Dubai’s first mega festival ‘sets new benchmark’

Untold Dubai, touted as the region’s first mega festival, is set to return in 2025 after a successful debut.

The inaugural four-day festival took place in February, welcoming 75,000 attendees per day to the sprawling grounds of Jubilee Park, Expo City Dubai.

Tïesto, Hardwell, Armin Van Buuren, PSY, G-Eazy, Ellie Goulding, Sebastian Ingrosso and Timmy Trumpet were among the acts on the dance-heavy lineup.

Organised by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism in partnership with Expo City Dubai, the event marked the first time Untold had been exported out of Romania, where it launched in 2015 and became one of the largest festivals in Europe.

“Untold Dubai has set a new benchmark for music festivals in the region,” says Edy Chereji, co-founder and co-CEO of UNTOLD Universe.

“The overwhelming response from our fans in 2024 has inspired us to create an even more extraordinary experience for 2025. We are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of live entertainment and delivering moments that will be remembered for a lifetime.”

“Untold Dubai has set a new benchmark for music festivals in the region”

Confirming that Untold Dubai would return in 2025, Chereji says: “This was really one of the goals when we first discussed bringing Untold almost two years ago. As well as creating the kind of event that can attract music lovers and families to travel to the UAE, we wanted this event to really act as a showcase for the Expo City Dubai itself.

“We showed event organisers and various entertainment industries, from film to fashion, what this site can really offer. We also look forward to coming back with even more great music acts next year.”

Four-day passes for Untold Dubai started at Dhs700 (€176) for general admission and Dhs2,000 (€502) for VIP. Individual days started at Dhs300 (€75) for GA and Dhs700 (€176) for VIP.

Other staple events in Dubai include DJ Deian Markov’s homegrown electronic festival Groove on the Grass, Live Nation’s retro Rewind Festival and youth and contemporary culture festival Soul DXB. Read more about the burgeoning live entertainment market in Dubai and the wider Gulf States here.

The flagship Untold festival will take place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, between 8–11 August with headliners Burna Boy, Swedish House Mafia, Martin Garrix and Sam Smith.

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2024 festivals: Open’er, Rock in Rio, Tinderbox

This week has seen another flood of international festival line-up announcements, as the 2024 programme continues to comes together.

After confirming slots at Belgium’s Rock Werchter and Portugal’s NOS Alive, Dua Lipa has been revealed as the first headliner of next year’s Open’er Festival in Gdyni, Poland, which runs from 3-6 July.

The 28-year-old singer will perform on the Orange Main Stage on Thursday 4 July. Lipa is returning to complete unfinished business after her scheduled performance at the 2022 festival was cancelled due to inclement weather.

“This announcement has an additional dimension – the fulfilment of a promise,” says Mikołaj Ziółkowski, CEO of promoter Alter Art. “I remember clearly the telephone conversation with Dua Lipa at the moment when the evacuation of the area in 2022 had already been completed and the cars with the artist were heading to the airport in Gdańsk.

“She promised that she would return to Open’er for her fans and festival participants on the first possible date, and we promised that we would do everything to make it happen.”

“Future Rave is a booking that we’ve dreamed of for a long time, and to be the first in Denmark to present this brilliant duo is something we’re extremely excited about”

In addition, Rock in Rio has named Ed Sheeran as the first headliner of its 40th anniversary. It will mark the first time Sheeran, who is also lined up for RiR’s Lisbon spin-off, has played the festival’s flagship Brazilian edition, set for 13-15 & 19-22 September. Ne-Yo, Joss Stone and Brazilian artist Ludmilla have also been confirmed.

Denmark’s Tinderbox has revealed the first 13 acts to play the festival in 2024, headed by David Guetta & MORTEN present Future Rave. Taking place in Tusindårsskoven, Odense, from 27-29 June, it has also announced Avril Lavigne, Bathsheba, Benjamin Hav & Familien, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Guldimund, Jonah Blacksmith, Kaizers Orchestra, Cheek Mod Cheek, Nicky Romero, Pil, Suspekt and Tina Dickow.

“We’re very excited to finally be able to share some of the acts playing next summer,” says festival CEO Brian Nielsen. “We’re presenting a multi-faceted lineup representing many different genres and generations of great music.

“Future Rave is a booking that we’ve dreamed of for a long time, and to be the first in Denmark to present this brilliant duo is something we’re extremely excited about.”

Afro Nation Portugal‘s first wave of acts for next summer include Rema, Asake, J Hus, Tyla, Major League DJz, Uncle Waffles and Focalistic. The world’s biggest Afrobeats festival is primed for Praia Da Rocha Beach, Portimao, The Algarve, from 26-28 June.

“Hosting events like Untold at Expo City Dubai is the perfect way to demonstrate the city’s capability to host mega-events”

In the US, When We Were Young returns for a third year to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on 19 October, with headliners My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. More than 50 bands will each perform an album front-to-back, including My Chemical Romance (The Black Parade), A Day To Remember (Homesick), Jimmy Eat World (Bleed American), Pierce The Veil (Collide With The Sky) and The Used (In Love and Death).

Plus, Rolling Loud California has unveiled Nicki Minaj, Post Malone and Future x Metro Boomin as headliners for Inglewood’s Hollywood Park Grounds from 15-17 March.

The inaugural UAE edition of Untold – billed as Dubai’s first “mega festival” – will welcome the likes of Armin Van Buuren, Bebe Rexha, Don Diablo, Ellie Goulding, G-Eazy, Hardwell and Major Lazer Soundsystem to the 70,000-cap Expo City Dubai from 15-18 February.

“Hosting events like Untold at Expo City Dubai is the perfect way to demonstrate the city’s capability to host mega-events, further reinforcing its position as an international events hub in line with the ambition of our visionary leadership to make Dubai the best city in the world to visit, live and work in,” says Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE).

“Entertainment brings people together, and we are excited to extend this opportunity to over 200 nationalities that call Dubai home. We are delighted to partner with this amazing music festival, and we envisage that it will be a wonderful amalgamation of sensational live entertainment and a diverse mix of cultures.”

Elsewhere, Andrea Bocelli is the first headliner announced for AEG’s American Express presents BST Hyde Park in 2024. The Italian tenor will grace the London, UK concert series on 5 July, and Finland’s Provinssi, set for 27-29 June, boasts PMMP, Bring Me The Horizon, Yungblud, Bad Omens, Apulanta, Jenni Vartianen, Blind Channel, Kaija Koo, Kvelertak, Kaarija, Sanni, Sexmane, Stam1na and Vola.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Clockenflap will host acts including Pulp, Joji, De La Soul, Caroline Polachek, Idles, Alex G, Yard Act, Squid, Tom Grennan, Tones & I, Peking Duck and Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls at Central Harbour Front from 1-3 December 2023.

The latest festival to be cancelled for next summer, however, is the UK’s Neighbourhood Weekender. The SJM Concerts-promoted event has been staged in Warrington since 2018, with this year’s edition headlined by Pulp, Paul Heaton and The Kooks. An online post by organisers offered no reason for the cancellation, simply saying: “Neighbourhood Weekender will be taking a break in 2024 but we’ll be back in 2025. More news on dates and line up next year.”

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