Sacred Earth Open-Air: psytrance festival in Franklin, Minnesota

Sacred Earth Open-Air is the Midwest's psytrance festival, run by The Chilluminati, a collective that has promoted goa and psychedelic trance since 2004. The organisers call it their longest-running festival, and the 2025 edition also celebrated 20 years of The Chilluminati. I couldn't find a 2026 edition, and the Chilluminati website currently lists no upcoming events. So I'd call it uncertain rather than finished, and I'd watch the official channels before planning anything.

The venue moves. In 2025 it was the Minnesota River Valley Sanctuary and Retreat Center in Franklin, about 1 hour 50 minutes by car from Minneapolis–Saint Paul airport. In 2022 and 2023 the festival was listed in Missouri, and back in 2018 the organisers moved it to a site a few hours south of Minneapolis. Camping in 2025 was simple: campsites on the property, two potable water taps, portable toilets and no showers.

The 2025 programme listed goa, psytrance, full-on, progressive, darkpsy, forest and hi-tech, plus drum and bass, techno, ambient and downtempo. There were two stages on VOID Acoustics sound by Champion Sound and a chillout stage. Names on the bill included Christopher Lawrence, Amarok, Fred Nigma, Razing Prophet, Judge Ming and many Minnesota artists. That range, from goa to hi-tech with a proper chill stage, is what I like about it.

The Chilluminati hosts events in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Colorado and Florida, and Sacred Earth is where those crowds meet. In 2025 it was presented together with Transcending Events from the Twin Cities. Expect veterans, campers and plenty of local artists. Workshop leaders and vendors could apply through the event page.

Fly into Minneapolis–Saint Paul (MSP) and drive; in 2025 the site was about 1 hour 50 minutes away. A car is the realistic option. You could leave and come back, but not after sunset. Bring your own tent, food or cash for the vendors, and a solar shower if you want one.

There's no ticket sale right now. For 2025, tickets were sold via Tixtree: $120 for the limited early bird and $160 standard, both Friday noon to Monday noon, $40 for Thursday arrival and $50 for an RV pass. The rules were clear: no glass, no weapons, no drugs, no pets. If a new edition is announced, it should appear on thechilluminati.com.