The Top 8 Asian EDM Festivals outside of Thailand
It is without a doubt that in the past few years, Thailand has emerged as a hub for all things “music festival”. There are ones with alien ships, ones with water, ones on the beach, and ones with production value that rivals any big name festival anywhere in the world. It is safe to say, “Thailand is where it is at!”
And yet, even though there is a multitude of festivals to attend locally, we understand that one of the beauties about dancing your 24-hours away is being able to do it while fostering new experiences. That is why things like “attending Tomorrowland” make it on to so many people’s bucket lists despite the availability of festivals on home turf.
Meeting people from different backgrounds in countries far far away and getting to connect through the love of music is a unique experience which these music festivals promote. Who would not want that?!
Before you go ahead and plan your next big trip to Europe or the Americas however, let us point you in a closer direction where flying for over 15hrs is not required. There are multiple world-class festivals littered a lot closer to home, and these are our top 8 picks of Asian EDM festivals around Thailand:
1) It’s The Ship
The only thing that can possibly be better than attending a music festival, is attending a music festival on a luxurious cruise ship. Well, It’s The Ship is exactly that! As a 4-day 3-night event that is happening on The Royal Caribbean International’s luxurious Mariner of the Seas cruise ship, partying on a boat does not get any better than this! The cruise ship departs from Singapore, docks in Penang Island, Malaysia, then sails back to Singapore all the while rocking the party from deck to deck!
After ITS happened for the first time in 2014, the third installment this year is only bound to get bigger and better. Get ready to set sail and party in a borderless festival with the World’s 2nd largest EDM cruise festival (and Asia’s largest!) between 4-7 November, 2016 and bump shoulders with the likes of Knife Party, Dada Life, Andrew Rayel, Peking Duck, Far East Movement, Marlo, Sander Van Doorn, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Thaitanium (yes!), and your captain David “The Hoff” Hasselhoff! All aboard!
For more information visit their Facebook page or website.
2) ZoukOut | Singapore
As one of Asia’s first and most famous dance festival, ZoukOut has been around for over 16 years. Held annually at Siloso Beach, Sentosa in Singapore the event grew from a 1-day party into a 2-day extravaganza due to its popularity. Over 50,000 tickets sell out every year and it does not seem to be slowing down. We dare you, think of any world-renowned DJ and it is most likely that they will have already been on stage at ZoukOut.
In 2016, they are back again in full force. Mark your calendars for 9-10 December if you are ready to ZoukOut. The small nation of Singapore, is ready to bring you a massive festival once again! Find more information about the event on their Facebook page.
For more information visit their Facebook page or website.
3) Djakarta Warehouse Project | Indonesia
The island nation of Indonesia is known to have a few infamous restrictions here and there, but one thing they definitely do not restrict is the quality of events that can be hosted. Having been organized for the past 8 years in the capital city of Jakarta (formerly known as Djakarta up until 1972 - for those wondering where the D came from), DWP is an ever-growing festival.
Not to be outdone by itself, in 2016 they are coming back to Jiexpo Kemayoran in Jakarta once again on 9-10 December to welcome you with open arms to their star-studded line-up. Let yourself take in the culture of Indonesia while appreciating all the lights and sounds the different stages at the festival have prepared for you.
For more information visit their Facebook page or website.
4) World DJ Festival | South Korea
South Koreans are known for being very tech savvy, so you know when a festival is based in this tech-town, awesomeness can be expected from visuals and sounds every single time. World DJ Festival is exactly that, having grown since 2007 to become a large music festival that South Koreans are proud to call theirs.
For 2016, the WDJF has split into two events a spring version of the festival “Sounce Parade” which was organized in May and a summer version of the festival “Water War” which will be happening between 19-21 August. From what we saw at the first spring version which was organized in Chuncheon, Korea a little outside of Seoul – you are in for a treat at their visual buffet and amazing stage set-up.
For more information visit their Facebook page or website.
5) Ultra Beach | Bali
Ultra, yes THE Ultra from Miami has a very special iteration of the famous event outside of North America. Unlike its normal events which they host in multiple cities around the world, the one in Bali, Indonesia is on the beach! Happening for the first time in 2015, it is one of the sexiest festivals around with multiple beach babes dancing the night away.
Organized at Potato Head Beach Club, the festival features a pool right in front of the stage where the sexy boys and girls in attendance can get wet and wild. Experience this for yourself as more of the same can be expected in 2016 as the event will be happening between 15-16 September.
For more information visit their Facebook page or website.
6) Sunburn Festival | India
With a rich history spanning over thousands of years, many people come to India to explore a nation so diverse in language, culture, and traditions. This makes the country a perfect backdrop for a music festival the scale of Sunburn where you can find anything from exotic foods, exhilarating activities, and music that will make you forget about the Indian sun. The supersize music festival was inaugurated in 2007 in Goa, India and has gone on to become a lifestyle event which has impacted multiple cities across India.
Unsurprisingly the keystone Sunburn Festival in Goa will span over 4-days this time around in 2016 from 27-30 December. Expect a line-up that will go down in the history books as epic and a stage that is so grand your jaws may just literally drop.
For more information visit their Facebook page or website.
7) Neverland | Philippines
Dream Makers, that’s how the organizers of Neverland festival in Manila, Philippines refers to their headlining DJs and rightly so. As a festival based on dreams, every attendee or Dream Catcher is encouraged to let their imaginations run wild. The festival is a fairly young one having only been birthed in 2014, but the Neverland family are already caught up to the scene.
The event in 2016 has already come to a close in since April, but the organizers are here to stay. Look out for their 2017 edition next year and see what kind of surprises they have in store.
For more information visit their Facebook page or website.
8) Storm Festival | China
As the most populous nation in the world, you can only imagine the scale of one of China’s biggest music festivals. Based on the concept of unity, Storm Festival tells the story of how extraterrestrial have descended on earth to unify mankind. The futuristic theme gets taken to another level when attendees witness the grandeur of the mainstage which often looks like a spaceship being captained by each headlining DJ.
Landing in China since 2014, Storm Festival is a moving event which is hosted in every major city in China all year-round. The next landings are happening in Guangzhou between 10-11 September and in Shanghai between 15-16 September 2016. This large outdoor festival is definitely one to watch.