The moment you reach Kafes beach, with music blasting through the air, the gorgeous sea stretching for miles, and massive stages and structures all around, you just know you’re about to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. So what is this renowned Electronica Festival which brought us here?
Legend tells us that Electronica Festival first appeared in 2004 – much smaller than it is now but still impressive. Starting as a one day event, it took place in Parkorman, and featured headliners such as Deep dish and Planet Funk. Starting off on such a successful note, it quickly gained in popularity and wasted no time in becoming the music phenomenon we know today. Turkey’s largest music festival didn’t just stop in Istanbul, with the festival having since reached the warm shores of Çeşme as well.
With the help of 100% Music and Future Generation 93.7, Electronica Festival Istanbul 2018 continued to impress with another sensational edition. The stages were stolen by fantastic artists such as Adana Twins, BOg, Carrot Green, Chaim, Denis Horvat, Extrawelt and many others. There’s no argument that over their past 15 years this festival has established itself as the biggest music festival in Istanbul. Over 650 artists – including super-stars like David Guetta, Markus Shuls, Cassius, Fischerspooner, and Orbital – have made the festival an unmissable event that echoes through the social circles of Istanbul and through the whole of Turkey like wildfire. There’s just no doubt that this is THE music event to attend, and many people did. Over 150,000 visitors have enjoyed the consistently fantastic programs and lovable atmosphere over the past few years and this year hasn’t changed that at all.
A somewhat brutal summer didn’t slow down organizers, with the festivities kicking off on July 28 at 18:00 and running through the weekend to July 29 at 23:59, offering a convenient window with which to visit the beaches of Kafes. Tickets were sold via Biletix, offering greatly reduced prices for those who like to plan ahead for such things. Shuttles from all around the city, with schedules on the website, ushered hundreds of music lovers to the fairy tale like festival. Once on location, security made sure that all was up to code with quick routine checks and the usual scans. If you had medication with you, security was more than happy to hold on to it for you until you departed.
The moment you entered, you realized that you’re in a fun zone where it was time to let loose and enjoy yourself. An abundance of food, alcohol and tobacco stands immediately greeted arrivals and were spread throughout the festival, so you wouldn’t need to walk more than a minute for a drink or a tasty snack. A token system was employed to make purchasing much easier and you could buy those from a handful of stands as well.
No one wants to carry their bags around and dance right? Well, plenty of lockers were provided just a few meters from the entrance. Bag secured? Well it’s dancing time!
Finding the stages and artists could literally not have been made easier with very convenient signs, a list on the website with minute by minute time slots and a more than helpful staff. You had four fantastic options to listen to music in the Main stage, the Space Dome, Kafes and of course the mesmerizing Beach Stage. Let’s break it down shall we?
The Main Stage
The festival commenced on the main stage under the musical guidance of Vildan Gunduz, followed by Discolog and Whomadewho. That stage was so impressive that it almost felt surreal. When Whomadewho took over the stage, a stampede of music lovers rushed the stage and took off in an ecstasy of music. It felt like every second and every beat was carefully planned to maximize the pleasure of all the listeners. The one and a half hour set passed by like a breeze and electrified the crowd with energy. But not to worry, the main stage wasn’t done yet. Giorgia Angiuli followed shortly after and did anything but disappoint the crowd. The main stage boomed with sound until 7:00 in the AM and not a single member of the crowd seemed to mind.
The Space Dome
Pretty much just as it sounds, the space dome was a fantastic structure that featured very futuristic music. Grafin, who was first to the stage, wasn’t afraid to show off her talent and innovative music which sounded like it came straight out of a fantastic sci-fi performance.
Kafes:
Overlooking the sea, this stage attracted many festival lovers to enjoy the breeze along with music from the likes of Philipp Kempnich and Tim Engelhardt. Many attendees will likely recognize this location as a familiar stomping grounds of the well-known late night destination.
And last but definitely not least…
The Beach Stage:
The only stage in which music played non-stop from the beginning of the festival right to the very end. Names like Superflu, Janoma and Mousik kept the stage alive. The sounds of the ocean mixed with the sounds of music gave this stage a specific energy that just can’t be found anywhere else. Most people bought their tickets specifically for that stage and they were definitely not disappointed in doing so.
The four stages provided an endless amount of music and entertainment from literally second one until the very last moment. If you were tired of dancing and needed a break there was much more to do – the beach was accessible on Sunday to take a dip or you could enjoy a leisurely stay beside the pool. Activities like face painting and glitter-filled fun were also available to the crowds and many took advantage thereof.
By the end of the festival, the attendees were sprawled throughout the festival grounds to take advantage of the fantastic sunset before dancing one more time and heading out. The really hardcore music fans were obviously ready to go home with a big smile on their face and song in their heart. Easily accessible parking kept it convenient for them to drive away from this beach, although they almost certainly were leaving their hearts there. It’s likely their most enjoyable and exhausting musical experience of the summer was behind them.
The fact that this wear was right on the beach, with the ability to take a cooling dip and listen to music at the same time has made this specific addition to Electronica Festival a very unique one with many already wondering what the festival will have in store for 2019.
Keeping up with the festival is simple. Just follow their Facebook, Instagram, and of course their main page.
Images courtesy of Electronica Festival.
