take a sound bath before a yoga class, and then grab some yakisoba at a food cart for lunch before you take an afternoon class on Ayurvedic cooking. You might talk to some of the painters who create live works all over the festival grounds, or clothing shop for one-of-a-kind bespoke pieces to add to your closet. You might boogie your heart out before heading back to your campsite full of friends.
The camping element can often be the thing to make or break the festival experience. When done correctly, it can serve as a home away from home. It can be a place of shared breakfasts, outfit selection, naps, and a launch pad from which to enter this playland of beautiful dancing humans.
There are so many elements that go into planning a camp. You need to make a short list of humans who are down. You need the equipment. You need to organize the freight of everyone’s belongings, the setup of the communal spaces, provision that there is enough room and food, collect dues, and curate a guest list of people who will be harmonious and aligned with their intentions for the weekend. Coordinated costumes, anyone?
Q & A with an LiB Pro
This year, I interviewed the head of Camp Drama Llama and Lightning in a Bottle veteran, Amelia Swaggert, who is an accomplished LiB Camp organizer, designer, facilitator, and promoter. This is Amelia’s 11th Lightning in a Bottle. She is a Venice Beach resident and a lover of all things dance. Every year, she and her husband Jon Mackey organize an ever-growing and evolving camp at their beloved LiB.
For the first time, she created a 10-page Canva presentation so that the whole Drama Llama crew, new and old, would have access to “Your Guide to the Best LIB Ever,” complete with an expert packing list, vitamin and supplement wellness regimen to stay healthy (shout out to Zuma Lung Tonic and Happy Tuesdays!), a travel itinerary for the out-of-towners, and group camp etiquette guide.
Having co-organized 70-person LiB camps for several years between 2011-2015, she is well-versed in the amount of effort that goes into group camping, especially those early days out in the dirt devil paradise known as “High Noon”. For the last three years, Amelia and Jon have opted for the 80’x80′ reserved lakeside group sites at the Sunset campsite near the Main Stage entrance.
Her advice: “You’ve got to love it all. The magic and the mess. Not just the fun, epic, out-of-this-world parts, but the challenging parts: the dust, the heat, the setup on Wednesday and the breakdown Monday morning. When your passion shines through, it draws people in and creates the kind of energy that makes LIB unforgettable. Yes, it’s hard work, but the gratitude and connection that come from building a welcoming space make it all worthwhile.”
Camp Culture
The process of building the camp culture takes time, and the name “Drama Llama” was born from a few inside jokes that happened organically over the years. “Am I the drama? Is it me?” It makes it feel like the camp belongs to everyone in that way.
First-time festival attendee, Marissa, who will be joining the camp next year, was able to see the value of the group camp from the outside. “Coming over with my partner from our little camp at High Noon to hang with the Llamas, I loved it. It was so organized, and they had everything figured out for dishes, food, and garbage. It felt like its own community. It was so homey with the carpets, decorations, and vibe. It was such a good place to escape the heat of the day, and veg before your favorite artists.”
Good Advice
One of the things Amelia suggests is assigning roles and responsibilities to fellow campers before and during the festival to help balance the workload. While leading a camp naturally comes with extra responsibilities, creating a shared experience can ease the pressure, cultivate a sense of collaborative ownership, and will ultimately bring the group even closer.
Reflecting on the week, she admits, “It can feel overwhelming and at times I’ve often wondered if it’s all worth it. But seeing people step up in unexpected ways, especially during dreaded moments like Monday’s breakdown, makes it all worthwhile. There will always be a mix of involvement, but those surprising gestures of support are truly beautiful.”
Her gratitude grows with each show of teamwork, making all the overtime hours outside of the festival feel meaningful. “There’s nothing I love more than bringing amazing people together and creating a space where we can fully immerse and drop into the experience.”
Looking ahead to 2026, she envisions a more structured support system for herself and Jon when it comes to Camp Drama Llama’s fourth iteration. “I’m excited to brainstorm ways to fill the gaps and make it more smooth, efficient, and fun for everyone involved!”
Logistics
As far as logistics, Amelia and Jon rent a high roof cargo van and ask everyone to drop off their pop-up tents, camping supplies, coolers and food at their house beforehand, so the supplies can all arrive in one vehicle. Amelia’s developed a full campsite inventory list that everyone contributes to ahead of time to ensure all their needs will be met, and that anything missing can be ordered in advance. At the site, the shared area is organized under eight 10×10 pop-up tents, organized in a two-by-four setup. It has the pantry and food storage, coolers, kitchen prep, and dishwashing station on one end, and the camping lounge chairs, mirrors, music, and soft lighting on the other. The entire 640 square foot area is completed with a variety of rugs that Amelia has been collecting for LIB over the last decade, making it the perfect place to reset, lounge, and vibe out day or night.
Tent alleys are made under more pop-ups around the perimeter of the lounge area. Beyond the tents, the car campers and self-contained RVs create a perimeter. These help contain the site and make it feel closed in, encapsulating that homey feel. Standing shower tents go in a corner where people can rinse off using hanging bags and pump hoses. Camp Drama Llama makes a big egg breakfast for the group in the morning, stores free snacks and drinks for any time of day, and a meal just before golden hour when most of the camp is likely to be around to eat. This layout works well for flow and organization.
One of the benefits of the large 80’x80′ group sites is the proximity to the lake, which is great for a skinny dip or floatie sesh to cool off from the heat of the day. The lake is such a marvelous element of the festival, and during the day, you can see people floating and enjoying music around all parts of the festival.
Little Tips
Another secret Amelia wants to share to give you a successful run is to take a page from LIB’s clean-up song and encourage a daily Kaskade klean-up moment. When most of the campers are there, she will put on a single Kaskade song, and everyone in the camp will devote 5 minutes to cleaning their community space. It keeps things tidy when the inevitable modus of entropy unravels. On the last morning, during the final breakdown and clean-up, Camp Drama Llama gave an inaugural award to Mr. and Mrs. Drama Llama, celebrating the craftiest contributors to the camp. This year, the award went to two creative campers who artfully crafted a furry rainbow Drama Llama camp sign and a fun bubble machine totem!
The Music
Lightning in a Bottle is more than just a camping festival. It is a music festival as well. And this year, I want to highlight three acts that are worth taking a look at.
TroyBoi
This South London phenom tore up the Thunder Stage for a headline set on Friday night. Troy Henry’s music is a Bass-driven blend of hip-hop and funk, with original vocals and nostalgic samples. TroyBoi has a statuesque silhouette and attractive presence with a charming British accent. When you dance to his music, you get the feeling that you are experiencing the taste and creativity of a very elevated musical person.
Underworld
This duo is a bit of a legend in the dance. Rick Smith and Karl Hyde have been producing music since 1994. Each song is an extended artwork that runs an average of six or more minutes. Their music is not for everyone, but staying present with their sound is a rewarding experience and a journey that should not be missed if one has the opportunity. They played a headline set on Saturday at Thunder while a miracle of a meteor flew over the stage.
Monolink
Steffen Linck is a songwriter, vocalist, and music producer with a distinctive flat-brim hat who is unique in the world of electronic music. His music has a smooth and steady build with steady flowing drops that provide a vehicle for his distinctive voice. His music achieves a fullness with great pacing, range of pitch, and inventive lyrics. He headlined on Saturday to a large and animated crowd at the main lightning stage, and had a Golden hour DJ-set at the Junkyard.
Thank You for the Music!
This year, Lightning in a Bottle boasted great weather with a high of 85 degrees during the busy weekend, with a low of about 68 in the evenings. The winds remained calm with just a little gusting on Thursday night. The festival went off without a hitch, with no major drama to report. We here at the Indie Review wish all attendees, organizers, and artists a peaceful decompression. See you next year!
The Indy Review 