Big Dub 2025: Volume 2

Written by: Soph Shull

Edited by: Cameron Green

Big Dub had surreal decorations this year! It felt like an enchanted forest! Photo Credits: Soph Shull

Hello Again!

We’re back and better than ever! This year I took the plunge and returned to the booming stages, friendly faces, and cold shower tents of Artemas, PA. As they do every year, Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary hosted Big Dub on 250 acres of land and counting. With headliners such as Zingara, TVBOO, Caspa, and EAZYBAKED, Big Dub 2025 was truly a sight to behold.

Memorable Music

Metvtrxn came in hot Wednesday, bringing some deep riddim to get the crowd stomping! These beats had the entire HiScore Pavillion rumbling with joy. OG Hitman also made big waves Thursday at HiScore with some crazy riddim sets. He had an impressive set, blending remixes and originals loud enough to shake the foundations of the pavilion! If you’re a riddim fan, I can’t recommend these two enough.

Thursday afternoon I caught the middle of Crenshaw, DJing a fabulous set at Hemlock Hole. Crenshaw had the amazing skill of balancing technical beats, while also providing good break downs to stomp your feet to! I really appreciated his mix of beats as well as vocals to the tracks and will certainly keep my eyes and ears out for him next year.

Javii put on a mesmerizing show Thursday night! Our group had met him earlier in the week, as he was walking around promoting his set, which was very fun to see! I absolutely love interacting with the DJ’s of Big Dub and hyping them up for their amazing work. He premiered an unreleased song with some amazing groovy and technical beats, which gave us ample opportunity to dance among the lasers cutting through the night,

VKTM was, without a doubt, my favorite set! After learning he existed two hours before he premiered, my friends and I were determined to see him at the largest stage, The Stone Circle. Heralded for his uniquely deep soundscapes, we became enthralled with his music, feeling the sounds shake our ribcages. VKTM also had some of the most unique visuals, displaying the character of himself on screen in bright flashes of red and white light. This provided us with an awesome atmosphere to rave out to and dance the night way.

Decimate and Blankface shared the stage directly after VKTM and did not disappoint. A wonderful follow up, they brought the hype needed and fed the crowd some earth shattering beats. They even threw in the Bill Nye theme at the beginning of the set! The visuals lit up the entire circle, dousing everyone in shades of electrifying red. Both DJs were visibly extremely hyped to be performing, which fed into the crowd’s excitement even more.

The Kikiwawa, Big Dub’s mascot, revered by many! Photo Credits: Soph Shull

Music Events

The Sad Bitch/Bad Bitch Singalong was a must, featuring amazing women from every era, and DJ’ed by two beautiful ladies. This singalong had me and my friend all in our feels! Some notable artists featured were Paramore, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, and Brtiney Spears.

Emo Night has become a tradition when attending Big Dub. Gathering with hundreds of my fellow emo siblings and belting the lyrics to The Black Parade never fails to bring joy to sixteen-year-old me! Many emo songs from years prior such as I Write Sins Not Tragedies, Misery Business, and King For A Day made a wonderful appearance and deserved all the hype from everyone crammed under the sweaty wooden pavilion. I wouldn’t change anything about that for the world!

To close out the list of music related events, the fire & drum circle certainly made a lasting impression on me. As my crew and I slowly gathered around the circle, the thumping rhythms of drums in all shapes and sizes increased until people began to dance to the beat of the drums! Many skilled individuals utilized flammable flowtoys to show off their moves. The best part was watching one of my friends join the circle and drum beautifully for all of us to hear! That was when I felt most connected to Big Dub, the people, and the land. I can’t wait for next year.

Hemlock Hole, a great spot to cool off during the afternoon heat! Photo Credits: Soph Shull

Non-Music Activities

Theme camps were also back this year! Anyone may sign up to host these camps, which are sprinkled throughout the campgrounds of the festival. Some of my favorite camps to visit were Camp Clown-A-Round, which hosted mini arcade machines and a stuffed animal pit, and the Illuminarium, a space that utilized blacklights to make the forest glow.

DIY slit weaving at the Lucid District was one of my favorite activities to do. We learned how to upcycle clothing with three different slit weaving patterns, and got to keep our wonderful shirts after! The LGBTea Party at The Stoop was also another wonderful way to mingle and make friends with fellow Big Dubbers!

Sound Baths were another necessity. Hosted at both the Lucid District and The Expanse, these sessions provided a quiet and calm reprieve from the busy days. Relaxing on the forest floor to the soothing frequencies from a mix of soundtracks and live instruments was an experience unlike anything I’ve heard before. At Big Dub, anyone providing these experiences and activities graciously volunteers their time to improve the lives of attendees, and for that, I am extremely grateful. 

So many people come together each year to add their own color to the land! Photo Credits: Soph Shull

Conclusion

Overall, this has been a year of more. More fun sets, more activities, and more memories made! I couldn’t have asked for a better Big Dub, and I will absolutely return next year! As I’ve said in my previous article, if you love EDM, you should try Big Dub at least once in your life. I promise it’s a game changer! Seeing so many skilled artists gathered in one area is life changing!