With the anticipation for this year’s Sunny Side Festival already reaching fever pitch, we can now give you the full low down on those all important day splits. The festival will run from May 14th through to the early hours of May 18th and in between those dates there will be all manner of open air delights to be had. As you will have gathered by now, the beauty of the Maltese backdrops is only exceeded by the stunning array of artists on hand each and every step of this adventure.
For the opening moments of Sunny Side Festival, where better to start the trip than in a record store. Taking place at Big Ron’s Records on Thursday May 14th and who better to launch the festival than O.Bee, MATO, and Louie G. Make sure and not go too hard on the first day and you keep plenty in the tank come the latter stages of the week.
The festival begins in earnest the very next day and for the occasion Sunny Side Festival will unveil the new festival site of Maria Rosa Estate Vineyard. In conjunction with Dutch party destroyers SlapFunk, the party will run from midday on May 15th through to late evening and will of course feature some of the brands heaviest hitters in the form of Yass & Mali, O.Bee, Garret David (live), Doudou MD, and Fumiya Tanaka.
As the sunlight begins to fade, the next stage in the day begins to spring into life – UNO Malta. You will have by now witnessed the main festival stages in all its glory, either by social media or in person, and UNO Malta will be the main party location for the next three nights. On this first auspicious night there is no warmup as we dive straight into beats with Stage 1 hosts Why?Not who have lined up sets from Puis, Mari.te, and Ben UFO b2b Moopie. Over on Stage 2 and Laundrette have a clean as whistle lineup of artists that includes chouchal, Josh Caffe, Jen Cardini, and brand founders Laundrette aka Partok, Roi Perez, and David Elimelech.
Hitting around the middle of the festival come May 16th and it is time to hit the beach. Tortuga Beach Club will be hosted by Love On The Rocks for a sunkissed day to night session and taking control of the seaside session will be Ben & Macelli, Gianmarco Orsini, Satoshi Tomiee (live), and the exciting pairing of tINI b2b Jennifer Loveless. Moving the action to the evening standard of UNO Malta will mean a diverse array of artists populating Stage 1 which will be hosted by French stalwarts Yoyaku. Sounds will come courtesy of Bengy b2b Luca Cordini, Zeina, Mathew Jonson (live), and Chez Damier b2b Tomas Station.
Over on Stage 2 and Tafkamp will be Inviting some of nearest and dearest to the decks. A sure fire concept that has stood the Dutch artist in good stead over the years and he has enjoyed great success alongside many visiting artists. For the Sunny Side Festival edition he will be supported by Limon b2b Lanz before performing alongside Samuel Deep, KiNK, as well as playing a solo set.
Heading into the last day of the festival and there is even more unmissable moments waiting for you. On Sunday May 17th there is the arrival of the infamous Boat Parties and this year there will be another two sessions that cannot be missed. First up is trip and they will be in charge of blowing away those last day’s cobwebs from midday. They will be hosting a back to back set from Tomas Station and Morgan who will no doubt leave the dancers refreshed and energised for the last leg of the festival. The second session comes via Nesta’s fantome de nuit party brand and he will be pairing up with Garrett David. A special note has to be made that the boat parties are not included in the standard ticket, but at the time of going to press tickets are still available for both parties.
Heading into the last night of Sunny Side Festival and they have an almighty night on the cards. Taking charge of the programming will fall to the festival itself and there is a tidy mix of tough and smooth courtesy of Owen Jay b2b Migz, Lis Sarroca, Anna Wall b2b Melody, and Helena Hauff closing things out on Stage 1. Over on Stage 2 and there is even more sonic goodness to be found by the almighty VBX crew. Providing the soundtrack for the festival swansong will be MATO, Alexia Glensy, and a back to back from none other than Raresh and Cap.
For those not wishing to call it a day when the UNO Malta calls time at 4am there will be an after party held at a secret location that will run from sunrise until the last beat drops. As well as a pair of secret guests, there will also be sets from Danny Vibe, Sofiane Vial, Sam Bangura, Hugo Martinez b2b MATO, and Jigz. Again, a small reminder that entry for the after party are not included in the standard festival ticket.
Make sure to grab your tickets early as Tier 2 tickets are now running low. You can grab your festival, boat party and after party tickets here.
More info on Sunny Side Festival
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