How does it feel like to be back at Sunburn after the pandemic? If you too were in sunny Goa in the last week of December, you’d agree that the euphoria among attendees was unmissable.
First, because this comeback edition of Sunburn single-handedly carried on its shoulders the collective anticipation and expectation of the revellers who couldn’t wait to put on their dance shoes. These include both the devout dance music-loving population in India and around as well as the uninitiated inductees who get their first whiff of a music festival here. Second, the immersive experiences this year at the festival were nothing like what we had seen before, thanks to unbeatable curation and kickass partnerships.
In its biggest edition yet, the stages were louders, the DJ sets wilder and the immersive zones trippier.
An Absolut Rite of Passage
As the RFID wristband-armed revellers made their way into the festival at Goa’s Vagator hotspot, their entry through the Absolut Glassware 3D installations could well mark a metaphorical rite of passage for those who truly belonged there. Goa has long been home to India’s dance music’s mainstream and underground, and Sunburn’s celebration of both these streams signals an homage to the spirit of dance gatherings. From 2007 onwards, this burgeoning dance shindig has boasted almost everyone in the DJ Mag top ranks on its headline roster, and the latest edition was once again a celebration of dance GOATs — Afrojack, Dmitri Vegas, Nicky Romero ruled the lineup.
If the metaverse-themed main stage entitled Cyberpunk City posed a larger-than-life reminder of the futuristic times we are living in, the Absolut stage transported you to a different realm. How could one miss the striking design of the embossed human face at this stage which offered unparalleled projection mapping and sonic escapes courtesy of dance biggies like Almost Human, Mathame, Chico Rose, Arcane and many more.
It is only fair that a remarkably designed stage must deserve a remarkably turned out audience as well! The Absolut make-up zone ensured that everyone wore their shade
and tone with pride and aplomb, and self expression reigned supreme. Oh but not without an irresistible popsicle in hand.
One of the most refreshing spaces in the entire festival was where one could get Absolut cocktails on tap! Anyone who has ever waited in serpentine queques for their favorite fix of drink at a festival bar would know how genius and much-needed this was.
Experience like no other
There is no doubt that several #squadgoals were achieved on all three days of the festival. The bonhomie was just too infectious for anyone to escape it, especially those at the Absolut experience zone. With its chrome, glass, overall funk-disco vibe, how could revellers channel anything but their main character energy! We saw everyone from musician Jay Anand, and performer Glorious Luna to creative leaders Haima Simoes and Anwesh Sahoo soaking in the ecstatic ambience at this zone, selfies and Reels in tow.
You couldn’t miss the special festival merch too — Absolut collaborated with the incredible visual artist Osheen Siva for a badass tote bag, sipper, stickers and a tee.
Multi-faceted and intersectional
Festival fanatics would attest to the fact that this latest edition of Sunburn Goa was undoubtedly its most diverse. With the multiplicity of sounds now a standard benchmark, many more glass ceilings were shattered in terms demographically and curatorially. Identities, in all its forms and labels, were almost colorless as people came together to partake in the universal camaraderie and community of music and creativity.
Rounding off the festival season with Martin Garrix Tour
If Sunburn Goa was a playground for some of the best live entertainment of the year, Absolut Glassware gave us more reasons to clink our glasses at the Sunburn Arena Martin Garrix Tour 2023, held this March. The eight-city tour is touted to be the fastest-selling concert series in India, witnessing over 150,000 fans across cities thronging to watch Garrix live, who reigns supreme as the world’s number one DJ by DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJ Poll 2022. Apart from bringing its signature immersive experiential zones to each of the cities, Absolut Glassware also launched an online contest for fans to win passes to the show, with a lucky few getting a chance to meet Garrix himself.
