Every summer, amidst the vibrant festival landscape, UNTOLD Europe emerges as a beacon of unparalleled experiences. While pinpointing precisely why it’s hailed as one of the world’s finest festivals may seem like an arduous task, here are some compelling reasons why this event stands head and shoulders above the rest.
1. Accessible Musical Paradise
The first whisper of UNTOLD‘s allure often revolves around its affordability without compromising on quality. Priced at a remarkably reasonable starting point of 129 EUR + Taxes for a 4-day ticket, it’s a festival that doesn’t burden wallets.
Not only that, but the reasonably priced food and beverages add to its reputation as one of the most budget-friendly events globally. This balance between cost and top-tier entertainment is a rare gem in the festival circuit.
2. Stellar Line-Up: Legends and Rising Stars
Renowned for its stellar line-ups, UNTOLD Festival has played host to a constellation of musical legends and rising stars. The European edition of UNTOLD in Cluj-Napoca, Romania has hosted world-renowned artists such as Imagine Dragons, Robbie Williams, G-Eazy, Jason Derulo, J Balvin, A$AP Ferg, Ellie Goulding, Bebe Rexha, Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Alok, Amelie Lens, Black Coffee, Tale of Us, Solomun, Charlotte de Witte, Mathame, Boris Brejcha, Eric Prydz, CamelPhat, Loco Dice, Hernan Cattaneo and many more.
The diversity of artists, spanning various genres, ensures that UNTOLD caters to a wide spectrum of musical tastes, making it a must-attend for music enthusiasts worldwide.
3. Day and Night Activities – Embrace the Festival Spirit Around the Clock
Beyond the beats, UNTOLD Festival offers a 24/7 celebration of music, art, and culture. Attendees can immerse themselves in a plethora of daytime activities, from workshops and interactive art installations to sports challenges that pump up the adrenaline.
The festival also introduces the “Designers’ Nest,” showcasing the creations of over 20 Romanian fashion designers. This dedication to diverse experiences ensures that UNTOLD is not just a music festival but a holistic celebration of creativity.
4. Gastronomic Delights – A Feast for the Senses
UNTOLD tantalizes taste buds with a culinary journey that transcends borders. From gourmet food trucks to fine dining pop-ups, the festival’s food offerings cater to every palate, including vegetarian, vegan, and carnivorous preferences.
Notably, UNTOLD is the only festival in the world with a McDonald’s on its grounds. The festival also takes pride in offering a diverse range of beverages, from signature cocktails to craft beers, ensuring revelers stay refreshed amidst the musical euphoria.
5. Spectacular Production
As the sun sets, UNTOLD transforms into a mesmerizing realm of lights, fireworks, and awe-inspiring stage designs. Each year, the festival unveils its theme on the main stage, using decorations, lights, and video content as storytelling tools to immerse attendees in the magical ambiance of UNTOLD.
The festival’s production is nothing short of remarkable, involving over 1,000 tons of materials transported by more than 500 trucks to set up stages, decorations, food and drink areas, ticket stations, credit points, activations, and activities. The artistic component adds memorable moments, including the opening and closing ceremonies, along with various shows.
The mainstage is a spectacle with a LED screen spanning over 700 square meters, towering 24 meters high or more, stretching 95 meters wide, and reaching a depth of 30 meters. Weighing over 400 tons, the stage features a roof with a 24-meter span. Throughout the festival, more than 900 light displays illuminate the Cluj-Arena stadium, all powered by renewable energy sources.
Top-notch production specialists lead the stage creation, with Radu Rus serving as the Head of Production. Chris Sabelleck, the Production Manager for the UNTOLD mainstage, brings 24 years of experience and has worked with global icons like Metallica, Rammstein, Britney Spears, Madonna, and Rihanna. Thiago Machado, another key figure, boasts experience as the Production Manager for Tiesto, ex Stage Manager at Expo Dubai, and involvement in numerous global events.
The Galaxy stage, a techno house haven at UNTOLD, features a dynamic scenery that continually transforms through video-mapping projections. The Alchemy stage replicates an alchemy laboratory, showcasing rap, trap, hip-hop, and drum & bass music. The Time stage, executed in a steampunk style, serves as a metaphorical time machine with decor elements like clocks, time machines, hourglasses, and star charts.
The Daydreaming stage features three floral portals with LED screens, transporting visitors to a floral world reminiscent of the Garden of Eden. Additional stages, including Retro Fantesia and Tram, host special shows, adding to the diverse and magical experience of the UNTOLD Festival.
6. Creative Theme Every Single Edition
Each year, the festival unveils a fresh and imaginative theme, crafting dedicated narratives for the world’s most enthusiastic audience to experience the enchantment of UNTOLD. Following its inaugural edition, UNTOLD achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Best Major Festival in Europe award—a distinction seldom earned after just one event.
Inspired by Romanian fairy tales in its initial iteration, the hard-working crew behind UNTOLD Festival artfully reimagined local characters and stories. While evolving into an international concept, the creative team maintained strong ties to local roots.
Their approach seamlessly blends the tangible world and its people in a genuine setting with the fantastical realm of magicians, dragons, wolves, fairies, the Moon, legends and mythology. Beyond music, UNTOLD explores themes of love and unity encouraging festival-goers to believe in their dreams and turn them into reality.
7. UNTOLD’s Blood Network Campaign
UNTOLD Festival goes beyond entertainment, addressing a critical issue in Romania—the shortage of blood donations. In a country where more than 500,000 units of blood are needed annually, UNTOLD takes an active role in raising awareness and incentivizing donations.
Festival-goers can donate blood at permanent centers for discounted access or at mobile transfusion caravans for free 4-day festival passes, contributing to a vital cause while enjoying the festivities. They also receive a shopping voucher for 100 euros from UNTOLD‘s partner Kaufland involved in this campaign.
8. Community Engagement and Special Campaigns
UNTOLD Festival extends its impact beyond the festival grounds through special campaigns. In 2018, it became the first brand to receive the title of ambassador of Romanian tourism, recognizing its role in promoting the country.
Initiatives like “Romania All-Inclusive” offer festival-goers special prices to visit iconic attractions, contributing to the local tourism sector. With the bracelet from the festival, festival-goers could see the Bran Castle, Peleș National Museum, Turda mine salt, Astra National Museum, Aqua Park President, Oradea Fortress, and many more beautiful places in Romania full of history.
The festival also champions education, offering unique incentives for high school graduates and students who excel academically. They’ve created a very-unique campaign for high school graduates who pass the final exams with 10. This way, they have free access to the festival. Those who pass the exam can buy tickets at exceptional prices. Starting in 2022, the festival extended this campaign for students as well.
9. Awards and Accolades
UNTOLD‘s acclaim is reflected in the numerous awards it has received. The unique experience from the heart of Transylvania ranks 6th in the Top 100 Festivals by DJ Mag. This year, the European festival that put Romania on the global map of events also found its place in the top 3 festivals in Europe, among Tomorrowland and Glastonbury. UNTOLD also won the Best Foreign Festival at the Heavent Festival Awards in Paris.
UNTOLD is also nominated for the Best Major Festival at the 13th edition of European Festival Awards.
Here’s your last chance to vote for it HERE!
The UNTOLD Europe Festival will take place from August 8th to 11th, 2024, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and it’s ready for a new chapter that will bring you experiences for once-in-a-lifetime.
Join the UNTOLD magic HERE.
Check out the official 2022 aftermovie below!
