Written by: Olivia Poglianich
This November 16th-18th, just as summer Down Under kicks into full swing, one of the best electronic festivals, Strawberry Fields, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in style.
Straddling the border of New South Wales and Victoria in the small town of Strawberry is one of the many infamous “bush doofs,” or as the locals say, just “doofs” that Australia is known for. But this isn’t just any doof. Resident Advisor consistently ranks Strawberry Fields in the top 10 festivals worldwide. They’re going on 4 straight years and counting.
Imagine thousands descending on the dense uninhabited countryside to spend a weekend dancing in the sunshine and well into the night. As Mix Mag called last year’s Strawberry, it’s a “perfectly curated escape hidden deep in the bush.” Amongst swaths of eucalyptus trees (known affectionately as gum trees down here), Aussie ravers can enjoy the full Wildlands experience – from the smiles, the sunburn, the sky and the clouds, to long days of wild river swimming and even longer nights listening to disco legends playing funky tracks from a treehouse.
photo credit: Strawberry Fields website
LINEUP
This year’s line up boasts an impressive array of Aussie acts and international talents. One of the first big names they announced is the famous Honey Dijon from Chicago, plus electronic lovers can expect sets from the Detroit techno, Grammy-nominated Carl Craig and UK based Sasha. European representation will be strong too from the Scandinavian techno group Minilogue to the Belgian DJ Peter Van Hoessen and Berlin-based Max Graef. Japan will be represented with DJ Nobu, New Zealand’s own Out of Sorts will be in attendance and Argentinian Chancha Via Circuito.
On the home turf, there’s lots of Aussie talent represented too, from the Sydneysider turned Berlin expat Bella Sarris to the Melbourne based 30/70 and the Western Australia rock funkers POW! Negro. You can check out the full lineup here.
photo credit: Voena Gallery Strawberry Fields 2016
THE ATMOSPHERE
Strawberry describes itself as a “choose your own adventure” kind of festival. Its a place where you can start your day with a swim on the river, then have a wander to find a hidden shack serving Japanese tea – samurai style. Alongside the river is a stage called The Beach aka Playa Del Murray, which will serve up the sounds of summer all day long.
The Village offers workshops on screen printing and nutrition, plus shiatsu massages and an art gallery with paintings for sale. You can chill in a hammock at the hanging garden of native plants. The festival also offers free tickets, yep, totally free tickets, to people who are celebrating their birthday that weekend. (November 15-18, 2018), not to mention being the first festival in Australia to offer discounted tickets for low-income attendees.
TICKET INFORMATION
First and second round ticket releases have already sold out so grab yours while they’re still available here.
photo credit: Voena Gallery Strawberry Fields 2016
1 Comment
That seems like a cool vibe. I liked the sound of the massage, a massage in this community can be mind melting. Offering low income tickets, good looking out admin.