After three days of mind-blowing music, art and adventure in the hinterlands of Monroe County, the Elements Music & Arts Festival came to a close earlier this month with many positive reviews but with a number of arrests, too.

After reports of much drug-dealing during the four-day festival in 2022, despite their prohibition by event organizers, Pocono Regional Police said they were ready to respond to drug-dealing complaints and overdoses at the festival at Pocono International Raceway in Tunkhannock Township.

Just as is the case with other large-scale festivals of this nature, drug dealers from nearby and distant states set up shop to service the users who want to tune in and drop out for about 90 hours. In conjunction with festival security, the local police force arrested nine alleged drug dealers, who were peddling everything from Fentanyl to crack LSD, also including mollies, psychedelic mushrooms, cocaine, Ketamine, ecstasy and many more, according to Pocono Regional Police Chief Chris Wagner. Two of them faced other drug-related charges after their temporary residences on the festival grounds were searched.

“I mean, they’re all kinds of substances we haven’t even identified,” said Wagner, who added that many of the dealers go from show to show and state to state. Those arrested were from Florida, New York state, New Hampshire, Virginia and from Wilkes-Barre, Media and Morrisville in Pennsylvania, police said.

After a disastrous festival in 2021 in Wayne County, the Elements Music Festival was moved last year to the raceway where it attracted about 7,000 people. This year, festival organizers said the attendance was comparable, in the 7,000 to 8,000 range.

Among this year’s headline performers were Chris Lake, Ganja White Knight, Gorgon City, Lane 8, Rezz, Disc Jockey Skrillex, STS9 and Subtronics. (Don’t feel left out if you never heard of any of these performers, because I haven’t either.)

The festival received rave reviews from The Nocturnal Times, which said the festival’s charm lies in its “perfect fusion of intimacy, art and nature. The 2023 edition exceeded expectations for each of these factors, giving guests a taste of what the ideal boutique festival can look like.”

The festival is built around the elements of Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Music complements each of the elements, which are presented in dramatic fashion with pyrotechnics and sets that illustrate each vividly.

The event began as a one-day event in 2013, then became a multi-day event by 2017. The venue was completely powered by an on-site solar farm, according to the organizers. Main stage programming ran from noon until 2 a.m. each day.

The loud music, especially late into the night and early morning hours, brought many complaints from nearby township residents whom police directed to their local township supervisors, who had issued the permit for the event.

“Nestled within the woods, Elements Festival stays true to its roots,” said The Nocturnal Times review. “The lush foliage and tranquil ambience of the sacred Poconos provide a refreshing escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.”

The reviewer remarked that the festival grounds were small enough to foster a “close-knit, intimate vibe, yet large enough to encapsulate the natural beauty of the Poconos.”

It’s likely the festival will return next summer, which for township residents is a mix of good news-bad news. It’s an economic boom for a few days, along with quality of life issues for nearby residents, who have to put up with the noise and other fallout from a festival that attracts thousands of young people. Woodstock, it’s not, but it still comes with the same types of pros and cons.

By BRUCE FRASSINELLI|tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.