Whenever you hear stories about Meadows in the Mountains, it sounds like a work of fiction - a utopian haven spread across a lush green landscape, nestled into the very heart of an idyllic mountain range. Meadows is a dreamscape wished into reality - 3 days of music, art and culture in the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria, a stone’s throw from the Greek border.

Touching down in Bulgaria's capital city in the early hours of Thursday morning, the bar was quickly set for the tone of the festival; our transfer arrived and opened its doors to reveal a mobile mini-party spreading across the back half of the coach.

We travelled for four and a half hours, stopping only once to load up on supplies and ridiculously cheap alcohol, to the quaint village of Polkovnik Serafimovo - home to only a couple of hundred people dotted across the mountainside.

We parked our tent next to a DIY gazebo hung between two trees, lined with fairy lights and equipped with hammocks, finding ourselves feeling under-packed. After only a few hours sleep, we were awoken by the blazing heat of the Bulgarian sun to a campsite full of buzz and energy, circles of people quickly grew and formed friendships, old friends from previous years were reunited.

With only about 4,000 people in attendence, Meadows showed that a six-figure footfall is not the only way to make a party. The smaller crowd fostered an intimacy that larger festivals could never. 

The spirit of the crowd was welcoming and all-encompassing. It wouldn’t be irresponsible to say there was an air of Woodstock ‘66 about the festival; happy-go-lucky bands of folk laughed and danced barefoot against backdrops of untouched nature, carefree pleasure-seekers rejoicing together in the wilderness.

The campsite lay at the foot of the festival entrance, a few monstrously high steps built from the land led up into bustling centre of Meadows in The Mountains.

Inside the festival site itself was an arena intricately weaved into the natural environment, everything wooden and hand-built - all debt to the earth paid back via sustainable resourcing and a no plastic policy.

Positioned in the center of this arena and flanked by a craft beer bar and 2-storey viewing platform was the main stage, boasting a constant and eclectic roster offering everything from techno to world music. If this is the beating heart of Meadows, the flow of vibrant, glitter-clad revellers were the lifeblood. Some gave impressive performances of their own alongside the artists, hula-hoops and shaman staffs doubled as props in unabashed, wild dance rountines that were hypnotising in their own right.

One of the highlights of the main stage was Agbeko, an 11-piece band from Manchester playing a jazzy blend of Afro-Rock-Funk-Psych. Their Saturday night performance had the entire crowd feverishly moving and shaking in time to a solid collection of contagiously catchy, feel-good tunes. Chock full of energy and an incredible range of instruments to texture the sound, it was the kind of performance that takes you by surprise if you've only head them on record.

Friday night headliners Little Gay Brother also gave a vibrant, daring performance. The glitzy LGBT festival favourites rocked the party like only they know how - and still managed to look fierce as hell despite the mud.

Further in, a gigantic handcrafted dragon head faced out into the basin below and bellowed fire at the clouds every once in a while; a rebellious roar into the abyss that accurately represented the spirit of the festival.

Behind it the Sunrise Stage was perfectly placed atop the mountain, offering a stunning view of the land. It’s also the setting for Meadows’ main attraction: one of the most picturesque sunrises on the planet, birthed between the mountains, slowly climbing above the low-hanging mountain mist. It’s something of a ritual, a magical experience that rewards with not only great views but a deep sense of community. 

Check out Mr Shiver's incredible Saturday sunrise set, taking the party through into the morning before your very eyes: 

It’s a hugely spiritual moment and one of the most unique aspects of the festival. It’s also an excuse to keep the party going all night, dancing away into the following day and losing yourself in the hedy, entrancing atmosphere.

It's fair to say that sleep was definitely not top of anybodys agenda, a couple of hours after sunrise the campsite was abuzz once again. 

The Woods stage, buried deep under a thick canopy of trees (hence the name), was another hightlight. At night this became a psychadelic wonderland, disco balls reflected the coloured lights into the surrounding forest - hundreds of coloured beams scattered throughout, dancing in time with the music.

And as the partying started to take it's toll on the weary feet of the masses, wellbeing and craft workshops in The Dome provided respite from the unrelenting heat and non-stop dancing.

Beyond Meadows itself, but still intimately tied to the festival, lies the surrounding village. Some locals offered up their houses as accommodation for festival-goers, some turned their houses into eateries and some created ad-hoc stalls stocked with alcohol, snacks and fruit.

The villagers are an intrinsic part of the experience and have a symbiotic relationship with the festival, one that boosts the local economy but also supports the party-goers and festival itself. We even learned some Bulgarian phrases along the way, despite our clumsy pronunciation it was a gesture received well by the villagers - using their own language as a sign of respect and appreciation for all they willingly offer to Meadows in the Mountains.

It's an experience we're not likely to forget, no other festival offers such a marriage of two worlds. And the views - well, forget about it, you simply can't find them anywhere else. Meadows in the Mountains offers the kind of intimate, holistic environment that more commercial efforts like Burning Man only wish they could be. The intimacy and relatively small size of Meadows a big contributor to the inclusive feel of the festival, we left feeling as if we knew almost everyone and had been absorbed into a vibrant international community.

It's definitely one for the worldies, so if that sounds like you then keep your eyes peeled for Meadows 2019 - with such limited availability you better believe that it will sell out. Keep tabs via the official Meadows in the Mountains Website.

And with that, there's only one thing left to say. 'Blagodarya' to the festival, to the locals and to the great country of Bulagaria!