Electronic music festivals, raves and doofs have been taking the world by storm all around the world, with no exceptions, and that includes the Caribbean.
One of the most visited places during the holidays or special celebrations. Also hosts various music festivals that will be enough reason to go and stay for a while.
These festivals will be a musical experience that brings together the worldwide boom of electronic music and the spectacular locations the Caribbean has to offer.
January with Ocaso
The Caribbean already started the year on a great note, with Ocaso Festival in Costa Rica. Devin Ellis, Ocaso’s organizer, said that his favorite thing about the event is finding DJs to perform.
“I always wanted to be a DJ but never thought I was good enough to play in public,” Ellis said. “This is my sneaky way of DJ’ing by deciding which DJ plays when and where.”
The amount of people that made it to the festival was around 4,000 on its best night. They believe it’s a good thing. It calls for a more personal experience, compared to the 100,000 of your average big popular festival.
“What makes us different from other festivals is our total dedication to underground music,”
“There is no commercial music or mainstream sponsors that most events have in Costa Rica.”
Empire Music Festival
Villacanales, Guatemala, May 3-4
You may call this one a more traditional music festival, Empire is a no-holds-barred dance music festival. There are around thirty artists in four different areas and it takes place on the first weekend of May. The presentation is inspired by Mayan culture, because of it, the festival takes that traditional look for their stage designs. This gives electronic music fans the opportunity to take a trip into a psychedelic bright experience that combines both modern and ancient aesthetics. Also Diplo will be headlining.
Vujaday Music Festival
Barbados, April 3-7
Vujaday is a five days act, and it’s set are in different locations around the island. One of the things that makes this festival so unique is that the surroundings are a real important part of the experience; that’s why it covers so much ground. And when the location are as beautiful as Barbados, there isn’t much to say no to. And of course, there’s a great lineup of underground house & techno line-up artists like Green Velvet, Atish, Justin Martin and Lee Foss.
“Ignite your sense of adventure, this is not a déjà vu; this is something you’ve never seen or felt before. This is Vujaday.”
SXM Festival
Philipsburg, Saint Martin, 13-16 March
SXM is an electronic immersive experience that takes place in the island of Saint Martin. The island is owned by both France and The Netherlands; because of this, it makes a nice place to bring together people from all over the world. The island itself is proof of the communal capabilities of the people. SMX Festival screams with joy this shared existence through powerful music, with a lineup of electronic performers making the genre be at the top of their game.
“Come together in beautiful surroundings to dance together and experience the joys of one of the Caribbean’s most fun and friendly locations.”
Love Festival Aruba
Oranjestad, Aruba, November
With a good combination from European traditions and the Caribbean environment, it’s hard for this festival to go wrong, as the official website describes:
“Aruba is part of the Dutch Kingdom. No need to mention, Holland is one of the first countries where house music exploded in the early 90’s. No wonder the biggest DJ’s and festivals have their roots in Holland….they have successfully been exploiting and evolving house music for over 25 years. So by combining the open minds of Aruba, with the kindness of the Indians, the imported knowledge of music from Europe with the beautiful beaches of Aruba, we believe we can provide a unique experience for you the festival goer.
Our mindset and motto is to deliver high quality music in a unique, energetic, but relaxed environment. So if you’d like take your flip flops off, and dance the day and night away, please be our guest. Remember, there nothing wrong if you choose to lay down on the white beach and count falling stars with happy people dancing in the back ground. The weekend yours, and Love Festival is here to you make it unforgettable.”
There are many other festivals taking place in the Caribbean; however these are the only ones that will bring the raw electronic sound we know and love to a place where it can shine with a very interesting contrast.
