Jump into the heart of Sunwaves Festival, Romania’s hidden gem where music, beaches, and culture converge for an unforgettable week.
You may not be familiar with Sunwaves Festival, but it deserves a spot on your bucket list. This seven-day event unfolds twice a year in Mamaia, a quaint resort town on the Black Sea coast of Romania. Unique for being directly on the beach, this year’s spring edition from May 1 – May 7 hosted an impressive lineup of 106 artists. Each artist delivered performances ranging from two to more than ten hours, making it perfect for house music enthusiasts.
The festival features four tented stages, each about 100 feet apart, aligned side by side facing the sea. The decor inside each tent was minimal, with colored lights pulsating to the music, projection-mapped art behind the DJ booths, and top-notch sound systems provided by Funktion-One. Amenities like bars, a food court, restrooms, and merchandise stalls were conveniently located, but there was absolutely zero flair to this festival. It was about the music and the music only.
Adding to its uniqueness, Sunwaves operates without publicly posted set times, allowing certain artists the freedom to play as long as they wish. This contributes to some of the best dancefloor energies I’ve ever experienced. As I stepped into this venue, the energy from both performers and the crowd assured me I was part of something special.
The simplicity of Sunwaves was precisely what I needed.
The minimal production meant that those who might use events like these for clout weren’t in attendance. Except for the Black Sea, only the stages were worthy of photographs — and because it wasn’t easy to get to, there wasn’t really a point to go unless you were really dedicated to minimal house and its sub-genres.
Sunwaves has been going on since 2007, having hosted 32 different editions of the festival. Sunwaves 33 will be held sometime in August. Each installment varies in size, and this year’s attendance was estimated to be roughly 10,000 people, which was the perfect number. Lines were never too long, I never needed to really wait for anything (except maybe the bathrooms), and because you were allowed to go in and out, the prices in nearby shops were cheaper than some of the food carts outside the festival grounds. They offered some pretty extensive options, too.
The freedom given to DJs to tailor their sets based on the crowd’s energy is truly remarkable at Sunwaves.
I saw so many sets over the seven days. Romanian label Take Notes kicked the festival off with a small showcase, not to mention Jamie Jones and Mahony, the latter of whom played three sets over the course of the entire festival.
Marco Carola’s 16-hour set was so long they brought him a chair with a pillow to sit on. Franky Rizardo and Archie Hamilton killed it, while Seth Troxler played a very different six-hour set. So many rare opportunities came about during this festival.
It really solidified how unique Romanian festivals are as I had another amazing experience at the Bucharest festival Saga last year. Crowds who are there for the music are so important to me.
Each tent had its own certain unspoken vibe; tent four was where you’d hear the most true rominimal sound. Tent three was barely used at all, only just for a few acts all week. Tent one and two featured the bigger names in deep tech, minimal and European tech house, and were also the two largest. Each tent had slightly different artwork from a different artist, but the layouts were all the same.
Sunwaves surpassed many of my expectations with its relentless, seven-day lineup, allowing me to take breaks as needed and return energized for early morning or late afternoon sets.
It truly stands out as the best festival I’ve ever attended, despite its niche focus. The only comparable experience for me was Zamna in Tulum, though safety concerns there can be daunting. At Sunwaves, knowing that the artists I admired were playing extended sets meant I never had to struggle to stay awake. I felt more revitalized and recharges than at any two or three-day festival. I also deeply appreciated the minimal decor, though more chill-out spaces and places to sit would would have been nice. The small area available was quickly overwhelmed by about 20 people, a small number in a festival hosting 10,000.
Overall, the affordability of Sunwaves is remarkable. I secured a combined ticket for Sunwaves 32 and 33 for under €100, offering 14 days of music at an unmatched price. The value for money, safety, and exceptional crowd quality make this festival a must-visit for any house music enthusiast. Sunwaves has become my favorite festival, and I am committed to returning at least once a year.
