Sunburn over the years has established itself as one of the frontrunners when it comes to electronic dance music festivals. Hosted at Vagator, Goa, Asia’s largest electronic dance music festival made a glorious comeback post-COVID for its’ monumental 3-day jaunt of magic, welcoming over 300,000 people to a time of action-packed revelry, non-stop music and world-class production.
Known for its’ impactful themes, Sunburn Goa 2022 embraced ‘The Future Is Now’ as its’ central theme, meant to symbolise the festival’s avant-garde outlook and following the unexpected havoc created by the pandemic. The 95-feet high and 280-feet wide stage, The Main Stage titled Cyber Punk City that was hosted by hosted by Mc Haits and Mc Noizee was jaw-dropping on social media reels but appeared even more mesmerising in reality. Containing 214 speakers, 50,000 square feet of LEDs complete with pyros, SFX, lighting, confetti’s and installations, it was the quintessential of stage design that hosted hundreds of artists over three days. The incredible stage design didn’t limit to just the Main Stage however, with other 5 gigantic stages namely Wolf777 Stage, Absolut Stage, Tuborg Stage, Nexa Stage, Goa Stage by Croma being nothing short of true technological delights. In conclusion, nothing on production was done lackadaisically, with a phenomenal artist roster, magical light shows and intense fireworks every single night.
With stellar production, six massive stages, assorted adventure zones, a lively flea market, a lip-smacking food zone; the festival was truly an embodiment of the ‘Live, Love, Dance’ philosophy of the festival. The festival line-up left the audience spoilt for choice. Artistes were well-placed with regard to both location and time slots ensuring there were no logistical nightmares as fans regaled in the glowing, laser-flashing, fireworks-blasting visual spectacle. An eclectic assortment of India’s home-grown artists like Bullzeye, Gurbax, Ankytrixx, Sartek, Kash Trivedi, Siana Catherine, Julia Bliss, provided their own bits of magic while Nicky Romero, Mathame Morten, Anfisa Letyago, Giannobilee weaved a web of mayhem as they unleashed their electrifying sets.
The opening night of Sunburn Goa 2022 kicked off on a high note. A picturesque sunset, pleasant temperatures, delicious food, high spirits and Dutch maverick Afrojack headlining the night. The Grammy Award winner lethally wrapped up day one with his ultimate bangers and crowd pleasers amidst a barrage of LED panels, strobes, pyrotechnics, fireworks, CO2 cannons, and lasers and sure did captivate the festival goers in full fist-pumping euphoria.
Day 2 stepped up a notch higher with eclectic performances by Red Axes, Blasterjaxx, Chico Rose, Makasi, Fetish, Sama Abdulhadi, Candice Redding, Priyanjana, and Zenith among others. Filling the arena with flames, fireworks and a laser light show, one of the night’s highly anticipated closing act was Grammy Award winner Black Coffee. The buzz of the audience’s chatter grew to a deafening roar as he appeared on the Main Stage. His candid stage presence somehow managed to outshine the audience’s excitement for the evening as the South African native launched into his set and provided a cathartic finisher.
The third day of Sunburn Goa 2022 was outstanding and precisely the way a concluding night should be. The music, the ambiance, the production, the vibe, and the overwhelming excitement and love of the fans fitted into a memorable storyline seamlessly. World #3 DJ’s Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike took to the main stage to close the festival, creating a spectacle on the Cyberpunk City Stage. Like with any show from the Belgian duo, there was unassailable energy from the moment they step foot on stage and their Sunburn sets are spectacles to behold, being staples of the festival for years on end now. They ramped up the energy levels to an all-time high with their party starting anthems and made many magical memories for the fans that flocked out to see them.
The artists on the deck throughout the day included the likes of Lost Frequencies, Almost Human, ANII, Azteck, NERVO, Teri Miko, Shaan, Sound Avtar, Sequ3l ensuring a brilliant day full of high spirits and high energy at the festival site.
Wrapping up the weekend’s crème da le crème in dance music festivities, Sunburn Goa 2022 built up powerful momentum leading up to the extraordinary finale ushering in the optimism of the New Year.
Over the three days, a slew of Sunburn After Dark parties featuring multiple artists took place at venues near the festival site each night right after the performances ended with the promoters ensuring that while the performances had to end, the energy didn’t have to wind down for Sunburn fans.
Karan Singh, CEO, Sunburn states, “Sunburn Goa 2022 has set a new milestone. This has definitely been one of the larger-than-life editions we have ever held. We witnessed a colossal turnout with some of the biggest headliners, world class production and design, always ensuring top of the line security measures and safety for all our fans. The response to the festival this year exceeded our expectations with an on-site footfall and live streaming embracing more than 10 million fans around the world. With the 16th edition concluding on such a successful note, we are all geared up for the next season as we know it’s going to be bigger, better and bolder. A special thanks to the Goa Government, artists and associated partners for collaborating with us in our venture of augmenting tourism and boosting both employment and revenue to the State and the locals.”
Dimitri Vegas Like Mike state, “India is a special country. The fans hold such a meaningful place in our hearts and it felt incredible to come back to Goa and connect with all of our beautiful fans. Thank you, Sunburn Goa, for being stellar as always.”
Black Coffee states, “Thank you India for being amazing as ever! It was truly a delightful experience closing Day 2 of Sunburn and I look forward to playing again!”
Afrojack states, “Thank you India! You guys were remarkable and heartwarming as always. It felt amazing to be back. See you soon!”
