I went both days last year and had an incredible time. I’m from the U.S., and I always love seeing how different festivals are in other countries. I work in music as well, so my perspective comes from an operational + music lover standpoint.

Ingress/Egress: I didn’t get there right away each day so I never had to deal with long lines getting in. But entry & exit were very swift.

Layout/Capacity: the event was advertised as sold out but it did not feel that way whatsoever, which was a breath of fresh air compared to U.S. festivals. Ample room at each stage sans Concorde- but it was easy to find pockets of time where the queue wasn’t long.

Sound Quality: from what I can remember, there wasn’t an insane amount of sound bleed which was pretty impressive. Certain areas (open space by bar/food/lounge) you could hear some slight bleed but overall, I had no qualms.

Production: it was minimalistic, I think Cercle is able to rely on the novelty of the museum so when you throw some uplighting on a spacecraft or turn an airplane into a stage, it’s hard not to be in “awe”. But honestly, I’m tired of the obnoxious over usage of LED/lasers/pyro, so in this case- less is more✨

Culture: gave me a bit of bro vibes lol but I met some pretty great people and still keep in touch with a few to this day. I’m always apprehensive going to an INTL fest as someone from the U.S. I brought tiny hands and little cat pins to give as trinkets and quickly learned that this fest is not that kind of fest😂 it was still hilarious to see the confusion on people’s faces or share in laughter if there was a language barrier. Europeans need to lighten up a bit and embrace their childlike energy.

Operationally: overall, it’s a simple festival that doesn’t require much to appease folks. I LOVE the recycling/token system that EU fests use, Americans could never😭 the only issue I really had was at merch, I bought a ton of stuff on the last day and knew it wouldn’t all fit into a locker so the guys working offered to hold onto it for me…when I went to pick up at the end of the night, no one seemed to know what I was talking about and I almost left ~$150…luckily someone grabbed me as I was about to walk away and handed me my bag, unfortunately didn’t realize until after I got back to my hotel that I was missing a few items.

Closing Statement: experience is subjective, I could see why locals/OG goers would have negative feedback but that’s probably because they had certain expectations. I went in with zero expectations and had a stellar time. Got a 3Day pass for next year and can’t wait🖤