EXIT, currently holding the title of Europe’s Best Event Organiser, has teamed up with leading Egyptian promoters P+US to launch Starlight Festival in Egypt, which has become the largest festival ever organised in the country right from its debut!
The first-ever multi-day, multi-stage electronic music festival at the Great Pyramids of Giza took place last weekend, on October 9–10, bringing together tens of thousands of people from more than 100 countries around the world. Starlight also became the largest electronic music event ever held in front of the last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World since Jean-Michel Jarre’s legendary concert there in the last century.
The inaugural edition of Starlight Festival featured today’s A-list DJ stars, including Charlotte de Witte, Adriatique, Michael Bibi, Indira Paganotto, Enrico Sangiuliano, Vintage Culture and Pete Tong, alongside more than 60 international and regional artists performing across several stages.
The festival also delivered outstanding sets from artists such as Fiona Kraft, Floyd Lavine, Cloonee and Deer Jade, while showcasing Serbian talent on the global stage through homegrown names including Lanna, Coeus, Reblok, Divolly & Markward and Tebra. Among the live performances, WhoMadeWho and Satori stood out, as did Giolì & Assia at the closing event on Sunday.
For the design and visuals of the main stage, EXIT joined forces with Sila Sveta, the renowned art collective behind productions for some of the world’s leading artists and brands, including Sphere in Las Vegas, FIFA, The Weeknd, Drake and Billie Eilish. Combining spectacular visual effects with the extraordinary setting, a series of optical illusions and lighting effects made the Pyramids appear to rise above the artists and the crowd, taking the visual experience of a world-class event to new heights.
Yet it was the international atmosphere that made Starlight a new highlight on the global festival calendar. People from 114 countries travelled to Egypt for a festival getaway, leaving with memories to last a lifetime after dancing in front of the Pyramids in the perfect October night-time weather Egypt is known for.
British superstar Michael Bibi brought his parents for the entire weekend and even slipped in incognito to dance at the No Sleep Giza stage after completing his historic set on the Main Stage! Charlotte de Witte also brought her father and friends, stayed in Egypt for three days, rode camels and sampled the local cuisine. Indira Paganotto arrived on a private flight with her 13-member ARTCORE family, straight from the season closing at Ibiza’s mega-club UNVRS, which she had sold out, and stayed with the EXIT team until Monday, flying over the Pyramids and cruising along the Nile.
The perfect combination of outstanding festival production, the magic of the destination and experienced music lovers from every corner of the world made Starlight Festival an exceptional success. Throughout the weekend, festivalgoers from around the globe kept reminding one another of the local hit slogan, shared with a wink: “It’s Giza, not Ibiza!”
