April 13–15, 2012 April 12–14, 2013 April 11–13, 2014 April 10–12, 2015 April 8–10, 2016 April 7–9, 2017 April 6–8, 2018 05–07 April 2019 08–10 April 2022
It features performance arts and music stages featuring bands, spoken word artists, dancers and DJs. There is a large vendor area, including a focus on local foods, jewelry, clothing and sustainable goods.
Live Oak Campground has been the site of many other music festivals, such as Lightning in a Bottle, from 2006–2008, until that event outgrew the venue.
Lucidity went on hiatus for 2020 and 2021, although virtual festivals were held. It returned in person in 2020.
In September 2024, the 12th year of the event, the Lucidity Festival organizers, citing “unforeseen last-minute changes in requirements” imposed by Santa Barbara County, announced that the festival had to be canceled. Subsequently, shortly before the event was to take place, the organizers stated that they could not financially recover from the “postponement” and announced there would be no refunds for the already-purchased passes. Ominously, Lucidity warned that if a location to host the event cannot be secured by April 2025, they will declare bankruptcy and end the festival for good.
Vision and environmental ethic
Musicians intermingled with sculptured art installations.
Much of the ethic of the event is rooted in the general philosophy of "burners". The event sponsored a "Greenest Campsite" contest and a motto of "Leave It Better". There were copious reminders to pack out trash and constant activity to remove trash and keep the grounds looking well.[3]
According to Daphne Carpenter, the festival was organized around "six themed villages that revolve around archetypes much in the same way as our dream characters represent aspects of ourselves". She lists these as Renegade Outpost, Family Garden, Healing Sanctuary, Warrior's Way, Lunatic Fringe, and Lover's Nest.
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Art
The event features large sculptural art. One of the signature installations over the years has been an environment entitled Walkabout Woods, which consists of artificial trees constructed by the Fishbon collective. Others have included:
Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Floats
Branches Mobile Gallery
BambooDNA
PyroBar
Vajra’s Temple
Space Monkey Creative
Nature Dreamweaver
Symbiotic Creations
Kid’s Karma Zone
Lucid Stage
The Lucid stage, the main music environment at the event, often has both live performers and DJs spinning wide varieties of Electronic Dance Music. The closing performance of one year was Phuture Primitive featuring an array of dancers and an avant-garde drama between an onstage photographer disguised as a spooky computer/robot.[citation needed]
Phture Primitive
Alive Stage
This alternative acoustic stage features both local and worldly bands, many with jugglers, exotic dance performances or spoken word.
