Egypt and the region’s premiere boutique festival experience, Sandbox Festival, celebrates a decade of music on the beautiful Red Sea Riviera in El Gouna from May 16-18th. This special edition of the music and travel getaway will once again assert itself as a leader in the region with a discerning mix of long-proven performers, legendary pioneers and scene-defining local and emerging artists.
Sandbox and its creators, events and entertainment powerhouse Nacelle, represent Egypt’s leading voice in the world of underground music; a combined force that continues to set trends, break headliners and craft unforgettable experiences in its own backyard. These efforts have helped give a platform to a rich local scene through its meticulous attention to detail from line-up to production to immersive stage design. It remains the warm, diverse, open and globally representative crowd that makes the event what it is.
Providing the musical backdrop this year will be the likes of dexterous DJ and inter-genre specialists Call Super, dynamic Paris instrumentalist Chloé Caillet, and famously deep digging soul and house man Danilo Plessow aka MCDE. Headlining talent turns to some of the world’s most celebrated starts like Innervisions label founder and emotive selector Dixon, Detroit’s first lady DJ Holographic, Life And Death founder DJ Tennis, the masterfully eclectic and love-fuelled Hunee and techno talents Paul Kalkbrenner, TSHA, Traumer and Paula Tape. Sandbox’s eclecticism reigns once again with a live show from Japan’s melodic house master Soichi Terada, cult house, breaks and electro star Sweely and much more.
As a continuation of Sandbox and Nacelle’s mission to showcase local talent, the festival welcomes regional scene leaders Akladios, Aly B, Aly Goede, Aroussi, Gawdat, Gazbee B2B Talaia, Hermit B2B Joey, Hot Oasis, Husa & Zeyada (Live), Jess, Misty, Nova Retra and more.
The music plays out on several individually designed and bespoke stages, many crafted from within the sand itself. Each area has its own look, feel and soundtrack, but is united by creative use of audio-visual technology and world-class sound system setups that encourage DJs to connect to the crowd. New for this year is an augmented beach stage, and new stage to allow for even more local and regional talent.
Sandbox Festival offers more than just music: it is hosted at El Gouna, a stunning resort town with breathtaking beaches and dramatic sunsets over the Red Sea. There is so much to explore that every day is an adventure of your own making with kite-surfing, desert trips, hikes, diving, boating and a bevy of cultural hotspots to bookend a perfect festival day.
“It’s honestly been surprising and humbling that we’ve been able to build such a globally recognized festival right here in Egypt. My favourite aspect of the festival is that we are able to present so many different sounds in one line-up and have a crowd that appreciates it. Sandbox really is about stripping down the essence of it all: music and people.” – Tito El Kachab (Co-Founder of Sandbox Festival / Nacelle)
www.sandboxfestival.com
