Joshua Tree Music Festival

ABOUT JTMF
The Desert is Freedom, Music is Power, & Community is Crucial.
Founded in 2003, the bi-annual (May & Oct) Joshua Tree Music Festival is held at the gateway to the world-renowned National Park. JTMF is a resource-generating powerhouse of passionate creativity, community empowerment, and arts education for all ages.  A family inclusive global music experience in the magical Mojave.  Committed to radical inclusion, these three day (and four night) funky desert-style festivals create experiences where passion, purpose, family, and friends come together, and the boundary between performer and patron is blurred. The music is diverse and eclectic, from dance-world-electro-funk’n groove to soulful global-ethno melodies.  JTMF promotes personal growth through a variety of multidisciplinary workshops, such as yoga and movement, visual arts, music, and myth. A robust schedule of Kidsville activities makes JTMF one of the top family-friendly festivals in the country.  Magnificent art installations and a world market further inspire, intrigue, and invite festival goers. Our mission is to foster social interaction on a deep level, creating positive life-changing moments.

The Location
The Joshua Tree Lake Campground (Joshua Tree, CA) is home to JTMF. Nestled against the Copper Mountains, bordering BLM land, with sweeping views of the otherworldly National Park, this 40 acre, privately owned venue is an ideal locale for this intimate festival. This site features plenty of space in the campground, hot showers & RV hook-ups, and camping is a short stroll from the lake area and music bowl. Two stages, a world market, and organic food purveyors complete the circle that is the music bowl. Live music alternates continuously on two stages in one area so you don’t miss a beat. More than 35,000 square feet of shade cloth flies over head for comfort. The one acre oval lake area is surrounded by amazing Visual Art installations, Kidsville, Playshops, the shaded Yoga & Healing Stage, shady nooks, and funky vignettes. Situated in the town of Joshua Tree, which is located in the high desert of the magical Mojave, it is 50 minutes from Palm Springs, 2.5 hours from LA, 3 from San Diego, 3.5 from Vegas, and 5 from Phoenix.

In the Beginning
JTMF founder and organizer, Barnett English, has traveled to, attended and worked at over 650 camp-out music festivals since 1993 with his organic espresso café, JavaGogo.  On a whim, JavaGogo came to the Joshua Tree Lake Campground in October 2002 to serve up fresh bevvies at the JT Didgeridoo Festival.  Barnett recounts, “I drove in at night, then awoke to the magical sweeping views of the National Park and the Copper Mountains.  Upon meeting our gracious hosts (Sally & Ken Jayes, JT Lake Campground owners), I told them it’d be a great site for a music festival !  Sally said, “If it’s such a great idea, then you should go for it.”  The seed was planted. Joshua Tree was obviously a beautiful place, but what about the people ?  That week a stranger invited us to his birthday party. Two hundred inspired folks dancing around a bon fire. The town was/is populated with outdoorsy, creative DIY artists and radically unique individuals.  That sealed the deal. Within 6 months Joshua Tree was my home, and the inaugural JTMF took place on April 11-13, 2003.”