We’ve said it many times before but we’ll say it again anyway – ZoukOut is hands down the best and the biggest beach festival in the region. And by saying that, we’re not alone in thinking so. With a whopping total of 20,000 odd partygoers on the first day/night (12th Dec) and 25,000 on the second day/night (13th Dec), totalling up to an attendance of 50,000 people over the 2-day event, it’s pretty clear that ZoukOut has become more than just a party – it’s a prominent brand on its own.
The 2-day festival that featured some of the biggest global acts alongside Singaporean talent, saw 40% tourists from around the world, including visitors from neighbouring countries including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia (that’s us!), Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. As a matter of fact, the annual event this year was the largest turnout in ZoukOut’s 14-year history, with many staying on till the “first light” of the morning.
We would know, we were just a few in the a crowd of thousands 😉
Did you skip this one out this time around? Fret not. Here are 7 things we loved about this year’s ZoukOut at Sentosa’s Siloso Beach, Singapore:
1. Above & Beyond’s #ABGT ZoukOut 2014 edition
Being fans of English trance trio Above & Beyond ourselves, it’d be an understatement to say that their set was amazing. With offerings of the right dosage of much needed “Group Therapy”-style trance at midnight on day 1 of the festival, Above & Beyond raised the bar for the other acts on the ZoukOut 2014 bill. Their set also saw the Singaporean debut of some new tracks off their new album, “We Are All We Need”. And in true ABGT (Above & Beyond Group Therapy) style, Paavo and Tony spoke to the crowd at Moon Stage with more than just music alone. Memorable, to say the least.
2. The trippy laser lights extravaganza at the Star Stage
Sure, the Moon Stage saw a stellar lineup of some of DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs such as Above & Beyond, Nicky Romero, Martin Garrix, and Showtek, just to name a few. But it was the Star Stage that stole the show with its laser lights extravaganza. Fortunately, it wasn’t heavily populated by partygoers and we assume that it’s largely due to the EDM preference. Nonetheless, we were blown away by the mesmerising display of laser lights, topped off with what some of the more seasoned dance music lovers would call, “real music”.
3. Heineken balloons surprise during Skrillex’s 6am set
If you stuck around long enough on day 2 of ZoukOut, you’d have witnessed Skrillex‘s genre-defying set. Mostly hip hop and dubstep with dabblings and samplings of your average EDM and house, Skrillex proved that it’s never too early for his music. Heck, even at the crack of dawn, the crowd showed no signs of slowing down or stopping. A genius in his own right, the Grammy award-winning DJ brought the energy level to an all-time high. At the same time, 120 giant green balloons filled with Heineken merchandise were released into the crowd – shirts for those who “made it” till “first light” 😉
4. Installations & art to encourage photo frenzy & participation
If there was anything else that deserved props from us, it’d be the installations, art, and performers on the festivals arounds which encouraged a photo (read: Instagram) frenzy, participation, and interaction from the ZoukOut partygoers. We spotted dancers wearing LED-lit outfits, fire dancers, stilt-walkers decked in the most colourful of outfits, as well as Instagram-worthy flashy art installations scattered around the venue. We dare say that we ended up with a pretty sweet collection of pictures ourselves! Bragging rights, anyone?
5. The return of the mafia, Steve Angello
The last time we saw Steve Angello was in October 2012. Back then, he was still part of the Swedish House Mafia trio. So you can imagine our excitement leading up to ZoukOut when we knew that we’d be witnessing his solo set for the first time ever! Steve opened his 4am set with much grandeur on day 2 of the festival, instantly turned the atmosphere around. And yes, he dropped some familiar Swedish House Mafia tracks but he also introduced us to a Steve Angello-branded house music world that was his own – and it wasn’t at all disappointing.
6. Fireworks display + pyrotechnics + confetti blasts
This year’s festival also offered an abundance of pyrotechnics, confetti blasts, and an amazing fireworks display which lasted for a good few minutes, adding to the high energy atmosphere. Because let’s face it – no festival will be complete without ’em. The addition of these showstopping displays was testament to the ZoukOut 2014 production team, which is to say that they’ve done good delivering top-notch, world-class entertainment of the festival kind. Of course, this was all also eye candy for partygoers who simply lapped it all up with glee as soon as it was “served”.
7. World-class organisation from walk in to point of entry
A great festival experience starts from the very moment partygoers walk into the festival grounds and the ZoukOut team most certainly had that down pat. From walking in to the point of entry right before you sink your feet into the sand at Siloso Beach Resort, the “journey” was made enjoyable (with hardly even a second of annoyance) all thanks to the extremely professional ZoukOut crew. It helps that they all knew exactly what to do at all times, were organised and friendly. Because we all know how rowdy it can get with festival crew who try to exert authority over partygoers. Just saying.
Check out the gallery below for more ZoukOut 2014 sights:
* Pictures from Zouk Singapore.
We could go on and on about our ZoukOut experience but words will never do it any justice. If you missed out on this year’s festival, there’s always the following year’s to come.
We know we’d definitely go back 😉
For more information, visit ZoukOut’s official Facebook page.
