Hot Catches in Your Area, Texas! What We’re Reeling in for the Texas Eclipse Festival

You know what we’ve always wanted to do? Go fishing! And not like Go Fish the card game, but you know, that’s cool too. Whatever floats your boat… 

Gone Fishing is a new immersive and performative art installation that we will be bringing to the Texas Eclipse Festival in Burnet, TX on April 5th-9th. What does that mean? Well, it means you can expect daytime family fishin’ fun with local inhabitants, nighttime sultry performances, and an all encompassing experience of Meow Wolf’s own lil’ fishing town, but let’s dive deeper into that, shall we?

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‍Why fishing? ‍

It’s a fine question really, we’re at a festival celebrating the last full solar eclipse in the United States for the next 20 years…and we’re getting fishy? YES, YA LANDLUBBER! 

This activation pays special homage to the location of this eclipse itself. Burnet, Texas is in the heart of hill country, where spending a day on the lake is a way of life. Passing by friends in pontoon boats, soaking in the hot Texas sun, letting your bobber sit on the top of the water, waiting for that line to pull. Gathering up all those feelings and memories, we have leaned into this precious world and are docking up and cast a line for a memorable time.

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‍Make a wish, catch a fish! What kind of fish shticks can I find in this area?‍

Well there’s plenty to enjoy here at Gone Fishing! First off, you can enjoy some Fished Connections at our Fishing Pond, where maybe you sit at the pond next to a cutie pie and say, “Hi there, I think you’re a reel catch!” or maybe, “Hey, wanna drop me a line sometime? Here’s my number.” If these lines don’t catch you a real one, then I can’t say we didn’t try!

Outside of the Fished Connections, you certainly can catch some fish…our sweet little magnetic fish of course! Tons of fun varieties that are only found in our Gone Fishing pond, very exclusive catches. We firmly believe in catch and release, so no taking our fishies home (but if you do, we’re not held responsible for the portals that open/the dimensions you go through/the consequences of your chummy actions).

A very tantalizing part of your Gone Fishing experience will be the performances that you’ll encounter in our tiny lakeside town. During the day, we’ll have tons of townsfolk and pop-up surprises to a-lure you while you stroll around, or entertain you as you have a nice sit in the grove. Maybe even a lifeguard or two will float around, ensuring that you’re having fun, but of course following the “rules”! Every which way, you’ll see someone that draws your eye to a new magical part of our mini-town by the docks. 

When night comes around and the crescent moon peeks out over the pond, a special performance will begin for your mature maritime merriment. Docked at our specially designed stage, we will host a neo-burlesque variety show, akin to our Bedtime Stories programming that we host at our Santa Fe and Denver exhibitions. It will include a variety of percolating performances including neo-burlesque, puppetry, dancing, and more– so make sure to float on by with your friends and enjoy a little sizzle in your evening plans.

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‍Who’s gonna be there?‍

So many reel-y cool people and fishy friends! Not only will there be an incredible lineup of musical acts across six stages at the festival itself, we have our own celebrities that will grace us with their presence at Gone Fishing. One of these star fishes in our world is our psychic catfish, who welcomes all to our fishing hole. Make sure to see them and say hi, have them give your hand a nibble, and maybe learn a thing or two– like where you left your keys, or what hardness of toothbrush you will use in the future, the really important things in life!

Like we mentioned before with our fished connections, you could maybe even meet your new sweetie here. If no one’s picking up your line, you can get a fresh-from-the-lake fish pic so your dating profile stands out from the rest! Wait, people already do that? Well…our fish are the coolest this side of the bluebonnets, so those potential suitors won’t know what’s what with your special catch!

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‍What else can I expect at the Texas Eclipse Festival?‍

Outside of some fun with your chums in our Gone Fishing world, the Texas Eclipse Festival itself is a massive event. This celestial convergence will bring together people from all over the world, and feature the most energetic electronic acts as well as key players in the art, space, technology, mindfulness, and movement worlds (woah!). There are dedicated spaces across the festival grounds for each of these facets, and there will not only be performances, but also speaking engagements and other interactive ways to take part in these diverse areas of the festival. 

The pièce de résistance of the 5-day event will be the eclipse viewing itself on Monday, April 8th. There will be a special eclipse viewing area on the festival grounds, and you can experience over 4 minutes of totality– meaning that big ol’ sun will be covered by the moon. Another total eclipse like this won’t happen in the United States again until 2044, so time to soak in that obstructed sunlight, my friends. Don’t forget to bring your special, limited edition, very cool, and very safe eclipse viewing glasses, but if you do forget, there will be limited quantities on-site for festival goers. 

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‍What’s that “Meow Wolf Presents” thing? What’s that about?‍

Meow Wolf Presents is a long-awaited name for something Meow Wolf has done for quite a while now. Meow Wolf has created or taken part in many special events outside of our exhibition walls for years. “Meow Wolf Presents” is now just an official yet totes chill name for all of these activations and really cool partyz we create in this way. If you’re thinking, what the heck kinda parties are you talking about, let us refresh your mems…

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Vortex has been a Meow Wolf-created and -curated festival for many years. First originating in Taos, New Mexico and now most recently in Denver, Colorado, this festival combines the imaginative and expansive world of Meow Wolf with top-tier musicians for a 3-day weekend of merriment and joy. In addition, Meow Wolf Presents has also hosted events like Dark Palace, a deeper, more mysterious rave with the same unique and curative touch.

A more recent kindred spirit to this Gone Fishing experience would be our Party in the SubOrbs, hosted at Life is Beautiful in 2023. In the wild and wonderful grounds of Las Vegas, we created a tiny town with a lot of love, intrigue, dancing, and silliness. Multitudes of inhabitants and loads of art made the SubOrbs come to life. It was a place where you could hang out with your friends, catch a bev in Bevvy Meadows, and maybe win a special prize in Bingo! That same exciting energy is being channeled into this new world of fishing at Texas Eclipse. 

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All that to say, it’s going to be a special one down in Texas in early April. We’re bringing fun, silliness, maritime amusement, and more to our little lakeside town in the heart of the Texas Eclipse Festival. Bring your tackle box and get ready to hop aboard, as you enter Meow Wolf Presents Gone Fishing. Let the glow of our neighborhood invite you to stay a while, make a fished connection, and float your worries away. And don’t forget to enjoy some bass music while you’re bass fishin’.

‍Fin.