Sunny Side Festival 2025 is bringing world class house and techno talents to the gorgeous island of Malta from 16-18th May 2025. Taking place in the beautiful heart of the Mediterranean, this community minded gathering is a perfect blend of music, culture, and travel to paradise with phase one headliners including Ryan Elliott, Mathew Jonson (live), Sweely (live), Christian AB, PARAMIDA, BASHKKA, Aline Umber, Bruno Schmidt, Jonny Rock, Hostom (Varhat) (live), Mike Shannon (live), Lamache and many more. We chat to festival owners Luke, Danny (UJ/DV) and Tracy Bakala about the 2025 edition.
Can you share a bit about your background and what drew you to become a founder of Sunny Side Festival?
Luke & Danny: We have been DJing and organising events together as UJ/DV since 2014, so this year marks our 10th anniversary. When we first came together as UJ/DV, both of us independently had already years of experience in organising parties locally, from club nights to Saturday night parties and hosting rooms in big festivals. Apart from us being DJs and producers we love organising events and seeing people enjoying themselves to good quality music but we weren’t inspired by the usual event formats. So we came up with Sunny Side Up, a Sunday morning breakfast rave that has been running since 2018 and gradually developed into a bigger vision, Sunny Side Festival.
TRACY: I’ve been in the industry for quite some time now, working actively since 2000. I started my career in Ibiza as a go-go dancer and I am still dancing haha, PR, artist care, I have done it all mostly. Today I am in charge of events at Yoyaku – a 360 company (label, 2 record shops, distribution, Atelier, Art Gallery, and event company). I am the CEO of the artist booking and management agency Interwave ( the agency of Yoyaku), partner at Zanzibar’s new club Why Not, and partner at Sunny Side Festival.
Luke & Danny : We met for the first time during one of Tracy’s visits to Malta, through our close friends. We started booking various artists from her agency to play at our events and it culminated in a Sunny Side Up x Yoyaku showcase back in August 2023. After sharing our vision with Tracy and seeing firsthand what Malta has to offer, we all quickly saw the untapped potential of a festival in Malta within our spectrum of music. All three of us were sold, pushed forward and never looked back. This festival would not have been possible without Tracy’s mentorship and hard work, her team at Interwave, and the mighty 356 Entertainment group, an institution in the local clubbing scene.
What is your vision for the Sunny Side Festival, and how do you see it contributing to the music scene in Malta and beyond?
Our vision is to create a safe space for underground music aficionados and key players from all around Europe on the beautiful Island of Malta. Here, both locals and foreign attendees can meet on the same dancefloor and share great moments while listening to good-quality music.
Can you discuss the importance of partnerships with European crews and how these collaborations enhance the festival experience?
TRACY: I truly think that inviting promoters and labels to the festival was important. At the end of the day, we all grew up together through the past decade. We have known amazing moments but also experienced very difficult situations during COVID. We are all so passionate about music that gathering each other around events like this is an excellent way to show our unity and our dedication to the underground scene. I think that we have a very important cultural role towards the new generation and being able to do it all together, as a big family, is very special. Working with all those brands and being able to offer them a place where to showcase their artists, their ideas and their sound is very important to us.
In what ways does the festival promote cultural exchange between international artists and local talent?
Danny: Our lineup is peppered with both international and local acts playing on the same stages. We have great local talent that deserves to be showcased together with our international guests, a musical exchange where the locals can absorb what’s new and current whilst showcasing their potential to an international audience.
How do you envision creating a connection between the artists and the audience throughout the festival?
Danny: We aim to create a safe, comfortable space where attendees can let loose to good-quality music. We strive to provide top-tier venues with great sound systems and tip-top organisation, making the experience a smooth and fulfilling one, both visually and musically. Our areas are designed to be intimate, to keep the artists and the audience engaged together in a feedback loop, which strengthens the connection between the dancefloor and the DJ booth.
What challenges do you anticipate in organising the festival, and how do you plan to address them?
Danny: Running and setup costs have risen considerably in the past few years whilst spending power has declined due to the economic environment we are currently living in, so it is always a challenge to strike a balance between ticket prices and how much we can invest. We can only strike this balance, with close cooperation with all the agencies and partners based on goodwill and a sense of community.
Looking to the future, what are your long-term goals for the Sunny Side Festival?
We will keep on working to elevate further the festival experience of our guests. We plan even more beautiful settings and venues, bigger and more diverse lineups and collaborators.
What criteria did you use when selecting the venues, especially Uno Malta and the day/boat party locations?
Danny: We want to give an all-rounded experience of Maltese island life defined by boat trips to offshore locations, beaches, and clubbing to quality music in great venues! Malta has a long-standing, rich clubbing culture, peppered with super venues like UNO Malta, an institution of Maltese clubbing. We are also blessed with a Mediterranean climate, with great beaches and great locations for a boat day out! It’s a mix of all things good, an experience we would love to share with all our attendees.
Can you describe your process for curating the lineup? What factors are most important when selecting artists and live acts?
TRACY: Our idea is always to present the highest quality sound while showcasing an eclectic lineup. We need to push forward the different genres of the underground scene. For us, it’s also important to present international headliners alongside new rising stars, together with local talents. Moreover, we are trying to focus more and more on music education and transmission between OG’s and young up-and-coming artists. Finally, we wanted to integrate live acts such as the well-established Sweely, Mathew Jonson, and Mike Shannon and their incredible music in order to raise the experience of our guests even higher.
(Tracy)
How are you planning to incorporate sustainability into the festival’s logistics and operations?
Luke: Artist accommodations are located very close to the venues to reduce as much as possible ETAs. The absolute majority of the fleet used are electric or hybrid cars and the logistics team are working round the clock to make sure that no extra trips are scheduled beyond necessary. Shuttle vans will be supplied between festival locations when necessary to reduce the amount of taxis used and congestion in front of the main venue. At all festival locations we will supply returnable cups to all attendees so they can refill with their drink of choice. The festival is cashless via our custom made top up RFID system and no printed tickets are necessary as long as they have email confirmation with tickets in .pdf format. All of the mentioned initiatives will help in reducing waste and the environmental impact of the festival on surrounding areas.
What unique experiences can festival-goers expect that will set Sunny Side Festival apart from other events?
Danny: Malta is a special place. To visit the Maltese islands is already a great experience in itself, with a vibrant seaside life, rich culture, and delicious food, you’re bound to have a good time. The locals are welcoming and helpful, so anyone would feel at home. The Festival is what wraps it all up nicely into a musical holiday for underground music aficionados.
What safety and health measures are you implementing to ensure a secure environment for attendees?
Luke: All venues are licensed venues, adhering to all local health and safety regulations. Each venue is staffed with professional security teams, first aiders with standby ambulances, and festival staff working round the clock for any queries.
Will there be any afterparties or special events post-festival? If so, can you share some details?
Danny: You’ll have to book a holiday and spend the weekend with us, to find out 😉 Fun is Guaranteed!
How do you plan to gather feedback from attendees and artists to improve future festivals?
Luke: We are always with our ears to the ground. Staff will be roaming around the festival and if they obtain any valuable feedback, this will be relayed back to head office and we will react immediately if necessary. Our comm lines are always monitored and replies are given back in a reasonable time for any suggestions or queries. There is always room for improvement, feedback from our customers is crucial for the success and longevity of the festival.
After the festival ends, what is your vision for maintaining the connections made during the event?
Danny: Connections made in good spirit, surrounded by a great vibe are connections that endure the test of time. We will capture all the great, funny and fun moments during the festival via artist / partner’s interviews, recorded DJ sets and behind the scenes footage which will later be published in collaboration with the entities involved. Above all else, one keeps a strong connection if we give the artists and partners a good time through clockwork co-ordination of logistics and smooth running of the festival. The latter is what will keep artists and partners interested in working with us in the future.
