SXM Festival returns for a third edition in March 2018
"SXM Festival, one of the world’s leading electronic music escapes, reveals the dates for its 2018 edition. Returning for the third year on March 14-18, 2018, SXM Festival will continue to grow its reputation of forward-thinking underground bookings fused with a magical design aesthetic and the paradise setting of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten.
In its short but impactful lifespan SXM Festival has seamlessly created some of the most talked about memories on the global house and techno circuit. Attendees have been treated to seminal moments like an oceanfront sunrise session with Lee Burridge, a Jamie Jones marathon nestled into the island’s rich jungle, VIP villa sessions overlooking the Caribbean with Behrouz and Blond:ish, beachside triumphs from the likes of Richie Hawtin, Black Coffee, and Ricardo Villalobos on The Ark, SXM’s iconic mainstage – and many more unforgettable occasions.
The SXM Festival has also already had a huge impact on the island. Supported by both the French and the Dutch tourism offices, the festival has clearly helped promote the destination globally thanks to a new flux of 6000 young affluent professionals from which 3591 international travelers and over 68 media outlets generating over 250+ international and local press articles covering its 2017 edition. Since 2015, the festival has captured over 3.3M views on Facebook and generated in 2017 close to 220M international impressions recording a total PR value evaluated at an impressive USD $900,000.
The festival span across both the French and Dutch side with 10 spectacular venues including Happy Bay, Refuge, Sky Beach, Tantra, Layla’s, Sandy Line Villa, a boat Party, Mercure Hotel, Dirty Sanchez & Three Amigos.
Beyond the location, it is the production and aesthetic mastery created by over 30 international and local visual artists and designers which creates this truly immersive experience. Every detail is drenched in an artful and calculated approach, offering a look and feel positioned where history (much of the decor is inspired by the art of the indigenous Caribbean people, The Tainos), technology, and nature meet. From the organic mainstage appearing as though it is growing from Happy Bay This is the carefully curated vessel through which the SXM Festival voyage is charted.
Through the impeccable production and delivery of the festival, the organization team enrolled a number of local sponsors such as Delta Petroleum, CC1 and Antillean Liquors no name a few and hired over 177 local workers and volunteers. It is estimated that this high caliber festival had an impact of USD $ 14M, stimulating business for restaurants, hotels and many more local businesses. The festival incurred over USD $700 000 in expenditures from more than 40 local companies for artists & media hotel accommodations, as well as staff, artist & media meals, shuttle services for attendees and finally subcontracting, equipment & machinery rentals and materials purchases.
It is the collision of world-class curation and the unique destination of Saint Martin / Sint Maarten that defines the SXM Festival experience. " says the organisation in a press release sent last week-end.
Crédits photo : Patricia Brochu (édition 2017)
