When?
Friday November 29, Saturday November 30 & Sunday December 1.
Where?
Festival X takes place at Melbourne Showgrounds, which is right next door to Flemington Racecourse. You probably went to the Showgrounds as a school kid to have a fang on the bumper cars at the Royal Melbourne Show. The grand pavilion is also home to the annual Supanova Pop Culture Expo and Stereosonic was held there up until its dissolution.
What is Festival X?
After nine years of operation, Stereosonic’s reign as Australia’s biggest touring electronic dance music festival came to an abrupt end in 2015. Well, we say abrupt, but the festival simply didn’t come back in 2016 and any details about its expected return were hard to find. You can let go of those concerns now, though, because the event organisers, Onelove Music Group, have teamed up with Australian electronic promoters par excellence, Hardware, and global bigwigs, Live Nation, to create Festival X.
You might know Hardware from the Piknic Élektronik series, which will be back at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl from November ‘til February, and the Babylon festival, which hits the Victorian countryside in late Feb. Richie McNeill founded in Hardware in 1990 with the simple aim of bringing quality live music events and parties to the masses. He’s been honouring that intention ever since, but Festival X is Hardware’s biggest venture to date.
“We’re super excited to be working with Onelove again and the Live Nation team,” said McNeill. “[We’ve] put together an incredible mix of music in the electronic, pop and urban spaces.”
Who?
McNeill is not kidding around when he said incredible – the weight of this lineup will give you a hernia. The headliners for Festival X version 1.0 are the world’s third highest-earning DJ for 2019, Calvin Harris, Dutch trance trailblazer Armin van Buuren and hip hop’s hyperactive miscreant du jour, Lil Pump.
Who else? In alphabetical order: Alison Wonderland, Anna Lunoe, Badrapper, Blueface, Camelphat, Cosmic Gate, Futurecode, Generik, Giuseppe Ottaviani (Live 2.0), Godlands, Kaz James, Kölsch, Marlo, MK (Marc Kinchen), Murda Beatz, Nic Fanciulli, Paul Kalkbrenner (Live), Ruben De Ronde, Sophiegrophy, Steve Aoki, Sunset Bros., Tchami, Thandi Phoenix, Trippie Redd and Vini Vici.
What else?
Given the magnitude of the lineup, and just how bloody loud these acts are going to be, Festival X will spread multiple stages across the Showgrounds. It’s a touring festival so all of the acts will be coming in hot to Melbourne after festivals in Brisbane on Friday November 29 and Sydney on Saturday November 30.
There will be loads of food available onsite. It’s not BYO, but there will be bars dotted across the Showgrounds. Live Nation Australasia CEO Roger Field promises “a new and exciting festival experience”, with more details to be revealed as the countdown for Festival X intensifies.
VIP
The VIP X-Perience gives you access to the exclusive Festival X platform, one complimentary drink to be redeemed at the festival bar, an exclusive Festival X merchandise item as well as access to a crowd-free dedicated merch stand, a dedicated cloak room, premium toilets and VIP entry. Festival X is a strictly 18+ event.
Tickets
Tickets are available now from Ticketmaster. A standard ticket will set you back $179.95 while the VIP X-Perience costs $384.19.
For tickets and more on Festival X, head to festivalx.com.au.
