It’s 5:15 am in Jordan after I look as much as see the sky slowly swirling from deep navy to mushy lavender, earlier than erupting into heat hues of peach and gold. A delicate gentle spills everywhere in the purple rock formations as I stand in the course of a desert panorama that might fairly simply be mistaken for the floor of Mars. And because the crowd round me sways to a dawn set by Thoughts In opposition to on the Medaina Pageant, for a short second, it’s as if I’ve slipped into an alternate actuality. One distant from the load and noise of on a regular basis life.
Over eight days in Might, the Medaina Festival made its debut throughout Petra, Wadi Rum, Amman, and Aqaba, set in a few of the most visually beautiful places conceivable. It quietly remodeled my notion of what a music and cultural gathering could possibly be, not only for the Center East, however on a worldwide scale.
The ambition was clear from the beginning. Spearheaded by international occasions collective Tithorea, and supported by Jordan Tourism Board and Royal Jordanian Airline beneath the artistic route of Melissa Valentina O—recognized for her work on immersive experiences reminiscent of Echoes from Agartha in Turkey and Labryinto in Costa Rica—the pageant was by no means meant to be simply one other desert rave. With a fastidiously curated lineup that includes underground heavyweights reminiscent of Thoughts In opposition to, Bedouin, HVOB, Sonja Moonear, and Jimi Jules, and a program that wove collectively archaeological landmarks, cultural immersion, and culinary traditions, Medaina felt prefer it was constructed with objective at each flip.
Nevertheless it wasn’t simply the curation or programming that set Medaina aside. It was the way in which every thing was layered: the geography, the pacing, and the silence between the sounds. Somewhat than continuous revelry, company have been immersed in alternating nights of raving and reflection, with culturally wealthy daytime programming filling the areas in between.
Issues kicked off in Amman on Might twentieth, Jordan’s capital—a metropolis the place Roman ruins coexist with dusty cafés and upscale hospitality. The opening day served extra as a prelude than a efficiency: company checked into the Fairmont and slowly eased into the rhythm of Jordanian time. A strolling tour by the downtown space, a go to to the Temple of Hercules, and a Lebanese lunch on the regionally beloved Enas Restaurant grounded everybody in place and palette earlier than heading south.
By the night of Might 21, your complete group transferred to Petra, settling into Hyatt Zaman—the pageant’s unique base for the Petra leg. Tucked into the mountains roughly quarter-hour away from the Seven Wonders of the World UNESCO heritage website, the property felt like a pure extension of the terrain. That night, the opening ceremony occurred in Petra’s archaeological core referred to as Little Petra—an unattainable scene to duplicate or describe. Candlelight spilled throughout sandstone facades, music cascaded into canyons, and what might have simply been a gimmick grew to become one thing extra significant—the place digital music met historic resonance. The impact was startling. Credit score is because of Miss Valentina O, whose considerate strategy to gentle design throughout all three main venues in Petra and Wadi Rum was nothing in need of masterful. Utilizing delicate gradients, strategic lasers, and jewel-toned colour palettes, she remodeled pure backdrops into technicolor dreamscapes.
There was an inaugural dance efficiency, an unbelievable DJ set by Aline Umber, and a lovely projection of Jordan’s historical past and wonder solid onto the rocks of Little Petra.
The next day’s Petra tour prolonged past the anticipated picture stops. Visitors traced town’s inside valleys, met with households who nonetheless name the area house, and shared a noon meal ready by locals. That lunch, eaten in a neighborhood house with palms and flatbread, was as integral to the expertise as any headline efficiency.
Later that evening, again at one other rocky venue on the town, the programming of the Medaina Pageant pivoted into efficiency and provocation. The dwell membership set by HVOB was palms down the very best set of your complete pageant; the installations, lighting, and multimedia projection explored themes of reminiscence, loss, and reclamation. Every thing was intentional—even the shuttle service, which bumped into the early morning, so company might keep deep within the expertise with out worrying about logistics. It was a bummer Ben Sterling couldn’t make it to the pageant for his set, although.
From Petra, the group was transported to Wadi Rum—a Mars-like topography that’s extra typically seen in sci-fi movies reminiscent of Dune and Martian than pageant flyers. The lodging referred to as Luxotel was surreal and sustainable. All of the company of the Jordan Tourism Board stayed in domed bubble tents with panoramic skylights, the place that they had an opportunity to look at the Milky Means Galaxy whereas sleeping comfortably of their beds at evening.
This was the place Medaina turned from deeply cultural to dreamlike. The desert grew to become an instrument—every ridge and dune a pure reverb chamber. Late-night performances close to Rayaheb featured units from the likes of Patrice Bäumel and Jimi Jules, performed into the void as stars mapped out new constellations overhead. There have been no branded barricades—simply open sand, shared house, and deeply thought-about sound.
The daytime schedule was intentionally left open. Visitors took half in safari drives, group lunches with women-led cooperatives, or just did nothing in any respect. The pacing right here was meditative. Medaina appeared to know that awe can’t be rushed.
Nonetheless, I might level out that not every thing was in concord. Whereas most attendees have been respectful of the area’s cultural context, there have been moments the place that sensitivity fell brief. A handful of company ignored native norms round modest costume, opting as an alternative for overtly revealing outfits that clashed with the expectations of a conservative area. Jordan’s hospitality is immense, however so is its cultural framework. Festivals in settings like these require an understanding not solely of house however of social context. And whereas this didn’t overshadow the expertise, it did spark necessary conversations round cultural sensitivity in international occasion tourism.
The ultimate act performed out in Aqaba, which I sadly missed, however from what my associates instructed me, company had the possibility to decompress. Boat journeys, snorkeling excursions, and spas provided reflection with out formality. The Hyatt Regency served as a sanctuary for the week’s finish—an area to look at the solar set over the Gulf and let the mud of the previous few days settle.
Medaina arrived with out spectacle or noise, but someway managed to be probably the most talked-about pageant on the regional circuit inside days. It did so with out company banners, mainstream headliners, or compromising the cultural integrity of its places. As a substitute, it constructed one thing extra enduring—an expertise that revered its environment, prioritized its folks, and allowed music to talk in service of one thing bigger than itself. In a time when so many festivals are preoccupied with scale and superstar, Medaina, titled a “ardour undertaking” by its organisers, proved that probably the most highly effective experiences are sometimes probably the most rooted.