Air Festival: A Gathering Like No Other
PUBLISHED March 15th, 2017 07:00 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 05:35 pm
Like something out of a dream about deserted islands, lush jungles, open sea and white sands, Air Festival is a gathering like no other, set on a tiny island off the coast of Lombok, Indonesia.
Founded by a group of friends in 2015, Air Festival started out as an intimate event. The original team comprised of Walker Barnard, Sylvie Forêt, Tiago Oudman, Kelly Ariella, Alexander Bonkas, and Michi Walter— all of them rooted in underground dance music -, who started the party with a “letʼs just do this and see what happens” kind of attitude.
For the third edition (happening from 31 March – 2 April 2017), they’re weaving in elements of performance, ceremony, activism, and the sacred into their spaces. While there are new additions to the programming, the heart of Air Festival is the Air Stage, which will play host to international and local electronic music acts such as Rampa, Shinedoe, ATA, and Audio Werner, just to name a few. The Kapal Stage will be curated by the Don and Dame of underground Bali nightlife with sunset boat parties from Serangan Habour to Gili Air and back. The Awan Stage is a gathering of music and artists all places – Bali, Morocco and the UK. Think elements of ritual and the sacred, organic sounds and grounded tones.
With their commitment to leaving the beautiful island of Gili Air better than before, the folks behind Air Festival is offering support to the local community in way of waste removal and reduction, and renovations at their local school. They will also be challenging themselves to go completely plastic free. Above all, expect to have the best time with more intention, love and light on the dance floor under the stars.
Before its arrival, the folks behind Air Festival managed to take some time to answer our questions on the one defining characteristic of the festival and their plan on achieving being plastic-free.
Air Festival is running for its third year, what can we expect from the 2017 edition?
Airfestival 3.0 is definitely going to have a few new dimensions. Many of you have heard whispers of our second stage – the Awan (which means cloud in Bahasa). We wanted to expand our expression of what music really is for us, so here we’ll find some new vibes. Live music from around the world (Hannah Fi Allah, Cosmic Ornament, Awan Sound System) as well as some deeper, more organic dance music. For the Air Stage, you can expect all the usual magic and moonlight.
What is the one defining characteristic of Air Festival that sets it apart from other festivals in the region?
In this part of the world, every event is necessarily unique, from production values to music curation. However, the Air Festival is literally apart from everywhere and everything else. We are on a tiny island that requires a boat ride, and then horses and buggies to get to. It’s a trip, no pun intended. But mainly we are a pretty authentic bunch. We keep it small. We keep it real. By the end of the weekend, everyone has become family. This is what makes it worth it for us. It’s a co-creation between the DJs and the dance floor. And as such our focus is less on hedonism or escapism and ultimately about evolution and joining of hearts.
How would we describe Air Festival to someone who has never been there?
A place you’ve never been to that somehow feels like home.
The festival aims to go completely plastic free this year. Do you mind telling us on how you plan to achieve this?
We plan to go completely plastic free by using bio-degradable cups made from Cassava produced by Avani Eco. We have also ordered eco-friendly foldable water bottles that festival goers can purchase from our box office upon arrival. We won’t be selling plastic water bottles or using plastic straws.
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Air Festival is happening from 31 March – 2 April 2017 on Gili Air. Tickets are priced at USD 115 for the 3-days festival pass only and USD 160 for both festival and boat. To find out more on the ticketing information, please go to www.airfestival.net/tickets.
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