Festivalgoers near the main stage at Firefly looked tiny, like characters in a Godzilla movie on Day One of the festival on Thursday.
Fans looked so teeny because of a humongous new sculpture of a woman’s face that’s towering over folks in the festival grounds in The Woodlands of Dover.
That looming piece of art is in celebration of Firefly’s 10th anniversary, which kicked off Thursday and ends Sunday.
Thursday afternoon saw buckets of rain pouring down. But the water mostly stopped before gates were set to open at 3 p.m.
Kiara Laserna, of Philadelphia, really digs the new face sculpture, which is surrounded by tall lights she said looked like flowers. The word “wish” is illuminated near the sculpture.
“I’m looking at what looks like the outline of a woman’s face next to a bunch of little dandelions and the word ‘wish,’ ” said Laserna, who has attended Firefly nearly every year.
Other interesting sights at the festival included a colorful Ferris wheel and puppies, courtesy of the Brandywine Valley SPCA tent, which had several dogs available for adoption.
Charged up to see Loud Luxury
Firefly first-timer Nick Gunnison, of Washington, D.C., said he ended up in The Woodlands after a friend made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. His goal is to see the EDM duo Loud Luxury on Friday.
“Loud Luxury are like if two white dudes were Bad Bunny,” said Gunnison, who added he was humbled to accidentally become part of Firefly history.
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“I didn’t even know this is the 10th anniversary,” the surprised reveler added.
Rachel Ingram, of Frederick, Maryland, also is new to the festival. She came after her boyfriend, Colin Conway, also of Frederick, gifted her a Firefly pass for Christmas.
“I think it’s kind of symbolic of dreams coming true. You know, creating your own reality, making wishes, and letting this festival come back to life again,” she added.
Now she’s on a mission to see headliners Halsey (Thursday) and My Chemical Romance (Friday). So far, the festival lived up to the hype.
“It’s amazing. I mean, I feel like the vibes are already really nice, all the way around,” Ingram said.
Her boyfriend is now at his third Firefly. He’s ready to see My Chemical Romance and rapper Cordae, who is also from Maryland.“With My Chemical Romance, I definitely enjoy the angst and all of that from my teenage years; and with Cordae I like lyricism. But he still has some fire beats. I’m excited.”
‘It’s very important to me’
Meg Chines, of New Hampshire, made her Woodlands debut in 2016. Celebrating this year’s festival milestone is big for her because she’s back at the festival with her good friend.
“It’s very important to me. I’ve been looking forward to this for months. I had a very good time last time and I was with my friend. So I came back to get the same kind of vibes from last time,” said Chines, who’s looking forward to seeing bands Weezer and Green Day.
Chines is also a fan of the festival happening in the fall.
“It’s perfect. It’s a little chilly today with cooler weather. But it’s still comfortable to camp in [at night].”
Firefly launched in 2012 with headliners Jack White, The Black Keys and the Killers.
Similar to opening day of this year’s festival, the inaugural Firefly was on a rainy day, which is a little serendiipidus.
The other headliners at Firefly this weekend are My Chemical Romance (Friday), Green Day (Saturday) and Dua Lipa (Sunday).
Firefly Music Festival returns to The Woodlands (599 Persimmon Tree Lane, Dover) from Thursday to Sunday.
For more information, visit fireflyfestival.com.
Andre Lamar is the features/lifestyle reporter. If you have an interesting story idea, email Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com.
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