Why Firefly wouldn't exist without Phish, what to know about Woodlands before Mondegreen

Once upon a time, long before the birth of Phish's Mondegreen festival in Delaware, the Vermont jam band that sings about lizard people decided to do something pretty whimsical.

Phish launched its first self-created festival in the '90s, which helped to pave the way for Firefly Music Festival in The Woodlands of Dover.

That's right. Not only is Phish bringing their new Mondegreen festival to The Woodlands on Thursday, Aug. 15, to Sunday, Aug. 18 — the band also has had a major influence on Firefly, which is slated to return this year.

Here's the lowdown on how Phish inspired Firefly, and what Phish fans need to know before coming to The Woodlands for Mondegreen.

Phish blazed trail for Firefly Music Festival

The first Phish festival was the three-day Clifford Ball in Plattsburgh, New York, in 1996. That event helped to set the template for the band's future festivals.

Mondegreen continues the band's tradition and is slated to be Phish's 11th self-produced festival.

Clifford Ball revolutionized the festival scene and is responsible for inspiring other major events like Bonnaroo, which launched in 2002 in Tennessee. The band played the festival in 2009, 2012 and 2019. 

“There's no underplaying the significance that Phish had, as a band and as an organization, in the direct development of Bonnaroo,” said Bonnaroo festival co-founder Rick Farman in a 2019 report by The Tennessean, a sister publication to Delaware Online/The News Journal. 

Trey Anastasio of Phish on when 'There were no festivals'

Phish also helped to influence Firefly, a festival born in 2012 in The Woodlands that shares a similar DNA as Bonnaroo. Both festivals are four days and each features about 100 acts, some of which have headlined both events.

(Firefly promised to return in 2024 after taking the year off to recalibrate in 2023. But festival organizers haven’t announced a lineup or dates for this year's event.) 

Believe it or not, there was once a time when music festivals were few in the United States. Major concert promoters chose to build amphitheaters instead.

But in the ‘90s, Phish broke the mold by holding epic, ambitious and fiercely independent gatherings in remote corners of the country, and brought up to 85,000 fans along with them.

Phish also was the only act on their festival lineup, a theme they'll continue at Mondegreen.

“There were no festivals,” recalled Phish frontman Trey Anastasio in the 2019 report by The Tennessean. “And I mean none. It was not something that had a blueprint. The only festival that we could have conjured up in America would be Woodstock — the real one — which was logistically, an unmitigated disaster. So when we started planning our first festival, the first thing on our minds was to make it really comfortable for our friends, which were our fans.”

Where are The Woodlands Dover?

The Woodlands in Dover, Delaware, home to the festival, is a rural area off the main Route 1 highway. Civilization is only about a 15-minute drive. Within that driving radius festivalgoers will find lots of businesses like Walmart, Target, gas stations (Wawa), grocery stores (Safeway, Redner's), restaurants (Chipotle, Grotto Pizza, McDonald's, etc.) and the Dover Mall.

Where is the closest airport or train to The Woodlands Dover?

The closest train station is upstate in Wilmington (roughly 51 minutes). Amtrak's Acela offers routes between Wilmington; Philadelphia; New York; Boston; New Haven, Connecticut; and Washington, D.C.

Festivalgoers will find the nearest airport is Wilmington Airport (38 minutes). This Wilmington location offers budget prices, but the only caveat is they serve only select cities. For a complete listing, visit flyilg.com.

Other nearby airports are Philadelphia International Airport (1 hour and 15 minutes) and Baltimore's BWI Airport (1 hour and 45 minutes).

What's it like in The Woodlands?

The festival grounds are massive, which means you might want to wear some comfy shoes. The Woodlands also includes areas where folks can set up hammocks.

One of the downsides to The Woodlands is it doesn't offer a lot of shade from the sun. It's likely The Woodlands will shrink significantly for the Phish festival, which would help revelers cut down on walking.

Dover Motor Speedway is near The Woodlands

Each year NASCAR fans camp out in The Woodlands to see their favorite drivers race at the nearby Dover Motor Speedway, formerly Dover International Speedway, and nicknamed the Monster Mile. The Woodlands are on the outskirts of the iconic racetrack.

How is Wi-Fi in The Woodlands?

Internet access was hit-or-miss at Firefly. Some people used their phone as a hotspot to access the Web.

What does Mondegreen mean?

Mondegreen is defined as "a word or phrase that results from a mishearing, especially of something recited or sung," according to Merriam-Webster.

When are Mondegreen tickets on sale?

Travel packages went on sale Thursday, Jan. 18, at 11 a.m. EST. Weekend and camping passes go on sale Friday, Jan. 19. at 11 a.m. EST.

General admission starts at $450 and covers access for all four days.  If you're bringing a vehicle, you must also buy a camping or parking vehicle pass (1 per car or RV). Parking passes (day or overnight) start at $40.

Mondegreen is in The Woodlands near Dover Motor Speedway (1131 N. Dupont Highway, Dover) from Thursday, Aug. 15, to Sunday, Aug. 18. For more info, visit mondegreen.phish.com.

The Tennessean reporter Dave Paulson contributed to this article.

Are you coming to the Mondegreen festival and have a cool Phish story to tell? Please email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at [email protected]. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Phish inspired Firefly Music Festival, what to know about Mondegreen