Nikhil Chinapa Launches New EDM Fest In Goa

Nikhil Chinapa. Photo: Kartikey Shiva

Few weeks after publicly announcing his rift with Sunburn, electronic music promoter Nikhil Chinapa has now announced a new EDM festival that is likely to take place in Goa around the same time as Sunburn. While organizers LIVE Viacom18, the events division of the media company Viacom, are yet to announce the name of the new fest, it is scheduled to take place on Candolim beach between December 26th and 30th this year.

Dismissing obvious comparisons with Sunburn, Chinapa, who will take over as the festival director for the new five-day festival, adds that his festival will feature “quality over quantity.” While LIVE Viacom18 are tight-lipped about the international festival company they have partnered with, our best guess is one of the Electric Daisy Carnival, one of America’s biggest electronica festivals that is held annually in Las Vegas. The LIVE Viacom18 media release states: “Their international festival company partner’s previous events in locations such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Puerto Rico, and London are regarded as some of the world’s best and have consistently delivered an electrifying carnival atmosphere.” Says Chinapa of the international partnership, “We’re also working with an international festival partner who will help us bring some of the global experiences we hope to include in this festival. These plans will unfold over the next few weeks, but I can tell you that they’re looking good and I’m really looking forward to it.”

While details such as the festival name, lineup and ticket price are likely to be announced next week, Chinapa reveals that the festival will feature a mix of Indian and international artists”“popular and underground. Adds Chinapa, “What I do know is that this festival that Viacom is doing will go far beyond DJs and music. I think people sometimes get too caught up in lineups. Creating experiences and curating a soundscape (rather than booking flashy DJs) is what my aim is. Fans who have a real passion for music will understand this.” Chinapa also adds that the lineup is unlikely to feature artists from the Sunburn 2013 roster. “I have no idea what they are doing and I’ve not had an idea for a while now. But I do know that we have enough local electronica talent to make up the lineup of at least five music festivals in India at the same time,” he says.

Like Bacardi NH7 Weekender, which is offering a capped 9,000 tickets for their latest edition in Pune, Chinapa too is hoping to draw a select crowd. “I do not want to sell 30,000 tickets. This festival is for people who are closely connected to dance music,” he says, adding, “Also, I’m quite clear that this isn’t a music festival for people who want to take their shirts off and ogle at or grope women. I intend to action a zero tolerance policy to make sure that not only do women feel safe, but their friends too feel like they don’t always have to keep an eye out for them.”

While the debut edition will be purely for dance music fans, their future plans include a multi-genre festival. Adds Chinapa, “My long term goal is to make sure that this festival has 17 stages, of which 50 percent will be EDM. Also, by the third year I want to make it a camping fest.”