808 Festival Enters Its Fifth Year: Time to Look Back and Reminisce

Posted October 11, 2017

You tend to remember your first love, your first date, your first kiss - these impactful moments in life tend to stick with you and do not fade with time. What makes these moments stand out is the level of joy and happiness that they bring - a sense of wonder or excitement that make them ever so hard to forget. We live for these memories, and we breathe for these moments, we are these moments.

The beautiful thing is that there is no secret formula to makes you feel a certain memorable way. That is why the feeling that creeps up on you tends to come as a surprise, albeit a surprise that you cannot get enough of. And yet, there are certain people, certain places, or even certain events that somehow always gets you. Events like 808 Festival.

It has been 5 years since we were first introduced to 808 Festival for the very first time. All the way back in 2013 when the doors first opened to the event, a sense of wonder that has been hard to shake off seemed to hit many of us in the face.

For those who have managed to go to every single one and are ready to celebrate their 5th year anniversary, you will know that 808 Festival is not your typical music festival. It is an inspiring event that brings together people from all wakes of life to celebrate music, love, and community together all at once during Thailand’s Constitution Day holiday. 808 Festival are the pioneers in an industry that was in its infancy - allowing others to, later on, follow suit.

In order to truly celebrate a milestone that has been etched fondly in our memories, we look back at the years leading up to the 5th year anniversary of 808 Festival and the highlights that they brought us.

2013: The Beginning

The first 808 Festival kicked off to what was the initial wave of EDM festivals that were about to hit Thailand, and what a beginning it was. With tickets starting off at THB 1,350, we got to see DJs like Steve Aoki, Bingo Players, Chuckie, and even Bass Jackers tear up the stage and really played to the crowd. Whether it was the cake throwing or hits like Rattle ringing through the halls of Bitec Bangna, the first event cemented 808 Festival as a must-go event for any EDM lover.

If December 10th of every year is Thailand’s Constitution Day holiday, then December 9th of every year belonged to 808 Festival.

2014: The Dual Stage

Capitalizing on the successful first-year event, 808 Festival doubled down and opened up 2014 with the first-ever dual stage festival. For the very first time in Thailand at an EDM festival, crowds were not getting just one, but rather two stages worth of DJs.

The main stage welcomed the likes of Nicky Romero, Blasterjaxx, Dannic, and DVBBS while the second stage focused on tech-house and saw Richie Hawtin, Loco Dice, and Hot Since 82 beat the crowd up all night. Not only did the dual stage set a precedent, but it also showed why 808 Festival was unique in the way they approached festivals and their daring ability to try something different.

2015: The Crazy Line-Up

Then came 808 Festival 2015, where most people will know it for the collaboration with Kolour, but most will remember it for the crazy line-up that was announced.

Of course, the collaboration with Kolour to host the second stage at the event called the SUNN Arena was impressive, but it was the emphatic announcement of a line-up that consisted of multiple superstar DJs that really left jaws on the floor. Armin Van Buuren, Axwell Ingrosso, Jack U, Oliver Heldens, Porter Robinson…need we name more? And to think this was only one ONE stage. Add to that Claude VonStroke, Jamie Jones, and Sharam on SUNN Arena, and it was a wrap.

2016: 808 On Tour and Myanmar Expansion

With multiple unanticipated events occurring towards the end of 2016, many festival organizers had to either cancel their events in its entirety or get real creative fast. 808 Festival being the powerhouse that they are, chose to get creative. Being unable to organize the event in Bangkok, the team moved the entire party down to Pattaya where they turned 808 Festival into a 2-day rave.

Moreover, the team decided that this was the year they were going to expand internationally and also hosted another 2-day rave ON THE SAME DATES in Myanmar. Talk about crazy, but they pulled it off and managed to get Carnage, Dillion Francis, Hardwell, W&W, ZEDD, Borgore, Marlo, Valentino Khan, and Yellow Claw among others to appear at either one or both of their events. If festivals could flex, this would be the way to do it.

2017: The 5 Year Anniversary

And that brings us to this year. On December 9 and December 10 in 2017, 808 Festival will be taking over the Oasis Arena (Show DC). The new venue not only brings about a unique outdoor experience in Bangkok, but the Phase One line-ups clearly went Above & Beyond (pun intended) our expectations.

Yes, Above & Beyond will be performing in Bangkok for the very first time and will share the stage with the likes of Flosstradamus, Ghastly, Justin Oh, Kayzo, and Vini Vici among others. We have yet to be given the full line-up, but we are already sure that 808 Festival is that first love that we are not about to forget anytime soon.