The organizers one of the most celebrated festivals in the U.K., Creamfields South, have finally unveiled its 2023 lineup.
Taking place on Bank Holiday Weekend from May 26-28, Creamfields South is slated to take over Hylands Park in Chelmsford, bringing along a jaw-dropping lineup as well as big-time stage debuts that are bound to capture the attention of its global audience.
Creamfields North’s heavy-hitting counterpart made its impressive debut last year, attracting tens of thousands of fans to rave the night away.
Dance music titans Tiësto, Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Calvin Harris are confirmed to perform at this year’s Creamfields South, while CamelPhat, MK, Nina Kraviz, Joel Corry, Jamie Jones and more will also take the decks. Techno icon Carl Cox is billed to deliver a signature “Hybrid Live” set, presenting attendees with sounds from his monumental Electronic Generations album.
Scroll to Continue
Creamfields South 2023 Lineup.
c/o Press
This year’s edition of Creamfields South will mark the debut of the Arc stage, which has acted as Creamfields North’s mighty centerpiece since 2016. One of the world’s largest outdoor stages at 100 meters wide and 15 meters tall, the Arc brings together elite visuals and sound production, and will host Creamfields South’s biggest moments.
Creamfields South 2023 will also mark the debut of RUNWAY presented by SHEIN, which first appeared at the North fest last year. Offering a multi-sensory experience that goes beyond a conventional audiovisual setup, the 20,000-capacity megastructure is the brainchild of creative stage designers Lucid and will provide fans with an unforgettable, 360° experience.
Tomorrowland has turned the page of its next chapter.
Tomorrowland, one of the world’s most influential music festivals, today unveiled its massive 2023 lineup via a poster with more fine print than a car insurance policy. And with over 600 artists, it’s one of the biggest in the festival’s history.
Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Amelie Lens, Above & Beyond, SVDDEN DEATH, Armin van Buuren, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Nina Kraviz and many, many more are set to grace the stages of the Belgian EDM giant in 2023. Other notable DJs set for landmark performances include Dom Dolla, Indira Paganotto, Mariana BO, Anyma, Nora En Pure, NERVO, Robin Schulz and EDM.com Class of 2022 stars ACRAZE and Ray Volpe.
Check out the full Tomorrowland 2023 lineup below. For a full breakdown of the festival’s stages and artists performing each weekend, navigate here.
Tomorrowland’s 2023 lineup features Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Amelie Lens, Above & Beyond, SVDDEN DEATH, Armin van Buuren and many more.
Tomorrowland
Scroll to Continue
For the first time in the festival’s history, Tomorrowland is releasing a fantasy adventure novel to tell the complete origin story of its 2023 theme, “Adscendo.” Organizers are calling it “the key to unlock the 2023 festival experience that has never been encountered before.”
“Adscendo” has big shoes to fill after a historic Tomorrowland in 2022. The festival expanded to an unprecendeted three weekends, selling 600,000 tickets in order to make up for lost time due to the devastating impact of the pandemic. Check out the stunning aftermovie here.
Tomorrowland 2023 will take place across two weekends: July 21-23 and July 28-30. You can purchase passes and find out more here.
Tomorrowland 2023 Dates
• Weekend 1: Friday, July 21 to Sunday, July 23 • Weekend 2: Friday, July 28 to Sunday, July 30
A Greener Festival (AGF), a nonprofit dedicated to improving sustainability of events, tours, venues and more, has revealed the world’s greenest festivals.
According to AGF, its certification process has been developed over 17 years in consultation with thousands of events, event services, suppliers and sustainability experts. The organization accessed dozens of global events in 2022 and honored 42 festivals and events from 12 countries.
Green Gathering, Strawberry Fields, Das Fest, DGTL, Robin Hood Annual Benefit, Platinum Jubilee Pageant, We Love Green and Primavera Sound achieved the AGF Certification for sustainability in 2022. Nine festivals and events received an “outstanding” AGF certification, including Shambala, Cambridge Folk Festival, Øyafestivalen and Paradise City Festival, among others.
British Columbia’s Shambhala was named one of the world’s greenest music festivals.
Don Idio
Scroll to Continue
“After the challenges of Covid and economic instability, we’re so happy that the festival and event sector increasingly fix sustainability at the top of the agenda,” AGF CEO Claire O’Neill said in a statement. “Our need to move away from fossil fuels, industrial animal agriculture, and towards clean energy and mobility, enhanced biodiversity and diversity has never been more stark. We congratulate those who are taking responsibility and action, and stress there is much work still to be done.”
“Not knowing where to begin, AGF has now provided Creative Youth with the guidance, support and tools we need to track and improve our environmental footprint,” added Louise Coles, CEO of the London-based charity Creative Youth. “Their work, and continued involvement, will ensure we become a responsible role model to all the young artists/companies we support through our Festival, creative space and other programmes.”
Ultra Music Festival‘s grand plans are coming together in the Abu Dhabi region with an awe-inspiring lineup to match.
The events powerhouse with homes on all six inhabited continents is going all-in this year, making a splash with the debut Ultra edition in the UAE capital. Touching down in the capital will be an entourage of electronic music greats, including Skrillex, Afrojack, Calvin Harris and ILLENIUM, among others.
Ultra’s plans in the Middle East have been long in-the-making. The storied festival brand was slated to take over Abu Dhabi in early 2020, but with the onset of the pandemic, those plans didn’t come to fruition.
But as they say, good things come to those who wait, and Ultra Abu Dhabi is likely just the start of another prosperous new chapter for the beloved dance music brand. Along with the lineup’s marquee stars, Ultra’s celebrated RESISTANCE series will be arriving in full force in an homage to the electronic scene’s thriving underground.
Scroll to Continue
Tickets to the two-day debut of Ultra Abu Dhabi are on sale now. Check out the festival’s first phase of artists below.
The lineup for the inaugural Ultra Abu Dhabi festival.
The organizers of Detroit’s fabled Movement Electronic Music Festival are gearing up for a big return after revealing 2023’s headliners.
Belgian techno superstar Charlotte de Witte and Underworld will headline Movement 2023, according to Movement’s producers, Paxahau. Teasing the festival’s lineup today, they also confirmed performances by TSHA, Green Velvet and more, including hometown electronic staples Carl Craig, Robert Hood, DJ Minx and Moodymann.
The 2022 Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit.
Jason Myers/Memorandum Media/EDM.com
Red-hot house music producers Dom Dolla and John Summit will perform a B2B DJ set, as will Chicago underground icons Derrick Carter and Mark Farina. Notable first-time performers include DJ Seinfeld, LSDXOXO and TSHA, the latter of whom was named one of EDM.com’s best music producers of 2021.
Scroll to Continue
Movement is scheduled for May 27-29 at Detroit’s Hart Plaza. Three- and one-day passes for both GA and VIP are on sale now.
Check out the first phase of Movement’s 2023 lineup below.
Charlotte de Witte and Underworld will headline the 2023 Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit.
c/o Movement Electronic Music Festival
Movement 2023 Lineup
Caribou Carl Craig Charlotte de Witte Chris Liebing Derrick Carter b2b Mark Farina DJ Minx DJ Seinfeld Dom Dolla b2b John Summit Ela Minus FJAAK Giorgia Angiuli – Live Green Velvet Klangkuenstler LSDXOXO Masters At Work Moodymann Robert Hood – Live SPFDJ Surgeon TSHA Underworld
We Belong Here is set to return to Miami, bringing along a bevy of the dance music scene’s biggest techno and house music artists for a can’t-miss experience at Virginia Key Beach Park.
The 2023 lineup features over 50 artists, including Lane 8, who will perform a three-hour sunset set; Kaskade, who’s primed for a signature “Redux” set; and Giolì & Assia, the surging EDM.com Class of 2021 duo. Other notables dance music artists confirmed for the two-day event include Yotto, Dirty South and James Hype.
Kaskade’s three hour performance is a surefire highlight in a lineup of many.
“The original mission is creating something that’s intimate and feels like a no-frills, all-about-the-music kind of space,” Kaskade told us of his stunning “Redux” sets back in 2019.
The grounds of We Belong Here span three unique stages: the 360 Experience, the Beach Stage and the Lost Village. The venue is located on a sublime island just outside of downtown Miami.
Scroll to Continue
“Sophisticated hospitality, a breathtaking venue, tasteful dance music, and an open door,” reads the event’s website. “That is the formula for this unique party that can only truly be understood once experienced.”
The event will also feature a food experience by Smorgasboard, a Miami staple for foodies, which hosts an open-air food market in Wynwood every weekend. The full food vendor list has not yet been announced.
We Belong Here returns to Miami on February 25th and 26th, 2023. You can purchase tickets and explore options for hotels, villas, yacht charters, VIP experiences and more here.
It’s high tide for Stranger Than, who have announced a must-visit dance party coming to the sandy beaches of Los Angeles.
The leading electronic music events company have revealed the inaugural Stranger Than: Beach Party, which will take over San Pedro’s Cabrillo Beach on March 25th. According to a press release, the shores of Cabrillo Beach comprise a “never-before-used venue” that offers idyllic, unobstructed views of the coast.
Ticket-buyers can expect a “day-into-night oceanfront experience” featuring a rare headlining B2B set from techno and house music superstars Âme and Dixon, who also run the renowned Innervisions record label. Innervisions favorites Trikk and Jimi Jules will support along with Brooklyn-based DJ and producer Tony y Not.
Dixon and Âme.
Innervisions
Scroll to Continue
The concert is one of the only large-scale electronic music events in L.A. to take place on the beach, according to Stranger Than.
Led by founder Tal Ohana, the promoter collective is beloved for its groundbreaking electronic music shows in pie-in-the-sky locations. Stranger Than is also esteemed for their work with Burning Man’s Mayan Warrior community and art car, producing the organization’s first West Coast show off the playa.
Tickets will go on sale January 25th at 12pm PST. You can register for pre-sale access here.
Take a deep dive into the world of techno and underground house music at Terminal V, a two-day festival in Edinburgh.
What started as a humble, one-room warehouse party in 2017 has evolved into Scotland’s largest electronic music event. Thousands of ravers now annually head to Terminal V, which is renowned for top-tier stage design and mind-blowing live production.
The organizers of Terminal V have revealed its 2023 lineup, a massive bill featuring Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens, I Hate Models, Folamour, Alan Fitzpatrick, Jayda G, 999999999 and Boys Noize, among others. Check out the full lineup for the festival, which returns April 8-9, below.
The lineup for Terminal V 2023 features Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens, Boys Noize, I Hate Models, Franky Wah and more.
c/o Terminal V
Fans can expect cutting-edge audiovisual production across six indoor and outdoor stages splayed throughout Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Center and Showground.
Scroll to Continue
Area V, the festival’s biggest stage, is beloved for hosting many of the techno scene’s elite artists year in and year out. In the Hangar, technology and music collide for out-of-this-world visuals that plunge you into a rabbit hole. The Terminal stage offers a huge indoor dancefloor for raw, industrial and dark aesthetics that techno lovers crave.
Meanwhile, the Cargo area offers an intimate setting where DJs spin within arm’s reach. This stage was built with 60 stacked cargo steel shipping containers, which are illuminated with dazzling LED lighting. The Blackbox serves up minimalist energy, taking you back to the industrial warehouse raves of the 90s.
Lastly, the Greenhouse is one of two outdoor stages at Terminal V, providing house music and an airy contrast to the festival’s indoor stages.
Taking place at Buena Vista Lake in Bakersfield, from May 24-29, the fest will host more than 60 artists via this first wave of announcements. Longstanding summertime favorites like Phantogram, Caribou and The Floozies join surging trendsetters like Desiree, Canabliss, Sam Shure and Deer Jade. A host of bass music acts—from Liquid Stranger and LSDream to Moore Kismet and Mersiv—rounds out the expansive bill of music-makers handpicked for the iconic event’s milestone.
Rezz, Diplo, ZHU and The Glitch Mob will headline Lightning in a Bottle 2023, among others.
Lightning in a Bottle
Scroll to Continue
According to event organizer Do LaB, which is also beloved for curating an entire stage at Coachella, attendees will be treated to freshly redesigned Lightning and Woogie stages, as well as a revamped Thunder stage. The 2023 edition will also introduce a new, Wild West-themed stage called Grand Artique.
Passes for the Memorial Day Weekend festival are on sale now and you can also find participant applications for performers, artists, presenters, vendors and more here.
We were on the ground at last year’s stunning fest, which took ravers on a technicolor journey through Chicagoland’s EDM zeitgeist.
Now, North Coast is set to return to the Windy City over Labor Day Weekend, 2023. And after its organizers announced a huge first phase of artists, fans can expect the energy of a tornado this year.
The 2023 edition of North Coast will feature Marshmello, Flume, Zeds Dead, Alison Wonderland, DJ Snake, Duke Dumont, NGHTMRE and Chris Lake, among other headliners. The undercard is also stellar, featuring Valentino Khan, ROSSY, Lab Group, Elohim, Maddy O’Neal and EDM.com Class of 2022 star Wreckno.
Scroll to Continue
You can purchase passes to North Coast 2023 here and check out the full to-date lineup below.
Bonnaroo has revealed the 2023 artists set to hit the farm this summer.
Released just a few hours before Coachella’s lineup, the Bonnaroo bill is massive. Since the festival’s inception in 2002, its organizers have brought an eclectic mix of artists to their farm in Tennessee for one of the nation’s biggest outdoor music events. Whether you enjoy electronic music, jam bands, hip-hop or nu-metal, this year’s lineup will likely have something for you.
Headlining Thursday is a pair of bass music heavyweights, Zeds Dead and Liquid Stranger. Friday will feature hip-hop icon Kendrick Lamar alongside GRiZ, Subtronics, Three 6 Mafia, PEEKABOO, DJ Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal) and a special collaborative set from Boogie T, Dirt Monkey and SubDocta.
Saturday will star ODESZA with help from Lil Nas X, Louis The Child, Korn, STS9, SOFI TUKKER, Big Wild, Elderbrook and more. Closing out the four-day fest is the Dave Grohl-led rock band Foo Fighters as well as Paramore, Alesso, Pixies, Umphrey’s McGee, Franz Ferdinand, MK and Rome in Silver.
Scroll to Continue
It’s also been revealed that Hulu will once again be the home of the festival’s official livestream. The broadcast will be available to all Hulu subscribers for no additional cost and will include behind-the-scenes footage and multiple stage views.
Bonnaroo fans will return to Manchester, Tennessee from June 15-18, 2023. Tickets go on sale Thursday, January 12th at 10am CT. You can learn more about the event and register for early access here.
Check out the lineup for Bonnaroo 2023 below.
The lineup for Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival 2023.
Have you ever gone to a music festival without knowing its lineup?
That’s the case for holders of tickets to the 2023 FriendShip event, a floating festival featuring a “surprise lineup” that won’t be revealed prior to its start.
In fact, attendees won’t discover the lineup or performance schedule until they board the Norwegian Pearl and enter their cabins, according to FriendShip organizer Gary Richards. The festival’s founder, who also DJs and produces electronic music as Destructo, took to social media to reveal the news after hosting a poll.
“The results are in and the majority of you are on board with my dream of finally having a surprise lineup for ship! For those of you who are on the other side of the poll I promise 100% the surprise will be worth it,” announced Richards, who said he’s been working on the surprise lineup for a year.
“Much love and Respect for always supporting me and my crazy ideas,” he added.
Scroll to Continue
The response was largely positive considering the renown of Richards, a seasoned music executive and festival organizer who founded HARD Events prior to the company’s 2012 acquisition by Live Nation. He’s now the President of one of the world’s largest music event producers, LiveStyle, who organizes Electric Zoo and Tomorrowland Brazil, among other major electronic festivals.
On the other side of the coin, however, some chimed in to bemoan the concept of a surprise lineup.
“I wanna know the artists I’m paying to see,” wrote one commenter, with another likening the move to a “bait-and-switch.”
FriendShip is scheduled to kick off on February 27th. The fest will depart from Miami and sail through the Bahamas to the private island of Great Stirrup Cay before returning on March 3rd. You can find out more about the event here.
Insomniac is wasting no time in 2023 after revealing a huge lineup for the 12th edition of Beyond Wonderland.
The Alice In Wonderland-themed EDM spectacular is returning to the NOS Events Center March 24-25. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, January 6th at 12pm and you can purchase them here.
After last year’s wondrous festival, North America’s preeminent electronic music festival promoter has once again set the tone for a massive festival in Southern California. The 2023 Beyond Wonderland lineup features Kaskade, Tiësto, Excision, Rusko, TroyBoi, Flosstradamus, WHIPPED CREAM, Dillon Francis, Cosmic Gate, Borgore and many more.
Fans can also look forward to raving at the five psychedelic stages of Beyond Wonderland: the Queen’s Domain, Mad Hatter’s Castle (by Bassrush), Caterpillar’s Garden (by Lost In Dreams and Insomniac Records), Cheshire Woods (by Basscon and Dreamstate) and The Looking Glass (by Factory 93).
Scroll to Continue
Check out the full lineup for Beyond Wonderland 2023 below.
Beyond Wonderland 2023 Lineup
AC Slater Alan Walker Alok Andrew Bayer Andy C Audien Basscon Bassrush Experience Blanke Borgore Charles D Chris Liebing CID Codeko Cosmic Gate Cristoph Darren Styles David Forbes Deorro Diesel Dillon Francis Discovery Project DJ Adam Auburn DJ Isaac Dreamstate Elephante Eliminate Ellen Allien Excision Factory 93 Experience Felix Da Housecat Ferry Corsten Flosstradamus Fredy Lane FRIENDZONE Giorgia Angiuli Insomniac Records J. Worra John O’Callaghan Joshwa JSTJR Kaivon Kaskade Kreation Lil Texas B2B Must Die! Lost In Dreams Loud Luxury Lucille Croft Mat Zo Matroda Mau P MERAKII Midnight Tyrannosaurus Mr. Brooks NGHTMRE Nicole Moudaber B2B Paco Osuna Nifra Noizu NØLL Nostalgix Pauline Herr Reaper Rebelion REDTAPE Rinaly Riot Ten Robert Hood Rusko Sam Paganini San Holo San Pacho Shei Slushii Sound Rush Space Motion Steller Stephan Bodzin Sub Zero Project SVDDEN DEATH Tiësto Trivecta TroyBoi Truncate TWONSKI Wax Motif WHIPPED CREAM Wilkinson Will Clarke Wuki Yosuf
The return of SoCal’s top NYE electronic music festival will pop off tonight and Saturday, December 31st at San Bernardino’s NOS Events Center. Insomniac Events is gearing up to welcome thousands of guests for this year’s alien-themed fest, “Rize of the Ravebotz.”
Attendees will be able to dance 2022 away with over 80 artist performances on four indoor and outdoor stages, which will feature ZHU, Zedd, Madeon, The Chainsmokers, deadmau5, ATLiens and many more. DJ Snake was slated to headline Saturday night, but Insomniac announced he “won’t be able join us Saturday.” His set is being replaced by a B2B performance from SLANDER and Sullivan King.
Check out the set times for Countdown NYE 2022 below. We’ll update this article with a new graphic sans Snake when it becomes available.
Destination festivals blend travel with music, creating space for magical experiences beyond our comfort zones.
Thanks to a number of ambitious artists and event organizers from around the EDM scene, there are tons of exciting destination festivals to choose from in 2023. Ravers can explore the world, from Malta to Tulum, Mexico, Fiji, Costa Rica and everywhere in between.
Read on to discover five of the year’s best destination music festivals.
Envision is a conscious festival situated in the jungles and beaches of Costa Rica, blending sustainability with music, yoga, education, art and performance. The 2023 lineup features a huge variety of artists, including CloZee, Bonobo, Desert Dwellers and many more from February 27th to March 6th.
Your Paradise
Sub Focus and Netsky perform at Fiji’s Your Paradise music festival.
c/o Your Paradise
Scroll to Continue
Located on the remote Mamanuca Islands of Fiji, Your Paradise is a weeklong festival rooted in dance music, wellness and environmental sustainability. The scintillating 2022 fest included performances by Ben Böhmer, Netsky, Sub Focus and more. Mark your calendars for December 9-15, 2023.
Sundream Baja
RÜFÜS DU SOL perform in San José del Cabo at their curated music festival, Sundream Baja.
Michael Drummond
RÜFÜS DU SOL’s four-day curated festival in San José del Cabo from May 5-9 will feature performances from Monolink, Michael Bibi, Tale of Us and more. A recovery day with holistic wellness activities and art installations will follow three days of music.
TRIIP Festival
FISHER.
c/o Press
Enjoy the “triip” and dive into FISHER‘s world for his first-ever curated festival in Malta from June 2-4. The three-day TRIIP Festival will bring Chris Lake, Nora En Pure, Claptone and more to the Maltese archipelago between Sicily and North Africa.
Day Zero will bring Damian Lazarus, Dennis Cruz, Major Lazer Sound System, Danny Tenaglia and many more to the Tulum jungle in January, 2023. A transformative event that’s recognized worldwide, Day Zero is beloved for top-tier production and breathtaking location.
It might be tough to top last year’s dazzling event, but if there’s any festival organizer to one-up themselves, it’s Lights All Night. The fest, which has long been a staple of Dallas’ NYE celebrations, is gearing up for a huge year.
This year’s festival features a massive lineup from Thursday, December 29th to Friday, the 30th. Fans will be able to catch performances from Excision, Porter Robinson, John Summit, G Jones, Tchami, GRiZ, Kasablanca and more more.
Check out the set times for Lights All Night 2022 below.
Scroll to Continue
Set times and schedule for the 2022 Lights All Night festival in Dallas, Texas.
Thanks to Decadence, the annual NYE ball-drop is a little different in Colorado.
That’s because this electronic music festival rings in the new year properly: by dancing. As far too many people inexplicably squeeze into Times Square like sardines, a tight-knit community of ravers are dancing the night away in Downtown Denver at Decadence.
This year’s festival features a typically massive lineup from Friday, December 30th to Saturday, the 31st. Fans will be able to catch Flume, Porter Robinson, Tiësto, CloZee, GRiZ, Chris Lake, Kaskade, Zeds Dead and more more.
Check out the set times for Decadence NYE 2022 below.
Scroll to Continue
Set times and schedule for the 2022 Decadence NYE festival in Downtown Denver.
As humans, our need for connection is primal. But sometimes we have to travel to the edges of the Earth to find it.
We recently crossed the Pacific for Your Paradise, an idyllic destination music festival on the remote Fijian island of Malolo Lailai, or “The Island of the Resting Sun.” 6,000 miles away from the influencer-infested covens of Los Angeles, we discovered a community as vibrant as the island’s crystalline waters.
Roughly 500 people converged on Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands for the 2022 edition of Your Paradise, the first since the return of live music in the wake of the pandemic. Nestled in a halcyon shoreline, the festival is what happens when daydreams shed their idealistic layers and become reality.
“If you come to Your Paradise once, you’ll come for the rest of your life,” said Harry Duncan, a fan who told us he’d been on his fifth pilgrimage to the fest.
The oceanfront mainstage at the 2022 Your Paradise music festival in Fiji.
c/o Your Paradise
It’s easy to let your mind wander to the hellscape of Fyre Festival, which turned hedonism into a socioeconomic crime. After that dumpster fire, you were a buffoon if you talked about your weeklong plan to jaunt between an oceanfront mainstage, yacht parties and a private bungalow in the middle of a Fiji jungle. But that’s unfair to the organizers of Your Paradise, who now have nine years of experience under their belt—eight more than felon-in-chief Billy McFarland.
Fyre and the destination festivals toiling through its aftershock are not mutually exclusive. And after attending Your Paradise in 2022, one thing became clear: this community doesn’t care for fraud. That’s the beauty of its members, whose priorities lie in shared experiences and collective bonding—not their next Instagram captions.
“Multiple factors come together at Your Paradise to create true connection—the remoteness of the location means everybody leaves home behind and leaves room to build new relationships,” said Ignacio Garcia, Co-Founder and Director of Your Paradise. “The length of the event is key too. Six days on the island allows for relationships to foster and in different ways, you might meet someone on the dancefloor one night and end up doing yoga and having dinner with them a few days later.”
c/o Your Paradise
“As adults, we often struggle to meet likeminded people,” Garcia adds, “and I feel Your Paradise really gives guests the platform to do just that.”
Take, for instance, the festival’s legion of Australian attendees, who only had to fly roughly four hours from the Land Down Under. Partying with these warm, gregarious ravers became commonplace, as did bear-hugs with complete strangers.
If the Aussies’ infectious personalities didn’t pull you in like a magnet to a fridge, it was their unbridled love of drum & bass music. Their energy enveloped us on a giant catamaran, where sun-kissed moshpits rattled the ocean to the sounds of Netsky and Sub Focus.
When you weren’t exploring Malolo Lailai—and trying not to step on one of the island’s millions of tropical frogs—you were partying at sea. Your Paradise’s official programming featured a slew of seafaring parties with performances from major artists.
The most extraordinary of these parties went down at Cloud 9, a dazzling dayclub smack dab in the middle of an oceanic nowheresville. The only way to get to “Fiji’s Floating Paradise” was via boat transfer, and when you disembarked, you stepped foot on a two-level platform surrounded by nothing but turquoise water and breathtaking panoramic views of the archipelago.
Cloud 9, a floating club located on the Roro Reef off Fiji’s Malolo Island.
c/o Your Paradise
Scroll to Continue
There’s nothing in the world quite like Cloud 9, where it took a crowbar to pry the smile from your face. We danced nonstop under the sun. Passion fruit mojitos and Blue Curaçao cocktails were dished out like candy on Halloween. People dove off the roof and into the ocean below. Staff served free Italian wood-fired pizza.
“Skinny people are easy to kidnap. Stay safe, eat pizzas,” reads a sign behind the bar.
If you were lucky enough to catch Ben Böhmer‘s DJ set at Cloud 9, you were at the epicenter of one of the most intimate music festival experiences in the world.
Ben Böhmer performing at Cloud 9.
c/o Your Paradise
Böhmer’s performance was just one example of Your Paradise’s unique infrastructure, which bulldozes the imaginary wall between a festival’s attendees and its headlining artists. On any given morning, you could eat bacon and eggs with Böhmer or soak up some sun with Kito.
Over at the oceanfront mainstage, electronic music superstar Getter hopped on the mic at one point—after burping into it—and invited the crowd to skydive with him the next morning.
“Being a festival of only 600 to 800 people, you’ve got your attendees, artists and festival staff all staying at the same island resort for the week. This intimate setting can create a sense of exclusivity and allow artists to connect with their fans in a more personal way,” said Blake Chapman, a member of Your Paradise’s air and ground transfer logistics team. “Have you ever been walking to dinner and casually bump into Netsky, who stops and wants to have a conversation with you about your day? Or been asked to go skydiving with Getter? Or gone surfing with What So Not at Cloudbreak? All of these things have happened to me at Your Paradise.”
Getter performing at the 2022 Your Paradise music festival in Fiji.
c/o Your Paradise
Chapman says many artists booked to perform at Your Paradise end up asking to come back.
“I believe artists love performing at Your Paradise because it’s like nothing else they can experience anywhere in the world,” he adds. “It’s essentially a working holiday where they can relax on a tropical island and experience the local culture and way of life in Fiji, while also performing and playing their music to quite a diverse and dedicated, intimate audience. Their crowd is really there to see them.”
The music festival and its artists were only part of the story. It was tough not to fall in love with Fijian culture thanks to the island’s charismatic locals, who greeted us with a blissed-out “Bula!” at every turn. Their charm warmed the island just as much as the beating sun.
Your Paradise also recently become an official member of the Mamanuca Environment Society (MES), a nonprofit founded by local businesses to support the environmental protection of Fiji’s west coast. Throughout the week, the festival’s organizers hosted a number of community-based volunteer programs, like tree-planting sessions.
c/o Your Paradise
New Year’s resolutions you never asked for are coming to a TikTok near you, force-fed down your throat like geese for foie gras. Ignore the gym bros trying to sucker you into an Orangetheory membership and instead consider treating yourself to a bucket list trip to Fiji.
You can now register for Your Paradise 2023 and explore packages here.
Holy Ship! Wrecked, the beloved floating electronic music fest, started sailing the seas in 2011, inviting raver pirates from all walks of life to board a cruise ship for an intimate festival experience.
In 2020, the Beats at Sea captains of The Bowery Presents, HARD, Insomniac and Cloud 9 Adventures decided to “wreck” the festival to a permanent location, the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel Mayan Riviera on the shores of Mexico.
The third voyage of Holy Ship! Wrecked ran December 13-17, 2022. EDM.com was onboard and rediscovered why the festival is a national treasure—and what was in its chest this year.
Holy Ship! Wrecked Inclusivity
There are no social boundaries distancing the festival’s headlining DJs from its attendees. On the ship, everyone swabs the decks at daytime pool parties and returns for an intimate yet titanic night.
Fans pose for a photo at the 2022 edition of Holy Ship! Wrecked.
Juliana Bernstein
The “ShipFam”
First-time pirates are inducted into the “ShipFam” community and discover what it means to be a “Shipper.” The intimate four-day festival experience fosters the development of new lifelong bonds and friendships with ravers from across the world.
Fans pose for a photo at the 2022 edition of Holy Ship! Wrecked.
Jason Fenmore
Becoming an “OG Shipper”
Shippers are rewarded in many ways for returning to the Ship and reporting for duty year-over-year.
After four years of attendance, raver pirates are recognized as ‘OG Shippers’ for their dedicated attendance with the gift of custom robes and access to the exclusive ‘OG Party’ on the last night.
Scroll to Continue
After 10 years, Shippers are inducted into ‘Club Ten’ and receive elite perks and benefits.
Fans pose for a photo at the 2022 edition of Holy Ship! Wrecked.
Juliana Bernstein
Being put to work by your favorite DJs
Shippers are invited to participate in numerous activities hosted by DJ captains. This year, those included the “Get Wrecked Games” hosted by Wax Motif and Westend, “World Sumo Wrestling” hosted by Valentino Khan and a “Jungle Catwalk” courtesy of EDM.com Class of 2022 star Wreckno.
The all-inclusive experience
Considering the fest’s daytime pool parties, nighttime dancefloors and all the cruise-related activities in between, the all-inclusive experience at the Hard Rock keeps the ship sailing smoothly.
The bar at the 2022 edition of Holy Ship! Wrecked.
Jason Fenmore
Stages
With a total of six stages and 50 international artists, Shippers are put to work to romp and dance the day away in the ship’s sun-kissed pools and on various decks from sunrise to sunset.
Fans pose for a photo at the 2022 edition of Holy Ship! Wrecked.
Scott Hutchinson
A massive lineup
One of the cornerstones of Holy Ship! is its annual lineups, which typically feature the best and brightest in house music. This year’s huge bill featured Chris Lake, Justin Martin, Maya Jane Coles, Dom Dolla, Louis The Child, Lane 8, Nala and many more.
The 2022 lineup for Holy Ship! Wrecked.
Positive legacy
The altruistic “ShipFam” is dedicated to supporting local communities through the Positive Legacy program. Since 2015, $100,000 has been raised for non-profit organizations in need throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean.
Mezcal El Silencio is teaming up with Cercle Music to curate a one-of-a-kind festival experience in the historic region of Oaxaca.
The mezcal brand is gearing up for its third annual Silencio UMBRA, a one-night-only experience set to once again take over the 16-acre Casa Silencio luxury retreat. Situated amid agave-filled plains in a valley surrounded by the region’s characteristically rugged mountains, the spellbinding fest offers a niche experience that encompasses the best in music and local culture.
On the entertainment front, Cercle, the leading brand in intimate destination events, is rounding up Bonobo, The Martinez Brothers, Carlita, Lee Burridge and more for an unforgettable night of house music from dusk until dawn.
Throughout the magical evening of dancing, the various attractions of Silencio UMBRA are sure to titillate the senses. It’ll feature surrealist theatrical performances from Ritual Ibiza, phantasmic light displays, installations erupting to life from the power of flame and much more.
Scroll to Continue
Casa Silencio may be a relative newcomer to the ancient region, but it’s made a splash in short-order, landing on Conde Nast Traveler’s 2022 Hot List. The location boasts a built-in distillery and is slated to serve award-winning eats onsite, including garnachas, tételas, tamales and more from some of the region’s most celebrated culinary minds.
Guests will enter a world of spirited surrealism as Silencio UMBRA kicks off on February 18th, 2023. Tickets are on sale now.
