Chillits is an exclusive annual ambient music festival held every September from 1999 through 2009 at a private retreat center near Willits, California, USA and at an alternate location starting in 2010. There is one main sound stage, with music playing almost continuously through the weekend by many DJs and, occasionally, live musicians. Attendance is limited to a few hundred people. It was started by the Cloud Factory community, then expanded and took on a unique character.
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Most of the DJs and live musicians who play at Chillits could be considered amateur, in the sense that they do not attempt to make a living from playing music but instead donate their time and services. Some are San Francisco Bay Area technology luminaries, such as Brian Behlendorf. Starting with the 2000 gathering, many of the sets have been recorded and made available for free online (see links below).
In 2003, Mixmaster Morris performed at the event, and subsequently mentioned the campout in a BBC documentary later that same year .[1] Following Morris's visit, additional recognition was garnered amongst the Internet community, resulting in the listing of music sets from Chillits on Boing Boing [2] [3] .[4] Other notable visiting acts include Black Sifichi, Lena, Robert Leiner, Gamelan Anak Swarasanti ,[5] Safety Scissors, Wobbly, Quiet American, Jonah Sharp, Randy Jones and Balearic Mike.
Due to the size of the venue, attendance at Chillits has always been extremely limited. The information sheet distributed with tickets says "Every year, the Chillits organizers agonize for months over how to distribute tickets so that everyone who wants to can attend. And every year, some good folks miss out. It's an obvious quandary: if we sold thousands of tickets then everyone could go, but we'd quickly lose the comfortable, laid-back vibe that makes Chillits so popular."
Ticket distribution is largely based on participation: collective members and others who involve themselves in the responsibilities and tasks made necessary by the planning and execution of the event are awarded the right to buy a pair of tickets. Basically, if you work it, you can attend. This work includes but is not limited to set-up and clean-up shifts, meal shifts, DJ/performance slots, door and parking shifts, equipment responsibilities, coordinator shifts, etc. There is a lottery system designed such that anyone who wants to attend may put their name in for a chance to get tickets, as well as a mailing list that facilitates the buying and selling of unneeded tickets, between private parties, right up until the event begins. There is obvious difficulty in trying to please everyone all the time, but over the years much effort has been expended toward pleasing as many people as possible. Few similar events have been created, despite the availability of this and other similar venues across the land, despite the obvious demand.