Jan

2016

Enchanted Valley Carnival: Review

Enchanted Valley Carnival, Festivals, India

05 Jan 2016

After quite some contemplation on whether we would enjoy EDM or not, Ankur and I went to the Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival at Aamby Valley last month. We had decided to ‘feel young’…go ahead and live amongst thousands of EDM fans just to experience what camping at a music festival would be like. We enjoyed the weekend a lot and met some really cool people! Besides being high on energy at Tiesto’s event, we attended one of Hariharan’s live performances, made dream catchers, watched a magical sunset and feasted on delightful food and cocktails.

Lights…sound…action!

Read on for our review of the Enchanted Valley Carnival….

Performances/Stages

Well, we were there for the music… and there was plenty to choose from. The venue had four stages – Cosmos, Pyro, Akva, and Terra. The biggies, including Fat Boy Slim and Tiesto performed at the Cosmos stage with all the lasers, glitz, glamour and fireworks. Obviously, this was my favourite stage. We also loved the trance music at the Pyro stage; the techno light effects sure did elevate the entire experience.

The audio quality at all stages was excellent. Pulsating beats, moving flashlights, funky lasers… EDM at its best!

Check out the lasers!

Ankur digs live performances… and the Terra stage was where he spent most of his time. Hariharan and Faridkot sure did make his day!

Punctuality

Ankur and I have attended performances by Bryan Adams, Enrique and Rahman… none of them has ever started or ended on time. All events at BEVC started and ended as per schedule… dot on time… unexpected and unbelievable! No one had to wait… the crowds were happier and there was plenty of time to enjoy the close knit after-parties.

Camping Experience

Besides the awesome music at the festival, the whole experience of the music festival i.e the Enchanted Village was interesting. The Quechua tents were good quality and kept moisture at bay. While the mats and sleeping bags kept us warm during the night, I would personally recommend a pair of warm socks and a scarf for the extra warmth. We were also provided a toiletries kit (shampoo, soap, tooth brush et al), a small padlock and a battery operated lamp to make our stay more comfortable. While we stayed in the tents provided by the organisers, there was plenty of space in case you would want to pitch your own tent. Maybe, we will try that out next year!

Happy campers!

Food

Those who know me know that even though I have lived in India for most of my life, I get a bout of Delhi Belly ever so often, especially if the quality of food I consume is questionable. Surprise… Surprise! My tummy was fine during the entire festival. There was lots to choose from… Chinese, Lebanese, Indian, Italian …and more. Stalls were set up by popular eateries from Pune and Mumbai, thus ensuring taste, quality and hygiene. Our favourite were Tibetian momos with chilly mayonnaise, spiked using ‘Bhoot Jholakia’, one of the spiciest peppers on the planet.

Time to eat?

Drinks

Bacardi sure did have this covered! There were plenty of bars offering concoctions to get your spirits high. Ankur and I enjoyed the mojitos in the warm afternoon Sun. For those who get a sore throat after singing along all night… there was warm toddy on the menu to soothe the vocal cords. For some ‘in between’ breather, I sipped the fresh lemonade from the food truck!

Cheers!

Fun Experiences

The Enchanted Village had enough and more to keep us occupied when we were not tapping our feet in front of the stage. I spent an entire afternoon making my very own dream catcher.

My very own dream catcher!

The silent party was such a funny but nice experience… our first time ever! Those who wanted to dance could dance… and well, there are always a few who want to crash! The camp fire kept us warm every night after the EDM concert was over. The drums and belly dance around the fire was great… I could do some shimmy as well.

For those who like to view things from the top, there was a tethered hot air balloon offering a 15 minute ride for INR 700 only. Compulsive shoppers could swipe their credit cards at the pop-up Superdry store. Ankur had to pull me back from surrendering to the shoppers’ sin!

Our only crib…

The only crib for us would be loos…but there is little that can be done about that at such a large event. Maybe a little pin up on the loo door on the inside ‘press here to flush’ might just help improve the situation… even if a little?

Ankur and I actually drove to Lonavala to find ourselves a quiet little hotel to freshen up in the morning… porta loos and porta baths are not my thing!

Do you have any music festivals on your bucketlist?

2 Responses

UltraWideLife


Nice review Sonia. I haven’t read about EVC before so thanks for spreading the word.
I liked the concept of camping after party… Makes you totally okay to indulge in party mood without having to worry about getting home.
Unfortunately I don’t like loud music 🙂

January 6, 2016 at 7:21 am
1. Sonia
  
  
  Hey Ankur! It was a great experience…the camping bit was a lot of fun. Also, the venue was so large that loud music never bothered us. The best part … the concerts would end by 10:30 pm and the afterparties were at a little distance from the tents. So, if you want to crash by 11 pm, you can sleep like a baby.
  If you don’t loud music, you would have loved the silent parties! Thumbs up for the concept!
  
  January 6, 2016 at 10:33 am