I’ve barely washed off the body paint from my journey beyond Vegas at last weekend’s sophomore year of Further Future, and the reality of being back in the city is almost too much for me to handle. To help cope with this though, I’m reminiscing about the festival with a list of the five best things I saw at Further Future.

1. The Brit and the Yank

You know it’s going to be a good festival when the first two people you meet are your camp neighbours who met at the airport on their way to the festival, and, upon knowing each other for t-minus five minutes, decided to camp with one another. Enter the Brit and the Yankee. The Yank recalls seeing the Brit walking through the airport with nothing but a rucksack, looking a little lost. Upon seeing him, he knew he was heading to Further Future as well and, together, they went on a mission to find the somewhat challenging-to-find shuttle bus to the festival. Along the way, they became fast friends and decided to camp with one another, the Yank referring to the Brit as his brother by the end of the weekend. It was this kind of friendly, welcoming energy that could be felt throughout the entire weekend across the festival grounds. With the grand majority of festival attendees having attended Burning Man at least once (if not five or more times), the same sort of Burner mentality and principles could be seen at Further Future. And for someone who has never experienced energy of this sort in such a colossal way, this is enough reason to head back to the festival next year.

2. Sunrise sets with Lee Burridge

Lee Burridge is a techno king. He is known for his amazing sunrise sets on the Robot Heart bus at Burning Man, as well as for his All Day I Dream parties, and for being a pioneer in the underground club scene. He also is known for playing some of the most incredible, lengthy sets, with his sunrise set at Further Future spanning four hours, from 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. It seemed that, as the sun rose over the desert, casting the large, cage-like heart above the bus in a majestic golden glow, the energy of the crowd picked up and Lee Burridge dove deeper into the sounds of the underground. More people seemed to appear, fervently dancing in front of the bus, while women in sky-high moon boots continued to dance atop the bus. And the best part of it all wasn’t Lee Burridge’s unique sounds resonating across the Valley of Fire, but the huge grin that remained plastered upon the artist’s face throughout his entire set. Discover Lee Burridge, but definitely discover him while he is performing because the man appears to be at home, in his happy spot, and his joy while he is performing is just as infectious as his beats that will make you dance until the sun has long since risen.

3. Apocalyptic rain storms

Normally, an attendee’s experience at a music festival is very dependant on the weather during that festival. Unfortunately the weather – extreme heat, extreme cold, crazy rain – is completely out of organizers’ hands. The Valley of Fire gets an annual average rainfall of four inches – so not much. Leading into the festival, there were four days of rain. During the festival, there was rain Friday night, and once again Saturday night. While Friday night wasn’t too damaging to the experience, Saturday’s intense rainstorm, filled with thunder and lightning, rivers and lakes in the campgrounds, and washed out roads, had the potential to ruin the weekend for festival-goers and organizers. Instead, the intense weather, that caused evacuations and attendees to take cover wherever they could, encouraged a sort of bonding between attendees. It was a storm one only really witnesses in the desert and it was a storm that was survived together, in the desert. Batten down the tents, take refuge under neighbours canopies or in their cars, and then, celebrate with fireworks. Mother Nature won that day, but she couldn’t put out the fire that burns brightly inside Further Future attendees.

4. Girl power with Amanda Kahlow

Further Future proved that a festival can explore so much more than just music and art. With an astounding Visionary Speakers lineup that saw the likes of Eric Schmidt of Alphabet Inc. and Bob Pittman of iHeartMedia Inc. giving intelligent talks to attendees, Further Future allowed festival-goers to expand their minds by diving into talks about the future of technology, education, food, cannabis, and so much more. Amanda Kahlow of 6sense delivered one of the most empowering talks of the weekend. Exploring the challenges of running her own business, while also being unapologetic of having to be what people sometimes consider a “bitch,” Kahlow reminded us that girl power can be the best power, to never give up on your hopes and dreams, and yes, women can be just as successful as men.

5. Sunset sets with Easy Star All-Stars

Closing the festival was reggae cover band Easy Star All-Stars, followed by HVOB. Seemed like an odd addition to a lineup that was stacked with electronic and techno artists but it worked. And it was fantastic! From trombones and saxophones, to drums and guitars, the band jammed the night away, covering old songs and new songs and demonstrating the fluidity and joy of music. With the barefoot lead singer, Kirsty Rock, who kept dancing and feeling the music throughout the entire set, Easy Star All-Stars helped close down the official festival with a fun, energetic set that embodied the good vibes of the festival and kept the crowd grooving all the way through long past the final sunset.