Explore how this humble Playa del Carmen festival came to be one of the most distinctive electronic music festivals today.
Since the past eight years, BPM Festival has put Mexico on the map like no other music festival has. It emerged, seemingly out of nowhere, and took over the world of dance music with a massive bevy of international electronic acts over the span of ten days every year. Delve deeper into the many elements that led to BPM becoming the mecca of electronic music enthusiasts.
The incredible evolution
Conceptualized in 2008, the initial idea was to have industry figures visit the resort for a conference-style holiday, with a single supporting party taking place each day. BPM stood for “Bartenders, Promoters, Managers”, a much more official event than we know it to be today. The business aspect, although seeing reasonable attendance, did not do very well. The parties, however, with the Playa del Carmen sun and beautiful setting, kicked it out of the ballpark. The founders of the festival, a group of Toronto residents with backgrounds in promotion, decided to diverge from the original concept of the festival. In the next few years, BPM was one of the hottest electronic music festivals in North America, drawing electronic music enthusiats and international acts from all over the world. Today, BPM hosts over 300 DJs and 75 events.
The longest festival dedicated to electronic music
Famous for being one of the longest electronic music festivals all over the globe, BPM sees a vast and eclectic expanse of musicians every year. Spanned over ten days, each day featuring about sixteen hours of uninhibited music, this festival is an immensely thorough experience for anyone who enjoys electronic music. In total, BPM will feature over 375 artists at this year’s edition, so keep your socks on. Furthermore, the festival includes mandatory beach and club party events, to complete the experience. BPM’s popularity spread like wildfire, and soon the festival developed into a cultural phenomenon of the dance music scene.
The lineup
BPM lineups are known to be thoroughly eclectic in the genre of electronica and consisting of a wide range of mainstream as well as underground electronic artists. Bringing over 150 DJs to the beaches of Playa del Carmen this year, BPM’s 2016 lineup, released in two phases, features some incredible acts. These include Marco Carola, Guy Gerber, Mark Knight, Dubfire, Richie Hawtin, Dusky, Gorgon City, Hot Since 82, Adam Beyer, and many more. Take a look at their Facebook page to view the entire lineup.
Playa del Carmen
Located along the Riviera Maya strip of Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, Playa del Carmen is a scenic resort town, famous for its pristine beaches and deep waters. Playa serves as the perfect backdrop for the paradise-like bliss BPM offers its attendees. From the lavish beach parties to the hottest clubs, Playa harbours the ideal music festival lifestyle. Not to mention, it’s also a nice break from the usual festival destinations such as Amsterdam and Florida. The BPM Festival takes place in Playa on January 8-17. Find more info here, and keep tabs on Festival Sherpa for updates about this festival.
(All Images Via: thebpmfestival.com)