Where Geology Meets the Metaphysical: Inside the Crystal Festival’s Success

Adrienne McElwain's journey with the Crystal Festival began in 2007 at her father’s rock shop in Salt Lake City. Fast forward twelve years, and she was on the hunt for a new venue, eventually discovering the Davis Conference Center—right as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Undeterred by the challenges, Adrienne worked closely with health officials and successfully launched the first large-scale Crystal Festival event in August 2020, defying the odds and setting the stage for something extraordinary.

A Different School of Mines
The Crystal Festival isn't just another event; it’s a celebration of Adrienne’s lifelong passion. Growing up surrounded by geologists, mineralogists, and chemists, Adrienne was steeped in the scientific wonders of rocks, minerals, and fossils from a young age, and her time spent in old mines and exclusive geological sites ignited a passion not only for collecting but also for teaching. Determined to pass on her enthusiasm, Adrienne started teaching geology when she was only 15 and has been unstoppable ever since. She continued her educational mission online during the COVID pandemic, offering free content and creating a geology curriculum using food to engage young minds. At the Crystal Festival, her love for education shines through in geology classes, captivating displays, kids' activities, and exciting rockhounding trips—everything designed to spark curiosity in the next generation. This commitment to education is why the Festival has always been free.

While Adrienne’s upbringing was deeply rooted in the scientific side of geology, her friends gravitated toward the metaphysical. She noticed that most shows focused on either science or metaphysics, seldom blending the two. Adrienne envisioned a space where both worlds could coexist, and Crystal Festival was born from that vision. Here, mineral collectors mingle with palm readers, and paleontologists share space with crystal grid artists. This unique fusion creates an environment where you can find rare minerals and get your palm read all in one place. It’s a fun, inclusive space for everyone who shares a love for rocks and minerals.

Global Adventures in Geology: Exploring the World and Sharing the Journey
Adrienne’s passion for geology has taken her to all seven continents and over thirty countries, where she’s collected rocks, filmed educational videos, and forged lasting connections to bring back unique and hard-to-find treasures. In 2021, her best friend, now partner, who holds a degree in photojournalism, joined her global adventures, and together, they launched a YouTube channel to share their experiences with the world.

Their videos have featured explorations in Brazil, Argentina, Antarctica, Egypt, and Australia, with plans to visit Madagascar, Morocco, Italy, and Mongolia in the next two years. Their mission extends beyond collecting; they aim to build communities within the rock world, educate others, and showcase the entire process—from mining minerals to processing them—along with the laws surrounding imports and exports.

Not Just Another Rock Show

The Crystal Festival is a one-stop shop for everything related to rocks, minerals, fossils, gems, and crystals. The event features an incredible variety of vendors specializing in Chinese, Mexican, and Moroccan minerals, local rock shops, clubs, cabochons, crystal healing, slabs, fossils, crystal grids, polished stones, handmade jewelry, stone art, beads, and educational supplies. You’ll even find unique items like crystal crowns, tarot cards, and high-end tourmaline specimens.

A highlight of the festival is the “This Old Rock Roadshow” corner, where you can have your rocks identified, share their story with experts, and learn more about them. Kids are also in for a treat, with activities like create-a-pet-rock stations, geology walks, scavenger hunts, gold panning, fossil digs, and fill-a-bag tumbled stone stations. The Festival also features miners who bring in materials from notable locations such as The Humming Bird Mine in Mesa County, Colo., Mageno Cabochons Turquoise Mine in Provo, Utah, and Jeremy Fuller’s mines in Utah, harkening back to Adrienne’s childhood experiences. Attendees can also sign up for rockhounding trips and guided tours around the western United States and meet authors like Rick Dalrymple, who wrote Utah’s Gems and Rock On Utah, and Russell Hartill, who are on-site to answer questions and sign books.

Currently, the Crystal Festival hosts twelve shows a year. They’re in Layton, Sandy, Vernal, Roosevelt, Mount Pleasant, Moab, and Hurricane in Utah; Las Vegas and Reno in Nevada; and Colorado Springs and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.