Kazantip’s founders are throwing a crazy new 32-day festival

Back in 2013, inthemix.junkee.com named Ukraine’s hard-partying Kazantip the #1 festival in the world to discover before you die. 

Unfortunately, the freewheeling festival’s reign didn’t last much longer than that – civil unrest forced it to move from its longtime home on the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, with Kazantip resettling in Cambodia a year later – only to have that event cancelled at the eleventh hour by disgruntled authorities.

Since then, Kazantip’s gone underground and its organisers have turned their focus to something new. This year they’re returning with GemFest, a festival they describe as the “spiritual successor to Kazantip,” and it’s not for the faint of heart. GemFest will take place over 32 days – that’s an entire month, from July 14 to August 14 – on the Black Sea beach of Anaklia, Georgia.

All up GemFest promises to deliver 500 artists playing across 9 stages. The line-up has started strong: first phase headliners include big room kings like Axwell & Ingrosso, Martin Garrix and Steve Aoki, plus underground heroes like James Zabiela, Honey Dijon, Paul Kalkbrenner and tINI.

GemFest first phase 2017 headliners

Alexkid
Audiofly
Axwell & Ingrosso
Barac
Bella Sarris
Bill Patrick
Carlo Lio, CEZAR
dOP/LIVE
Dubfire
Ferry Corsten
Francesca Lombardo
Gescu
Herodot
Honey Dijon
James Zabiela
Julia Govor
Martin Buttrich
Martin Garrix
Matthias Tanzmann
Molly
Paul Kalkbrenner
Petre Inspirescu
Praslea
Priku
Raresh
Rhadoo
Robag Wruhme
Roger Sanchez
Sander van Doorn
Seb Zito
Solomun
Steve Aoki
Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano
tINI
Thomas Melchior
Valentino Kanzyani
Wolf + Lamb
+ Many many more to be announced…

by Katie Cunningham the Editor of inthemix.