Festivals

Looking for the latest lineup, date, ticket information or latest news about your favourite festivals, look no further.  Summer Festival Guide’s Festival News section covers all your needs!

Solomun & Maceo Plex, Âme & Dixon Play Mexican Jungle in Tulum for New Year

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Project Sound have been creating special, high quality events at the Riviera Maya for more than 12 years. Now they do so again with a trio of events and world class sounds from Solomon, Maceo Plex, Ame, Dixon and a New Year’s Eve line-up to be announced.
They are always respectful of the magic of the Mayan land and put together tasteful line ups in unreal locations, always with a focus on world class sound and production. This year, they once again invite more of the world’s best artists to a truly special location… deep in the mystic jungle of Tulum, Mexico at their specially built new club, Templo Xunanha.
On January 5th, it’s the turn of Solomun and his world-renowned +1 concept, which makes the trip over from its home in Ibiza and will see the Diynamic label founder play with Maceo Plex, the space techno pioneer behind the Ellum Audio label, all amongst the incredible nature of the jungle. 
Then, on January 6th, masters of deep house emotions and Innervisions founders Âme and Dixon will play back-to-back for an extended all night set that will find them go into every corner of their record bags to serve up a truly enchanting set. 
These parties are set to be historic nights in the heart of the Mexican jungle that will be talked about for years to come.

NuriaFest Announces Tiga, wAFF, M.A.N.D.Y., Satori live and Serge Devant For Festival on Island Paradise

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NuriaFest invites Audiofly, Steve Lawler, Tiga, wAFF, M.A.N.D.Y., Satori live and Serge Devant play on November 22-23 in Abu Dhabi

This will be an immersive and dream-like island experience like no other. It is where reinvigoration, music culture and relaxation seamlessly intersect as you dance on flawless white sand beaches and soak in translucent azure waters under a golden island sun. Ignite your sense of adventure, this is not déjà vu; this is something you’ve never seen or felt before.

A short 15-minute boat ride off the shores of Abu Dhabi, you will discover Zaya Nurai Island. A piece of paradise like nowhere else, it offers 52 private villas, a world-class oceanside spa, five fine and casual food and beverage experiences, one-of-a-kind beach club, and a calendar of exceptional activities on land and sea. There are three ways to get to this magical island – by boat, helicopter or seaplane. Shuttle boats will be departing from the welcome center to the island and back throughout the entire festival time – inclusive of the pass.

Says Zaya Nurai Island General Manager, Adib Moukheiber, “Our goal is to create memorable island experiences like no other in the UAE. Zaya Nurai Island will play host to one of the most unique music festivals to ever take place in the region and beyond.”

The soundtrack comes from some of house and tech’s most celebrated names, with Warriors legend Steve Lawler fresh from another huge summer season on the White Isle, fellow Ibiza kingpins and Flying Circus duo Audiofly and Get Physical’s titanic M.A.N.D.Y. all bringing multiple house styles. Turbo Recordings head honcho and Canadian underground star Tiga always cooks up thrilling soundtracks, and a live show from Santori is one of dance music’s most essential experiences right now.  Add in wAFF, one of Desolat and Cocoon’s biggest techno talents, plus a set from Serge Devant and you have an on-point selection of globally-renowned names.

VIP packages including a weekend stay in your own private villa with an infinity pool are also available. For those who would like to stay on Saadiyat / Abu Dhabi mainland, NuraiFest is offering a number of special deals with other hotels. Offers are available on www.nuraifest.com

NuraiFest is capping ticket sales to ensure exclusivity. If you want to guarantee a spot, we recommend you to buy your tickets as early as possible to avail the early bird price advantage.

SXM Festival Returns in 2020 With DJ Tennis, Ricardo Villalobos, Enzo Siragusa, Blond:Ish, Loco Dice, Cassy, Sonja Moonear and More

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SXM Festival has revealed who will headline from March 11-15 2020 on the Caribbean Island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten.

In line with SXM Festival’s wide reaching curation, the deeper side of the Burning Man influenced house and techno scene will find its place once again on the beaches of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten. Bedouin will bring their mystic sonics to the event following a massive season for their Saga party in Ibiza. Blond:ish will return to the event following a Happy Bay triumph in 2019. Phase one also includes Israeli export and SXM favorite Chaim alongside YokoO, Luca Bachetti, Holmar, Sabo, Jan Blomqvist, Parallells, Sainte Vie and more.

The heights of the European underground will be on full display at SXM Festival, represented by the likes of the inimitable Ricardo Villalobos, Music On! boss Marco Carola, Panorama Bar resident Cassy and the eclectic sounds of Sonja Moonear. New SXM favorite Enzo Siragusa will make his return to the festival while fashion-forward tech house master Loco Dice is welcomed for his first session on the island. 
The international showcase continues with the likes of Crosstown Rebels mainstay Serge Devant, Lebanon’s Rony Seikaly, UK shapeshifter wAFF, and ambitious Berliner, Britta Arnold. 

The means by which these performances are spread across five days of peaks and valleys remains the true magic of the SXM Festival experience. Each set is thought of as part of an emotional odyssey taking travelers on a rhythmic journey through the natural beauty of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten. Attendees may find themselves dancing on the idyllic shores of Happy Bay at sunset, partying at a premiere nightclub until dawn, then being swept away for a Boat Party at or a popup sunrise soirée looking over the Caribbean. The ebb and flow of the event is what retains its uniqueness, with each bespoke performance just a quick trip away from luxury villas and world-class hotels in which to rest for the day ahead. Each aspect of the programming aims to build towards its infamous emotional crescendos like the exclusive clifftop Villa Party and peak time at Happy Bay. 

Since the devastating impact on the island by a series of 2017 hurricanes, SXM Festival has furthered its connection with the island and its dedication to the needs of the local community. In 2018, the festival created the Two Bunch Palms and Les Amis du SXM Festival Foundations with the immediate mission to raise funds to help those affected by Hurricane IRMA and as a future vessel to give back to causes important to the development and health of the island. The 2019 festival saw fans and artists join forces with both local governments to rebuild recreation areas, cleanup the island’s renowned beaches, and raise money for the year-round betterment of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten. 

Tickets On Sale Now:

Debut Lisbon Festival LXM Announces Full Line-up

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Lisbon’s game-changing techno crew LX Music have announced the final line-up for their biggest ever event, LXM Festival, at Parque das Nações from December 13-15th, 2019.

Day 1 will be headlined by a show from the previously announced headliner Boris Brejcha as part of his latest album tour, with Ann Clue, Deniz Bul, Theydream, Der Dritte Raum (live), Wehbba, Alex Stein and Midinoize also playing.

Day 2, Saturday 14th, is when techno legend Paul Kalkbrenner, moody acid man Recondite and 50 Weapons star Benjamin Damage all play live, while house innovator Art Department DJs with the likes of I Hate Models and more.

Day 3 is when Berghain residents Ben Klock, RØDHÅD and Marcel Dettmann headline with a special closing show from Dax J plus Paula Temple, a live show from Answer Code Request and more.

The venue is a vast space on the Tagus River with striking design and stunning views.

LXM Festival
December 13-15th, 2019
Parque das Nações, Lisbon
https://lxmfestival.com/pt_PT/

Photo Gallery: Moga Festival 2019

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Moga Festival is a stunning event in many ways – the food, the music, the local customs and traditions and talented artists, as well as the beautiful setting. 
Essaouira in Morocco is crazy-historic and has been used as The Red City in Game of Thrones. Palm trees and lush sunsets, beautiful sand beaches and old stone buildings ooze real atmosphere and the hot sun makes it a real desert escape. 
Music plays out on four different stages, there are 6500 people in all from many different countries and top sets from the likes of Behrouz, and Praslea, and many more all make it hugely memorable. 
The crowd is friendly and in the know and help make this a truly absorbing experience. 
We were there and here are some of the best photos. 
Photos by Oli Riley Photography, Juliet Airs and Momo Filali

BLOODSTOCK announce final main stage headliners for 2020

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If you tuned into Planet Rock Radio this morning, you’ll have been amongst the first to hear BLOODSTOCK’s hotly anticipated news, revealing the final two Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners for 2020’s event. DEVIN TOWNSEND was announced as Friday night’s headliner last month. Without further ado…

 

Metal legends JUDAS PRIEST will headline Sunday night. In a year when BLOODSTOCK celebrates 20 years, we can think of no better place to also celebrate JUDAS PRIEST’s 50 Heavy Metal Years!  The Grammy Award-winning British icons were recently nominated again for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and to date have sold over 50 million albums. Their latest release, 2018’s ‘Firepower’, saw the band return all guns blazing, earning the accolade Best British Album at the Planet Rock Awards. JUDAS PRIEST enthuse, “Horns up BLOODSTOCK – the PRIEST is back to headline the 20th year of BLOODSTOCK with our 50 Heavy Metal Years anniversary show!! A double barrel, once in a lifetime, blast of metal mania 2020….!!”  You can watch a special message from the inimitable Rob Halford at: https://youtu.be/2VJIsrJf_Mc.

 

The mighty BEHEMOTH are set to headline Saturday in a UK festival exclusive for 2020. Having wowed fans across the globe with their phenomenal set on both Slayer’s final US tour and Slipknot’s current Knotfest Roadshow, the Polish metal heavyweights will be upping the stakes by bringing their biggest and best production to date.  Don’t miss the spectacle of them closing out the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Saturday night! Charismatic frontman Nergal tells us, “BLOODSTOCK! The hallowed lands of Catton Park will once again host our Fiendish Festivities. This is BEHEMOTH’s first UK festival headline and that will be celebrated in the only way we know how; Hell will be raised, blood will be shed, and magick will descend! We shall see you there Legions!”  Hear it straight from BEHEMOTH themselves at: https://youtu.be/oe_1eQyZpXY.

 

BLOODSTOCK will be headlined on Friday by DEVIN TOWNSEND and also welcomes PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, SKINDRED, PARADISE LOST, LIFE OF AGONY, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DIAMOND HEAD, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SACRED REICH, GLORYHAMMER, DARK TRANQUILITY, and BUTCHER BABIES so far. Many more bands performing over the weekend will be announced in due course.

10 of the Best Photos from Dockyard Festival

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Dockyard x Mystic Garden is one of the most exciting and invigorating parties of the ADE meet up each year.

It pairs off industrial vibes with fairytale and dream like production, a world class crowd who know their music and love to dance and also this year showcased some cool new names that had been talent picked all year long.

Surgeon and Lady Starlight live was a real highlight, while Radio Salve laid down some heavy techno, Maxtrixxmann and Ellen Allien went back to back with a dark and twisted set of techno and disco, Eats everything layered up the bumping bass, Latumn and Joey Daniel were some new school talents who impressed, techno from Oscar Mulero and Paco Osuna and many more also made this a standout year.

These are 10 photos that really show you what an essential event this is.

Kaos Garden is the First Immersive Experience of Elrow Art

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Following its US debut in Miami at Art Basel on December 6, elrow’art’s Kaos Garden will make its New York debut on three stages at Avant Gardner on December 14.

Famed Multidisciplinary artist Okuda San Miguel and Renowned Producer/ DJ Paco Osuna will represent, through avant-garde art and electronic music, their particular vision of ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’ in an experience where the audience will be part of a great piece of interactive art.

elrow and Paco Osuna have curated a very special musical lineup featuring the trendiest DJS from around the globe: Lee Foss, Eats Everything, Latmun, and Jacky plus B2B sets from Jean Pierre and Jesse Collaso, and Charles Meyer and Joe Pompeo, as well as elrow residents Bastian Bux and De La Swing. Lee Foss’s Repopulate Mars crew will take over King’s Hall with its out-of-this-world vibe. The event continues elrow’s celebrated New York residency and provides New Yorkers a one of a kind experience unlike any they’ve had before.

For the first time, elrow’art takes over three stages at Avant Gardner, The Great Hall, Lost Circus, and elrow partners with Repopulate Mars for Kings Hall takeover

elrow Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elrowofficial/
elrow Twitter: https://twitter.com/elrow_
elrow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elrowofficial/

Matthias Tanzmann Returns with New Album Round and Round

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Round and Round comes three years after Momentum, Tanzmann’s last album and one that provided a snapshot of the deeper sounds he was enjoying at the time. This third full length is a more widescreen overview of his entire career and will be released one track at a time over the course of a few weeks and months.

The album was all written in the last year, but reflects every facet of the artist’s sound, so unfolds something like a career-long musical diary: from the collaboration with long-time friend and Poker Flat chief Steve Bug, which harks back to the early days of deep house, via newer connections and modern techno with Rebuke, tracks with old companions like Mathias Kaden, and on to new creative links with contemporary stars like Mihalis Safras and Black Circle.

This is an autobiographical album informed by another busy year of gigs at major festivals around the world, his famous Circoloco residency at DC10 and further Ibiza gigs everywhere from ANTS to Elrow to Music On. September also saw the release of the Better Lost Than Stupid album Wild Slide, a collaborative work with pals Davide Squillace and Martin Buttrich that shows that decades after first starting out, Tanzmann is still very much at the forefront of the global underground scene.

Moon Harbour Shop: moonharbourshop.com

BLOODSTOCK reveal four more for Ronnie James Dio main stage

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As Halloween approaches and Autumn rolls in, BLOODSTOCK is delighted to reveal four more amazing bands joining the heavy metal shenanigans in Catton Park next August as well as details of this year’s Rock Society memberships.

PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS will be bringing their much lauded ‘A Vulgar Display of Pantera’ set to the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Friday. Bound to be one of the ‘Do Not Miss’ sets of the weekend, performing a slew of Pantera classics, we suggest you grab your mates and get down the front early.  For a taste of what’s to come, check out this clip of a similar set earlier this year, in Brooklyn, NY’s famous St Vitus bar – https://youtu.be/Mx2VIEGeWRQ.

On Saturday, PARADISE LOST fans are in for a treat, as the gothic-doom overlords will be performing their much loved fifth album ‘Draconian Times’ in full!  Released in 1995, it spawned singles ‘The Last Time’ (https://youtu.be/uuh-Ui_ZKTk) and ‘Forever Failure’ (https://youtu.be/gVgIW_pBcdI).  Now signed to Nuclear Blast, the band unveiled their fifteenth studio album, ‘Medusa’ in 2017 and hit the studio at the end of October to record the follow up.

BLOODSTOCK is pleased to share that LIFE OF AGONY will be joining us on the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Sunday. New album ‘The Sound Of Scars’, released by Napalm Records just 11 days ago, serves as a sequel to their seminal 1993 debut ‘River Runs Red’. Watch the video for new song ‘Scars’ at https://youtu.be/Z0hyh0yTdaU.

When legends like Metallica and Megadeth cite them as an influence, you know they’ve earned their spot.  DIAMOND HEAD pick up a slot on Sunday’s main stage bill and will show exactly why they’re considered one of the leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Formed back in 1976, but still creating new music, their latest album ‘The Coffin Train’ dropped in May. Get into the title track at: https://youtu.be/YFsC6M7x32g.

Finally, BLOODSTOCK’s Rock Society memberships go on general sale at 9am on Thursday 31st October.  The Rock Society is effectively BLOODSTOCK’s ‘Members Club’, offering not only a 10% discount on your weekend ticket (on top of the early bird discount when you purchase the ‘Rock Society membership + ticket bundle’ option), but all sorts of other cool benefits like priority signing tent access, access to the VIP Serpents Lair bar, special tours of the backstage & production areas seeing ‘behind the scenes’, a Rock Society laminate, a dedicated hangout area in the Rock Society tent on site and plenty more besides.  Full details can be found at http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/pages/rock-society.  Memberships are limited to just 300 and sell out almost immediately.  Priced at £75, memberships are available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, so be ready in the ticket store at 9am on Halloween if you want to join this exclusive club!

BLOODSTOCK will be headlined on Friday by DEVIN TOWNSEND and is also set to welcome SKINDRED, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, JINJER, VIO-LENCE, SACRED REICH, GLORYHAMMER, DARK TRANQUILITY, and BUTCHER BABIES so far.  BLOODSTOCK’s remaining two headline acts and many more bands performing over the weekend will be announced in due course.