Festival X

Sydney, NSW - 03/12/22

On a beautifully clear day on the first Saturday of December, Festival X returned to the Sydney Showgrounds for the Harbour city’s first X experience since 2019. This massive EDM, Bass, Hip Hop and DNB festival took place across various stages and had a line-up that included some of the biggest International artists in the world right now and an A-list of local and our up-and-coming talent.

There was plenty of medical personnel on hand if help was needed

Attended by a wide age group with everyone from the barely legal to well-seasoned festival goers, most demographics were represented which always makes for a great day but also demonstrates the wide appeal of the lineup selected by the organisers. Security for the event was everywhere but not in an intrusive manner, and to be honest we only saw 2 people being spoken to and one person escorted out, considering the number of people in attendance this was mind-blowing. Well done punters.

Festival X Merch was available from two locations and contained everything from refillable drink pouches, fans, sunglasses to bumbags, and the standard T-shirts and jumpers but even these ranged in styles and designs. Bars and Frozen Cocktail/Slushie carts were everywhere and it was only the carts that had a significant wait time. Food vendors were also in abundance with all tastes and dietary requirements catered for, now over the standard dinner time there were large queues but outside of this you could walk up and be served immediately.

Now to the amenities. The amenities were positioned throughout the festival site in large numbers but the wait time and their condition varied depending on which ones you used. The main stage had its own attached area with toilets, these had a small wait time and their condition by the end of the night was not great, not horrific like some events but not good but if you went to the rows next to Stage X there was no wait time and they stayed relatively clean until the very end.

Overall this was an extremely well-run event and although the layout was different from the original X in 2019, this wasn’t a bad change and one we actually preferred. There was lots of shade and seating, things often lacking at a festival but highly essential to ensure patrons well-being especially in the summer months. Water stations were readily available and never ran dry, again another big plus for festival goers. The music was phenomenal, the crowd was friendly, and all the essentials were available. What more could you ask for? This was a festival done right.

There were 5 stages that made up the Festival X experience, each having its own unique look and feel. Individually they provided an almost separate event energy and all five had a carefully and cleverly curated selection of Local and International talent to grace them.

Main Stage: The main stage was indoors and included its own bar for the benefit of patrons who didn’t want to miss a second of the action provided by big names like Calvin Harris, Marlo, Don Toliver and John Summit. The elevated VIP enclosure was housed inside the massive building as well as a merchandise stand.

Stage X: This stage had its own special vibe with EDM giants like Tchami, Subfocus, Choomba taking up residence here. Set in a sunken amphitheatre type, it had a roman colosseum feel with the stage centred low, a dance floor area in front and surrounded by seating that rose up to ground level and a roof that allowed the hard bass to bounce back to the dedicated crowd.

The Vault: This was the only open-air stage with a grassy dance floor area and like Stage X, it had encompassing seating around the perimeter. and again its stage was built at a lower level allowing great viewing of artists such as Green Velvet, Nina Kraviz, Boys Noize, Tyson O’Brien & Laura King.

Trance Arena: This stage was set in a building next to main stage and also provided an on-location bar for attendees, it was also open plan and allowed for maximum occupancy for the likes of German duo Cosmic Gate, Israeli Blastoyz, and home grown legends Dimatik, Sunset Bros, & Taglo.

Rising Stage: This stage was little but it was mighty, with our upcoming talent getting the chance to showcase their skills in front of audiences that probably hadn’t heard of them before while also rubbing shoulders with some of the genre’s best. Artists such as Ruby J, Felixx and Hammy J, I imagine were happy just to have the bragging rights to be able to say they were on the same lineup as some of their heroes.

If you only get to the opportunity to attend a select number of events each year, FESTIVAL X definitely needs to be one of those events, trust us, if you love EDM & DNB you will not be disappointed.

MFA would like to thank the organizers for not only the return of this awesome festival but for having us along and allowing us the opportunity to see some of our absolute favourites up close and personal, so a massive thank you to Hardware, One Love & Live Nation. Thanks also to Christina at Cartel Management and Amanda at Paper Planes PR.