What is the recipe to a successful festival? Music to appease the soul, food to satiate the body, experiences to stimulate the mind, and the best company to create memories for a lifetime. Sunburn Goa 2019 which has been putting India on the global map since 2007 ticked all the right boxes. Geared up for its ultimate homecoming, this year the 13^th edition of the largest Asian Music Festival saw enthusiasts of music from all around the country make a beeline for Vagator to surrender themselves to an all inclusive and immersive experience like never before.

As festival goers dressed in their swankiest best, glided through the sea of almost never-ending fans to revel in India’s festival giant’s annual festivities, they were welcomed by the familiar optimistic vibe, as they enthusiastically waited for their favourite artists to kick-start the biggest party of the year.

With stellar production, six massive stages, assorted adventure zones, a lively flea market, a lip-smacking food zone and a dynamic camping site; the festival was truly an embodiment of the ‘Live, Love, Dance’ philosophy of the festival. 

Aside from their outrageous yearly line-ups, India’s Sunburn is undoubtedly one of the premiere festivals in the world because of their dramatic and surreal themes. The theme is not only one of the most crucial components to any festival goers experience during Sunburn, it’s their way to escape and get lost in a world other than their own. This year the focus was an old school carnival theme with the festive freakishness at its’ peak. With a circus like leitmotif, the festival was aesthetically very captivating with mammoth size jokers, elephant heads, sun cranium and ornately decorated manuscripts capturing previous editions stage names such as Dance Garden, Dance Temple, Empire Of The Sun and Space Station. The Main Stage, over 350 feet large, lit up by over 50,000 sq.ft of LEDs complete with pyros, SFX, lighting, confetti’s and installations

The festival line-up left the audience spoilt for choice. Performers were well-placed with regard to both location and time slots ensuring no issues of claustrophobia or crowding as fans moved from one stage to another.

While unstoppable British producer/songwriter Jonas Blue helped festival goers tick must-hear songs from their bucket list with his anthemic pop performance covering all his hits like Fast Car and Perfect Strangers, young Belgian prodigy, Lost Frequencies dished out thumping deep house  with Are You With Me and Like I Love You as the stage’s pulsating energy radiated into the audience. From Belik Boom, Ma Faiza, Laughing Buddha on the Psychedelic Circus Stage to international names like Kryoman, Blackout, and Progressive Brothers to local gems like Greff, Shiva Manvi, Teri Miko, Zenith, Zephrytone, the first day of Sunburn 2019 had it all on Day One.

To commemorate the festival’s decade plus inning, the brand-new underground music venture, the Solaris Stage hosted label showcases by Sin City and Vivrant with acts like Hosh, Jeremy Olander, Khen, Anish Sood, Ana Lilia, Marino Canal, Pierre Ravan and Greenage.

The closing act of the day, multi-platinum French music producer, DJ Snake played a set with his ultimate anthems and classics 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. Greeting the fans with 'Namaste', jumping onto the console to wave the Indian flag and dishing out crowd pleasers like Loco Contigo, Taki Taki, Turn Down For What , Middle , Lean On, Magenta Riddim, Let Me Love You, amongst others – he lethally wrapped up the night of day one at Sunburn Goa 2019.

While day one at Sunburn Goa 2019 was nothing less than captivating, day two of the largest Asian music festival turned out to be a haven for music lovers as they congregated in massive numbers. Recuperating from the festival hangover from day one, festival goers had enough motivation to make it to the second day.

What started as a relaxed Saturday on the sunny sands of Vagator with performances by Candice Redding, Siana Catherine and NDS in the afternoon was soon succeeded by a thumping evening with eclectic performances by Jetfire, Ellie Prohan and Ritviz.

This time the Solaris Stage hosted label showcases by Senso Sounds and Suara & Vivrant. Brimming with ambient vibes, festival goers were in for a toxic treat as Coyu, Arjun Vagale, Oliver Huntmann, Coyu, Andre Winter, Sequ3l, Priyanjana and Setoc Mass dished out some trippy techno mayhem. On the other hand, the Psychedelic Circus Stage featured names like Space Cat, Xerox & Illumination and Designer Hippies who delivered some hardstyle tunes with the untired audience.

The Main Stage hosted by Mc Haits and Mc Noizee saw EDM mainstay Fedde Le Grand live up to his legacy and showcased some exceptional talent as he pumped up the audience with his signature sound of electronica.

Australian Grammy Award winning producer Flume’s maiden appearance in India was greeted with a roaring applause as he turned the entire scene into a dance party scenario with fans shouting out the lyrics and swaying to the music. The balance between current and older songs kept his more recently acquired fan base engaged, without leaving long-time fans feeling short-changed. He seamlessly transitioned between songs, being sure to include crowd pleasers like Holdin On, Tennis Court, Friends, High Beam, Never Be Like You and Say It.  The lighting and backdrop were synchronized to the beat drops, drums, and melodic changes flawlessly. Behind him ran animations with graphics illustrating the lyrical components of his songs. The futuristic-looking visuals in combination with the fluorescent lighting transported the audience to a captivating and intimate environment.

Filling the arena with flames, fireworks and a laser light show, one of the night’s highly anticipated acts was The Chainsmokers. The buzz of the audience’s chatter grew to a deafening roar as the duo appeared on the Main Stage, flares held flaming over their heads. Their fervent stage presence somehow managed to outshine the audience’s excitement for the evening as the world’s biggest dance-pop duo launched into their set.  The “Closer” and “Paris” hitmakers seemingly brought everything they had to the performance, assembling a lavish stage show that wound through highlights of their discography.

Karan Singh, COO, Percept Live stated, “Day two was nothing less than phenomenal! This year we outdid ourselves and saw a 30% increase in footfalls. It was an emotive moment to witness the dedicated passion and love of the fans. We believe in a commitment to create a reality that relates positivity with music. We are certain the power-packed line-up for day three will set a precedent for this year’s edition.”

With an incredible line up and a range of fun adventurous activations around the massive festival zone, the audience surrendered to endless memories of brilliant music and an evening filled with remarkable vibes on day two.

The last day saw the biggest name of all headlining the night – Martin Garixx literally took teh crowd on a tangent of its own ending the three day festival on a high note.

Sunburn Goa 2019 is curated by Percept Live in association with Klassique Events Goa. OPPO Sunburn Goa is presented by Kingfisher and Magic Moments, and co-powered by Skybags, Fast Track, Toyota, ZEE 5 in association with boAt, SpiceJet, Cred, Jameson, Break The Beard, Dairy Milk Silk and Snapchat.

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