Spring is in the air and that means festival season is nearly upon us. From the Netherlands to London, Belgium to Croatia, Defected and Glitterbox are coming to a festival near you this summer. This year will be going down in history, as our festivals offering is bigger and better than ever, not to mention we’ll be launching our very own Defected London FSTVL in celebration of our 20th year.
There really is nothing better than getting your friends together for a day (or week) of glorious house music in the great outdoors, so cast your eyes over this list of our upcoming festival appearances, share it with everyone you know, and pick a couple to book – or risk the dreaded festival FOMO.
DEFECTED, LAKEDANCE FESTIVAL – 18TH MAY
Taking place in a stunning location by Lake Aquabest near Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Lakedance will be our first festival stop of the season. Defected has been returning to Lakedance for more than ten years and it’s not hard to see why – the beautifully lush lakeside location is just stunning, and the Dutch really know how to party, so it’s always a good time. Catch MK headlining, along with Defected core residents Sam Divine, Low Steppa, Ferreck Dawn and Jess Bays.
WE ARE FSTVL – 25TH - 26TH MAY
We Are FSTVL is simply a beast of a festival. Held on the outskirts of London in Upminster across two days, year on year the sell out festival showcases world-class dance music of all genres, including of course both Defected and Glitterbox with suitably massive line-ups. Catch the Glitterbox stage on Saturday 25th May with Armand Van Helden, Dimitri From Paris, Purple Disco Machine and more. Defected on Sunday has Basement Jaxx, Gorgon City and Masters At Work to name only a few – making this one completely unmissable weekend.
DEFECTED, EXTREMA OUTDOOR – 8TH JUNE
A Belgian festival that Defected has been returning to for a number of years, Extrema Outdoor takes place across three days in June, with Defected taking over DISTRIKT 3 on Saturday 8thJune. Claptone is headlining, alongside Riva Starr, Sam Divine, Ferreck Dawn and more. An impressive array of other artists are gracing the three-day festival across a spectrum of dance music genres, from Sven Väth to Gerd Janson, Franky Rizardo to Kerri Chandler. A techno and house lover’s paradise.
DEFECTED, 18HRS FESTIVAL – 13TH JULY
True to its name, 18HRS Festival is a one-day festival that crams a hell of a lot of house, tech house and disco into just 18 hours. Making our debut at the festival in Balkenhaven near Amsterdam, Defected will be bringing Low Steppa, Monki, Riva Starr, Ferreck Dawn and more. The open-air stages go until 11pm when the music continues inside the festival’s old-school warehouses until 6am. We’re really, really excited to see what this extended rave has to offer.
GLITTERBOX, TOMORROWLAND – 20TH JULY
Last year Glitterbox debuted at Tomorrowland, bringing the disco phenomenon to one of Europe’s biggest larger-than-life festivals. With the usual crew of ferocious drag queens and performers and a massive line-up including Roger Sanchez, Todd Terry and Purple Disco Machine, the Glitterbox ‘Cage’ made a real splash at the festival, with impromptu B2Bs and full crowd sit-downs making some truly memorable moments for anyone who happened to stumble across it. Expect more of the same this time round, and keep an eye out for the line-up announcement coming soon.
DEFECTED, EASTERN ELECTRICS – 3RD AUGUST
Defected returns to the mighty outdoor Switchyard arena at the late summer weekender Eastern Electrics in south London on Saturday 3rdAugust. The last stop on our Road To Croatia tour, Eastern Electrics in particular hosts a ton of homegrown UK talent from Goldie to Paul Woolford to Infinity Ink across the two days. Our stage will feature Ferreck Dawn, Josh Butler, Kenny Dope, Melé, Monki, Riva Starr, Sam Divine and Simon Dunmore for a Defected takeover of epic proportions.
DEFECTED CROATIA – 8TH-13TH AUGUST
One of the main events of our summer and a highlight of the year for the whole Defected crew, Defected Croatia is six days of house music hedonism and we can’t wait to be back in Tisno for our fourth year. With over 80 of our favourite artists from around the world converging on the shores of the sparkling Adriatic sea, beach parties, boat parties and after-parties at the legendary Barbarella’s nightclub, this is truly heaven for any house music lover. Tickets are running really low, so don’t sleep on your tickets – group deals and deposit schemes available so you really have no excuse.
GLITTERBOX, HARDWICK LIVE – 17TH AUGUST
A rare venture to the North East, Glitterbox will debut at the Hardwick Live festival in Durham on Saturday 17thAugust. A family friendly affair incorporating DJ’s, brass bands, pop-up kitchens and children’s areas, Hardwick Live has something for everyone. Glitterbox’s offering will feature Joey Negro, Horse Meat Disco, The Shapeshifters and Melvo Baptiste. All we need is that famous Durham sunshine and you have the perfect day out.
DEFECTED LONDON FSTVL – 14TH SEPT
View this post on Instagram
Last but certainly not least, Defected London FSTVL will bring together over 10,000 people for the first ever standalone Defected festival in our hometown. The one-day festival will take place on Saturday 14th September in Central Park near Dagenham, with five stages hosted by Defected’s label imprints; a Defected main stage, Glitterbox, Classic Music Company, 4 To the Floor and DVINE Sounds. The opportunity to showcase all the branches to our family tree is really exciting and the best possible way we could think of to celebrate our 20thyear. It’s going to be the ultimate summer closing party in our city. We really hope to see you there!
