Thousands of Yellow Suitcases Leave Crimea as KaZantip Music Festival Comes to an End

Kyiv, August 29, 2011. The symbol of one of the most unconventional electronic dance music festivals in Europe “KaZantip” – a yellow suitcase – was obtained by thousands of guests this year as they had gathered for the 19^th annual meet. “KaZantip” habitually took place in Popovka village in Crimea, located at the Black Sea shore in Southern Ukraine. The festival lasted for over a month and ended on August 27, 2011. Numerous electro music stars entertained the audience of the festival.

The famous symbol of the festival – a yellow case – gave a free pass to the festival for its owner. Every year thousands of guests purchase signature KaZantip yellow cases – individually decorated and often branded with a Z or the full KaZantip title. The idea of using the item as the festival’s brand goes back to the 1970 Soviet comedy “The Adventures of the Yellow Case”.

Coming from humble beginnings “KaZantip” is currently recognized as a significant international music festival. The guests of this year’s “KaZantip” were the Dutch trance music DJ and producer, currently listed as #12 in the world [according to DJMag – ed.] Sander van Doorn, a Russian-American DJ Serge Devant, who authored the colorful track for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, whose style is often described as “deepsexyfuturistictechfunkouse”. The British electronic music artists were presented at the festival by John Digweed, Richie Hawtin, Danny Howells, Leeroy Thornhill, Nick Warren, James Zabiela, and duo Groove Armada. Other international guests were the Dutch psychedelic trance duo G.M.S., the French power pop band Pony Pony Run Run, the Argentine house DJ Hernán Cattáneo, the Chilean-German electronic music producer and DJ Ricardo Villalobos.

The concept of the festival was to avoid clichés and promote freedom, which translated into constant changes of the entertainment program over the years.

To highlight the liberty that adorns the festival for its duration Popovka is [unofficially – ed.] renamed to the Orange Republic of “KaZantip” with its very own president and ministers; moreover, the Republic also has such attributes of a state as consulates.

The visitors have to go through customs to get onto the territory of the festival. At the festival couples can get “married”, girls can compete for the Princess of KaZantip title. To spread the relaxed atmosphere of the event the organizers of “KaZantip” jokingly insist on not being called a “fie-stival”.

Recently, a new dance floor Mars was opened at the festival. It’s a themed disco space where the dress code states ‘alien’ and “UFOs” are used for decoration.