State of mind
Ukraine readies for 20 years of KaZantip Republic
After four days at a festival we're normally fairly beat - muddy, sunburnt, tired and generally dead on my feet; all we want is a hot shower and a cup of tea that doesn’t taste of Styrofoam.
So kudos to the hardy souls flying out to KaZantip, a 3-week party held every year on the shores of Ukraine. The festival was set up 20 years ago as a windsurfing contest but has since grown to a 14-stage behemoth that welcomes over 300 DJs across its marathon run, a prospect as impressive as it is intimidating.
The festival doesn’t see itself as a festival, but bills itself as the KaZantip Republic. As part of this avant-garde approach to events management attendees needn’t avail themselves of a simple ticket, but rather get themselves a ‘ViZa’ from a ‘Consulate’. But don’t let such nonsense put you off because they’ve also managed to engage the services of a range of top DJ talent, everything’s insanely cheap and it’s almost guaranteed to be sunny.
In a nod to its past the whole thing finishes with the Z-Games, a kite-surfing and other watersports competition rounded off by a special performance from Laurent Garnier, which isn’t something I thought we’d ever say.
If you want to learn more then you could watch the video below, which plays fast and loose with the intellectual property rights of some fairly litigious corporations while telling you absolutely nothing about the festival itself.
WHEN? 31st July – 18th August
WHERE? Popovka, Ukraine
LINE-UP? Sasha, GusGus, Miss Kittin, Kenny Larkin, M.A.N.D.Y., James Zabiela, Tiga, Booka Shade, George Fitzgerald, Vinnie Who, Dubfire, Stanton Warriors + more
TAX?: €120 - €200