[Recap] 808 Festival 2016 Highlights: Why You'll Be Sorry If You Missed It!

808 Festival 2016 has once again come to a close this year and it definitely left a lasting impression - if you were among the lucky ones that made their way down to Pattaya.

Between the sea of gorgeous people, the DJs on stage playing beautiful music, and the captivating atmosphere, there was a lot to be thankful for over the 2-days at Nongnooch Garden & Resort between 10-11 December. But beware, when you get home you might just be getting some really dirty looks for all the fun you may have had. Those of you who want to relive the madness, here are 4 reasons why you'll be sorry if you missed 808 Festival 2016:

1) Experience an Array of Music Sounds

Being a 2-day festival allowed 808 Festival to diversify the type of music being played on stage each day without having to be inconsistent. The first day saw extremely heavy hitting trap and hardstyle dominate the stage. Everyone was getting down low as the likes of Valentino Khan, Dillion Francis, and Carnage tore up the brightly illuminated stage. The second day was then packed with big room sounds and emotion EDM ballads from none other than W&W, Zedd, and Hardwell to name a few.

It was this diversity in sound that made 808 Festival feel like the complete musical experience that true music lovers were looking for. It was not just the attendees that were enjoying themselves either, all the DJs that dropped by seemed to really enjoy themselves and that energy really transferred into the crowd. It was a musical night unlike any other.

2) Feel the Awesome Weather

Not often do we get to highlight this in Thailand, but for an outdoor festival, the weather during 808 Festival was extremely accommodating. On both days, there was a constant cool breeze that swept through the festival grounds and kept spirits high and dancing shoes from catching on fire. Of course, it got hot eventually as there were thousands of other dancers ready to go all out beside you, however when it mattered most the weather came through.

3) Observe the Pristine Location and Facilities

Nongnooch Garden & Resort is quickly becoming a favorite location for organizers to host festivals as it is an extremely beautiful backdrop for any event and it is surprisingly easy to get to with the transportation available in Pattaya City. The stage sits perfectly on the newly minted concrete lawn which makes dancing extremely comfortable. The surrounding greenery also highlights the location, making it a sight to see. Additionally, we will go as far as to say that this may be the best bathrooms we have ever seen at any festival grounds.

Who would have thought that it would be possible to find fully air-conditioned, easily accessible, and always clean bathrooms when you go raving? The facilities alone made having fun easy and instead of focusing on whether you would trip from dancing because of bad flooring or have to wait in line for hours to get to the bathroom, you can focus your full attention on what you were really there for – dancing like no tomorrow.

4) Make Amazing New Friends

As expected, the crowd 808 Festival attracted was a crowd of people who were more than happy to become your new best friend. Bonded by the love of music, whether you turned left or right, there was someone ready to share their drink with you – be it water or beer! There did not need to be an occasion, but without reason it was easy to toast to the good song being played or toast to the awesome move someone just busted out. Some of you may have even made friends while munching at one of the many food stalls that were selling food all night and bonded over some Pad Thai or Chicken Rice. All in all, there were so many people whose company you were enjoying for the first time – but it will surely not be the last time, as you keep in contact.

There may be a host of other reasons why you enjoyed 808 Festival, but one thing is for sure, the level of intensity the organizers bring has been brought up a notch and it does not seem to be slowing down.

For those of you who for whatever reason did not manage to go, fret not. Without even knowing any details yet, we would go out on a limb to say that next year, the event will once again be a 2-day festival spanning between 9-10 December 2017. With Monday, 11 December 2017 being a holiday once again, the likelihood of such an awesome set-up to be repeated is extremely high. To see if our predictions are true, follow 808 Festival on Facebook.

Surely though you can expect much of the same mouth-watering line-up, dope location, and amazing time with your old and new friends next year. Here is a toast to that! Cheers!

Words by Tang Kalayanamit
Images by Siam2nite