WHAT IS GLASTONBURY
(For all you virgin’s out there)
Glastonbury Festival is the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world and a template for all the festivals that have come after it. The difference is that Glastonbury has all the best aspects of being at a Festival in one astonishing bundle. It’s like going to another country, a hip and thrilling Brigadoon that appears every year or so. Coming to Glastonbury involves a fair amount of travel, and probably a queue to get in but, when you get past these impediments, you enter a huge tented city, a mini-state under canvas. British law still applies, but the rules of society are a bit different, a little bit freer. Everyone is here to have a wild time in their own way. The Festival site has distinct socio-geographic regions. The more commercial aspects are around the Pyramid, Other and Dance stages, which feels as if the West End of London on a Saturday night has been removed to a field and thoroughly beautified. Unlike the West End, visitors are on every guest list, from the night time cinemas to the biggest gigs.
But that busy whirl of excitement is not to everyone’s taste. To accomodate the more laid-back reveller, more chilled out areas like the Jazzworld and Acoustic areas are in easy walking distance. If that’s still not the relaxed state a Glasto-goer is after, there’s also family oriented areas like the Kidz Field, the Theatre and Circus fields. And if you’re into the more alternative, less noisy aspects of festival life, you can always head up to the Field of Avalon, the Tipi Field, and the Green Fields. At the top of the site is the Sacred Space – the stone circle is a modern construction, but it has already seen as much celebration and ceremony as some of its forebears. Sun-up on a Sunday morning, with drums and torches and chanting and an astonishing measure of joy from the sleepless revellers at the Stone Circle is a glorious sight to behold.
The Festival takes place in a beautiful location – 900 acres in the Vale of Avalon, an area steeped in symbolism, mythology and religious traditions dating back many hundreds of years. It’s where King Arthur may be buried, where Joseph of Arimathea is said to have walked, where leylines converge. And the site is ENORMOUS – more than a mile and a half across, with a perimeter of about eight and a half miles.
Then there are the people, thousands of them in all their astonishing and splendid diversity! There is only one common characteristic of a Glastonbury-goer – they understand that Glastonbury Festival offers them more opportunity than any other happening to have the best weekend of the year or even of a life-time, and they are determined to have it! You’ll meet all kinds of people, of all ages, backgrounds, nationalities, lifestyles, faiths, concepts of fashion (or lack of it) and musical taste. Some will undoubtedly wear silly hats, or buy shirts that they’ll never wear again… until next year, that is. The overall vibe of the Festival is consistently mellow and friendly, even in the event of rain and all that comes with rain, a field and thousands upon thousands of tramping feet.
There will be moments when you ask yourself the inevitable: “Why can’t life always be like this?” There will be enlightenments, awakenings, surreal happenings, Damascene epiphanies and people doing the strangest things in public. Sometimes the strangest things you’ll see happening have been booked well in advance – but often it will be people spontaneously reacting to the spirit of the Festival. No two people’s Festival experience will be the same unless they’re tied together, in which case they’re probably part of a theatre company.
It’s best not to come to Glastonbury with a head full of preconceptions and a notebook full of plans of what you want to see. If there are one or two particular bands a day you really want to see, then let your day revolve around them and go with the flow. Hurrying between stages so you can tick off a list of things you feel you must see is not the best way to enjoy Glastonbury. If you can’t get a good vantage point, or aren’t enjoying a show, move on; there’ll be something else in the next field that might just change your way of seeing the world! Often, your best memories of the Festival will be of new things that have startled you with their brilliance.
Glastonbury runs like a huge clock – it is the Big Ben of Festivals after all – and it is best not to stay staring at just one of the huge cogs, however many famous spokes it has. Travel round it clockwise and investigate all the workings of the Festival. All those other stages and attractions wouldn’t be there if they weren’t worth taking in – and they are all capable of surprising a visitor.
One last instruction. Whilst at Glastonbury Festival. Forget all instructions. See you down the front.
See listings for full line up.
Glastonbury, Somerset, UK
Wednesday June 23rd-27th
www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
Rewind
You know you want to…
An absolutely beautiful setting for this throwback to the 80s. The eighties were a splendid era. Classic TV shows like The A-Team, Bananaman, Danger Mouse, Jamie And His Magic Torch, Spitting Image, Stoppit and Tidyup, Tiswas, Supergran, Going For Gold, He-Man, Batfink, Chorlton and The Wheelies, Butterflies, To The Manor Born, Button Moon, Worzel Gummage, WIllo The Wisp, Bod, Pipkins, Mr Benn, The Hair Bear Bunch, Fingerbobs, Airwolf, The Flumps and Battlestar Galactica. All classics. Then there were the bands…Madonna, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Wacko Jacko, Haircut 100, Phil Collins, John Mellencamp, Bon Jovi, Metalica, Van Halen, Buggles, The Police, Nik Kershaw, Sheena Easton, Men At Work, Spandau Ballet, Blondie, Diana Ross, The Cure, Paul Abdul, Erasure, Bucks Fizz, Elvis Costello, Lionel Richie, Olivia Newton John, Bananarama ,The Bangles, Dire Straits, Simple Minds, R.E.M., Roxy Music, Bruce Springstein, Duran Duran, Katrina and The Waves, Culture Club, the B52s, Toni Basil, Bryan Adams, Toto, Soft Cell, Robert Palmer, Musical Youth, New Kids on The Block, Dead or Alive, Tiffany, 5 Star and Alexander O’Neal. And oh the sweets we had. Cola bottles, drumstick lollies, flying saucers, rhubarb and custard, white mice, sherbert fountainsd, space dust, wham bars, pear drops, Kola Kubes, gobstoppers, rosy apples, fruit salads, refreshers, love hearts, black jacks, jaw breakers, cherry lips – and don’t even get me started on a Slush Puppy.
You know you were an 80s kid if…
You knew what Willis was “talkin’ ’bout.”
You know the profound meaning of “Wax on, Wax off.”
You can name at least half of the members of the elite “Brat Pack.”
You know that another name for a keyboard is a “Synthesizer.”
You’ll always hold a special place in your heart for “Back to the Future.”
You wanted to be a Goonie (“Goonies never say die.”)
You knew “The Artist” when he was humbly called “Prince.”
You ever wore fluorescent socks or electric blue Jumbo cords….
You know who Max Headroom is.
You had a crush on one of the Coreys (Haim or Feldman).
You actually thought Dirty Dancing was a REALLY good movie.
Partying ‘like it’s 1999’ seemed SO far away.
You remember the days that hooking your computer into your TV wasn’t an expensive option that required gadgets – it was the ONLY WAY to use your computer!
You’ve recently horrified yourself by using any one of the following phrases:
“When I was younger”
“When I was your age”
“You know, back when…”
“What the fuck is this noise on the radio?”
“I just can’t (fill in the blank) like I used to”
You used to hold in your head the thought that all those gold chains on Mr. T actually looked kinda cool and the thought that Mr. T made millions seemed rational to you at the time.
You remember when film critics raved that no movie could ever possibly get better special effects than those in the movie TRON.
You think thirty is not that old after all…
So Rewind – the world’s biggest eighties festival is back with another massive line-up of artists from the ‘coolest decade’, as well as loads of other fun from Karaoke to Kidzone, Funfair to Fireworks and lots more besides. Boy George, Rick Astley, Level 42, The Weather Girls, T’Pau, Kajagoogoo, Heaven 17, Imagination, Curiosity Killed The Cat, Altered Images and Modern Romance ensure Saturday madness whilst Tony Hadley, ABC, Go West, Marc Almond, Bjorn Again, Midge Ure, Kid Kreole, Chesney Hawkes, 10CC, Hazel O’Connor, Johnny Hates Jazz and The Beat round off Sunday. Get your fancy dress on, get down to the river, sort your tents out and let’s get spangled. Remember them?
Rewind, Henley on Thames, UK
Friday August 20th – 22nd
www.rewindfestival.com
SZIGET
‘The DJs favourite’
The biggest party of Europe takes place on August 9th-16th on an island in the River Danube, right in the centre of Budapest, Hungary. Every August thousands from all over Europe head to what has become the biggest summer event of the continent, many site it as the European alternative to Burning Man in America due to it’s unique features like an electronically amplified, warped amusement park. Over 1000 bands and artists perform on 55 stages: pop, rock, metal, hiphop, dance, world music, theatre, performance arts and everything in between.
Why do tens of thousands of people from all over Europe head to the Sziget festival year after year?
The location of the festival in the heart of one of Europe’s most vibrant cities. You can be in the city centre within 15 minutes.
You can leave and enter the festival island as often as you like.
The great weather. During the summer Hungary has the same climate as Spain. Forget about ponchos, take some sun cream instead.
The wide variety of good food and booze for cheap prices (a pint of beer will set you back £1,50, a good meal is only £3).
The international atmosphere of the festival. This is where Eastern Europeans party shoulder to shoulder with people from Western Europe. Only 25% of the visitors come from Hungary itself.
The ability to place your tent wherever you like, wether it’s next to your favourite stage or at the banks of the Danube river.
The variety of activities. Whether you want to learn belly dancing, do some bungee-jumping, learn Hungarian, take a dip in the swimming pool, watch a movie, sing karaoke or just play football, it’s all possible at Sziget. There’s so much going on that sometimes it’s hard not to forget there are bands playing too.
The diversity of the bands and DJ’s that are performing and the number of stages. There is always something going on somewhere on the island, and therefore it never gets too crowded at any given time at any given stage.
The fact it’s on an island and the sheer size of the island. There’s so much to see and do you can’t really see every part of the island in just one week.
The Main Stage. It’s like looking out at a sea of hands. Muse, Kasabian and Iron Maiden already confirmed.
Check listings for up to date line up.
Sziget, Budapest, Hungary
Wednesday August 9th-16th
szigetnews.com
www.szigetfest.co.uk
The Notting Hill Carnival
August 29th/30th, London
Dub, Jerk, Red Stripe, Rizzla and Sunshine.
Held each August Bank Holiday since 1966, the Notting Hill Carnival is the largest festival celebration of its kind in Europe. Every year the streets of West London come alive, with the sounds and smells of Europe’s biggest street festival. Twenty miles of vibrant colourful costumes surround over 40 static sound systems, hundreds of Caribbean food stalls, over 40,000 volunteers and over 1 million Notting Hill carnival revellers.
Starting its life as a local festival set up by the West Indian community of the Notting Hill area, it has now become a full-blooded Caribbean carnival, attracting millions of visitors from all over the globe. With many astonishing floats and the sounds of the traditional steel drum bands, scores of massive sound systems plus not forgetting the hundreds of stalls that line the streets of Notting Hill. The Notting Hill Carnival is arguably London’s most exciting annual event.
The Notting Hill Carnival usually gets under way on the Saturday with the steel band competition. Sunday is Kids’ Day, when the costume prizes are awarded. On Bank Holiday Monday, the main parade takes place. It generally begins on Great Western Road, then winds its way along Chepstow Road, on to Westbourne Grove, and then Ladbroke Grove. In the evening, the floats leave the streets in procession, and people carry continue partying at the many Notting Hill Carnival after parties.
Music is at the heart of Notting Hill Carnival, with traditional and contemporary sounds filling the air for miles around. Historically steel bands, Soca & Calypso Music have been at the basis of Carnival but in recent years these have been overtaken by the static sound systems playing anything from Reggae to R&B, Funk, House and Dub. The live stages feature local bands, top international artists and sounds from around the world – Eddie Grant, Jamiroquai, Wyclef Jean, Courtney Pine and Burning Spear have been among the eclectic line up in previous years.
The Origin of Calypso can be traced back to the arrival of the first enslaved Africans brought to work in the sugar plantations of Trinidad. Forbidden to talk to each other, and robbed of all links to family and home, the enslaved Africans began to sing. They used calypso, which can be traced back to West African Kaiso, as a means of communication and to mock the slave masters. These songs, usually led by one individual called a Griot, helped to unite the slaves. Calypso singing competitions, held annually at Carnival time, grew in popularity after the abolition of slavery by the British in the 1830s. The Griot later became known as the Chantuelle and today as the Calypsonian. Like calypso, Soca was used for both social commentary and risqué humor, though the initial wave of Soca acts eschewed the former. Lord Shorty was disillusioned with the genre by the 1980s because Soca was being used to express relationships and sexual interests. Like all things related to sexual freedom, it became embraced because of its ability to reflect what people were thinking and their desires in a society that was sexually repressed. Soca music became an expression of sexuality through metaphors in the West Indies. Soon after, Shorty moved to the Piparo forest, converted to the Rastafari movement and changed his name to Ras Shorty I. There, he created a fusion of Reggae and gospel music called jamooin the late 1980s.In the 1990s and now the new century. Soca has evolved into a blend of musical styles. Steel Bands: also known as ‘Pan’ will be filling the streets of Notting Hill with their wonderful melodic sounds throughout the Bank Holiday weekend. Steelband came from the ‘Tambu Bamboo’ band from Trinidad in the early 1030s. Trinidadians used to beat the bamboo and sing and by using some creative means, began to create different tones. This led to the use of oil drums and in a short space of time the Steelband was born. Samba is developed from the musical traditions of the enslaved Africans of Brazil. Samba originated in the north of Brazil and was radically developed in Rio at the turn of the century. Over 40 sound systems positioned around the Carnival area provide the perfect setting for DJs spinning anything from Latin jazz, reggae and garage to hip hop and drum ‘n’ bass. The thing about Carnival is you really go with no set plan. Grabbing some food from a sizzling stall, can of beer in hand, bumping into old faces (who funnily enough you only see at Carnival!) and generally just feeling the vibe. Sure there’s the one’s to tick off, Norman Jay MBE and his Good Time area – my favourite anyway. Sancho Panza and their wild street of mayhem, dub veterans Aba Shanti where everyone dances with their eyes closed, Channel One for bone shaking dub and topping up yer ganja supplies, Studio 1 for the reggae, Sir Lloyd and his rare reggae and authentic sound system vibes, KCC mixing up the fresh sounds – bassline and grime style, the massive Rampage system on Powys Square and Gaz’s Rockin’ Blues. They’ve been around almost as long as Good Times. As for the after parties, the area is filled with great pubs and little hidden away clubs, you’ll find them. Paradise By Way of Kensal Grteen is always a winner, The Mason Arms always has great DJs on, Cherry Jam is a cracking venue set on different floors, The Metropoilitan is always worth a look, if you fancy dancing on tables, Good Times and Sancho Panza are renowned for their after shenanigans – just listen for the word around their systems and you’ll find out where two of thebest parties are, and also check out where Urban Nerds are heading this year. Them lot are mental.
Notting Hill Carnival, London, UK
Sunday August 29th/30th, London
www.thenottinghillcarnival.com
EXIT
Takes the biscuit…
The EXIT festival came into being in the year 2000 as an act of rebellion against the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, that had for years been keeping Serbia out of touch with the outside world. That summer thousands of young people from Novi Sad gathered in the campus park by the Danube River where concerts, parties and art performances took place. There were also discussions and debates where the young were able to express their opposition to the imposed nationalism, xenophobia, censorship and repression. The event lasted for 100 days and its grand finale was the ‘Get out to Vote’ party, which was held one day before the elections that saw the downfall of Milosevic.
Having been inspired by the enthusiasm brought on by the changes in the country, the team behind EXIT decided to continue with the festival and create an event of true regional importance. They chose the historic Petrovaradin Fortress as their venue, built high on the banks of the River Danube and offering a stunning view of Novi Sad. The site was originally occupied by the Romans, and re-built by the Austro Hungarian Empire as defence against the Turks in the 17th Century.
Although very few people believed the idea would be a success, the first event held in July 2001 was visited by 200,000 people from all over Serbia and neighbouring ex-Yugoslav countries.
The festival lasted for nine days, had five stages, a theatre and a cinema. Apart from listening to bands from Serbia, the EXIT audience also enjoyed performances by internationally recognised artists such as Finley Quaye, Kosheen, Roni Size, Banco de Gaia, Tony Allen, Max Romeo, Luke Slater, Salome de Bahia, and Tim Simeon. For the first time since the end of the Balkan war, performers from Croatia played in front of a large audience in Serbia.
Those who came to EXIT spread the word that it was the best party in the Balkans and the following year the number of visitors doubled to 400,000. The festival camp sprang up on the other side of the river with more than a thousand tents and a grand Dance Arena for 25,000 people was constructed at the fortress where David Morales, Darren Emerson, Lottie, Erick Morillo, Marshal Jefferson, LTJ Bukem, Brenda Russell, Derrick Carter and Kevin Yost performed. Artists who took to the main stage were the Asian Dub Foundation, Rundamenthal, Transglobal Underground, Smoke City, Roni Size, KAOS Night and Horace Andy. An enormous banner was placed on the walls of the fortress facing the city of Novi Sad saying “SERBIA, ARE YOU READY FOR THE FUTURE?” The success of EXIT caused a chain reaction of festivals to spring up all over the country, but most of them did not manage to survive.
After the first two festivals the appetite of the audience grew and the EXIT team decided to shorten the festival to four days so that the budget could be concentrated and more resounding names could be brought in. EXIT 03 had seven stages with performances from over 400 artists, including Stereo MC’s, Moloko, Shane McGowan, Chumbawamba, Tricky, Jeff Mills, Darren Emerson, Lottie and DJ Marky. Apart from the festival goers attending from the Western Balkan states the festival also hosted guests from Hungary, Greece, UK, Sweden and Australia.
The festival proclaimed the State of EXIT – a state for those who share values, environmental awareness, and tolerance and are open to the different cultures and also want to make the world around them a better place. The festival flyers were printed as passports. The festival kept on growing and the EXIT 04 line-up included Massive Attack, Iggy and the Stooges, Cypress Hill, Brand New Heavies, Neneh Cherry, Goldfrapp, Peaches, Senor Coconut, Timo Maas, Roger Sanchez, Satoshie Tomiie, Steve Lawler, Technasia amongst others.
As well as being one of the biggest festivals in South East Europe, EXIT has an enormous impact on the society and the organisation’s political agenda is still paramount. In 2004 MTV Europe’s Foundation partnered with EXIT staff, anti-trafficking organisations and local media to raise awareness of trafficking and sexual exploitation in the region. 20,000 information booklets were handed out during the festival and workshops were organised with journalists, police, activists and cultural figures. MTV also produced a one-hour documentary about EXIT that included the trafficking issues that was aired in 20 countries across Central and Eastern Europe. The fifth festival year was highlighted by the White Stripes, Garbage, Ian Brown, Underworld, Slayer, Apocalyptica, Datsuns, Fatboy Slim, Carl Cox, Felix Da Housecat, Sasha and 2manyDJs. BBC Radio 1 also chose Exit for a special live broadcast with Annie Mac, Annie Nightingale, Fabio and Gilles Peterson.
Jason Carter, Radio 1’s executive producer of live events, commented “EXIT Festival has a diverse and credible line-up and is our principal international music festival this summer. We plan to reflect for our listeners what is new and important in live music today.” The festival was visited by around 1500 Brits who seemed to have brought the English weather with them as it was the first time EXIT had faced bad weather. The audience showed however, that rain and mud could not spoil their fun.
In 2005 MTV Europe Foundation introduced the Free Your Mind Stage at EXIT, which provided an invigorating environment for festival goers to openly discuss, debate and learn about the topics surrounding trafficking, abuse, exploitation, gender issues, economic pressures, youth unemployment, substance abuse and migration. EXIT 06 was marked by the ‘Visa Abolishment Campaign’, which is against the complicated and hard Schengen visa regime that has kept young people from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Albania in isolation for years. Prior to the festival, EXIT instigated a “NOT60EUROS!” campaign, where people from all around the EU were invited to record the phrase “NOT60EUROS!” in their own language and to send it to the campaigners. During the festival, a large billboard with a picture of the Eiffel tower was set up with the words “GREETENGS FROM EUROPE” written on it. Visitors were invited to have their picture taken in front of it so that the image could be sent to them as an e-card together with the e-mail addresses of EU institutions, the Western Balkan Government and the media. The point was to show that these people are the same as tourists in the front of the real Eiffel tower – the only difference being that they are not allowed to travel there.
The MTV Europe Foundation also hosted Free Your Mind Stage for the second year round and launched the Radis Nesto? (Are you doing anything?) campaign. This was a multimedia campaign designed to increase awareness about youth unemployment issues in South East Europe and thousands of informational booklets containing key messages and resources were handed out at the festival. In the same year UK’s The Observer newspaper recommended EXIT as the best festival to visit that year, and the number of visitors from the UK rose to over 5000. There were 24 stages and the festival line-up included the Pet Shop Boys, Scissor Sisters, Franz Ferdinand, The Cardigans, The Cult, Billy Idol, Him, Dizzie Rascal, Madball, Goldie, David Guetta, Dave Clark, Derrick May, Hernan Cattaneo, Jeff Mills, and M.A.N.D.Y.
2007 was a milestone year for the festival. Not only were there over 190.000 visitors to the festival (30% of who were foreigners) and not only were there two campsites to accomodate all the 12,000 EXIT campers but the star-studded lineup included Snoop Dogg, Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Prodigy, The Beastie Boys, CSS, Basement Jaxx, Robert Plant, Groove Armada, LTJ Bukem and Pendulum among many many other world-class musicians. On top of all of this, EXIT was awarded the prestigious UK Festival Award for the best festival in Europe for 2007, as voted for by festival-goers from all over the world. And it keeps on growing, year after year, this year is no different, a huge line up spread over this special site. Just be careful out there.
Check listings for full line up – and see you down the front.
EXIT, Nove Sad, Serbia
Thursday July 8th – 11th
exitfest.org
Bestival
Where else in the world can you enjoy a cream tea, learn to waltz, watch The Prodigy live and chew the fat with Luke Skywalker in one afternoon?
If there was ever a name more apt for an event than this is it. Bestival is the sort of festival that has the sort of crazy, ingenious, child like features that you think of with your mates when you are off your head at silly o’clock in the morning. It really is the best festival in the world. An award winning four day bender set in a veritable Garden of Eden in the heart of the Isle of Wight hosted by Rob & Josie da Bank and co founders/partners John and Ziggy from Get Involved. The wonderful world of Bestival was born out of ten years of pioneering music events and record releases from Rob da Bank’s Sunday Best empire. So whilst Rob uses his brain of music, it’s Jose who waves her magic creative wand over her beloved baby, hey this is the event that set the World Record for the biggest ever fancy dress party when one year 10,000 people turned up dressed up as cowboys and indians. So if it’s a party you want with Underbling & Vow in The Cabaret Knees Up where they’ll take you up the apple stairs via The Elelphant & Castle, a Swedish massage or Indian head massage in The Pamper Lounge, a Hot Bengali Buttered Rum or Monsoon Mojito in The Bollywood Bar, learn to Belly Dance, Can Can or Waltz in the Come Dancing tent, having a pint of ale listening to the band in The Bandstand lounging on a deckchair, a cup of Darjeeling in the Time For Tease tent, getting your head screwed up in Club Da Da where everything is just twisted as dawn approaches or basically, just ‘avin it dressed up in fancy dress in front of the main stage – here is your ticket. This year’s theme is ‘Fantasy’. Open the gates for Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Lord of The Rings, trolls, elves, King Arthur, Merlin, Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Incredible Hulk, Zombies, Willy Wonka – get the sketch?
Bestival, Robin Hill, Isle of Wight
Thursday August 9th-12th
www.bestival.net
DANCE VALLEY
There’s peace in this valley…
Dance Valley was born out of extreme love for electronic music. July 23rd 1995 was a very important day for European festivals, dance music’s first open air dance event of it’s kind that attracted 8000 people, it didn’t take long before Dance Valley was one of the biggest and most diverse festivals within the Netherlands, with more than 60,000 visitors partying their way through the day. With a mix of surprising acts, an unforgettable creative decor and the best DJs in the world, Dance Valley reaches a higher level year after year. With a few international editions in Ibiza, Miami, Barcelona, Malta and Israel, Dance Valley is a leading character for other festivals.Throughout the years, Dance Valley changed a lot of things by means of experimentation: a two-day Dance Valley with camping, a winter edition and a shift of the date from July to August. These experiments have led to the Dance Valley of 2010: bigger, better and booming. Four grounds and a total of 24 areas make up this unique celebration of music featuring…
‘The Holy Ground’: the heart of the festival. This is where the Main Stage is and House and Progressive DJs. There’s also the Vers Vermaak Village with tunes for young and old alike.
‘The Solid Ground’: this is where the die hard dance-fans gather. With a total of 14 different music areas this is the most crowded area of Dance Valley Electtronation, Intec Digital and the new rave area Dum Dum Trailer Cash are just a small selection of the treasures that can be found here. This is the right address for innovative sounds and famous DJs like Carl Cox and Sander Kleinenberg. Do not forget to visit the Fairy Fancy Fair where designer togs are on offer for a few Euros.
‘The Higher Ground’: 5 areas of hard work…on the dance floor. The HQ area is named after the successful club night HQ in Melkweg, Amsterdam and blows you away with hard dance, and trance with a phatat vibe. The Showtek area makes its big entrance for the second time. This hard style area proudly presents the Dutch Master Works. On the menu, some real big fish and stars of tomorrow. In the God Bless This Mess 10 Years Kne’Deep area, another reason to party hard. This is where the Kne’Deep label celebrates her 10th anniversary with an exhilarating set. You’d rather chill out? In the Oda Rainbow Village you can enjoy massages, healing sessions, world music and BalkanBeats. Check out the secret From The Hill place too, you gotta climb but it’s worth it.
‘The Secret Ground’: this landscape with its 3 outdoor areas comes right out of a fairy tale… This is the place for trance. There’s the club trance in the Nachboetiek, delicious big-room trance in the open air at A State of Trance with Armin van Buuren and psychedelic Goa trance at the Dutch Acid Family.
This year, The Dance Valley promise is a line-up with more than 200 national and international, big and upcoming DJs and yet another 100 live performers and acts. Everywhere you can get a good taste of fun. Sexy dancers, a 17th century parade. And Dance Valley wouldn’t be Dance Valley without surprises. 40 virgins and kilos
