The 9th edition of the UNTOLD Festival was a magical experience set in the heart of Transylvania, Romania, in the enchanting city of Cluj-Napoca.
This year, over 427,000 attendees from across the globe—including Europe, the USA, Canada, Brazil, Asia, and the UAE—gathered to immerse themselves in the festival’s unique atmosphere.
For four unforgettable days and nights, 250 local and international artists, DJs, and producers performed across 8 stages and various music spots. UNTOLD is more than just a festival; it’s a celebration of music, freedom, tolerance, and friendship, offering participants the chance to create lifelong memories in a place where pure joy reigns supreme.
Sam Smith, Lenny Kravitz, Burna Boy, Tom Grennan, and Louis Tomlinson enchanted the best crowd in the world with their beautiful voices and unique shows, while Martin Garrix, Swedish House Mafia, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Alok, Timmy Trumpet, Steve Aoki, Salvatore Ganacci, Lost Frequencies, Purple Disco Machine, Jax Jones, FISHER, Solomun, Carl Cox, Black Coffee, all the DJs and producers created unique journeys and experiences with their music and energy.
UNTOLD Festival Day 1: 97,000 souls and top best artists
One of the most anticipated live acts was Louis Tomlinson, marking his debut on the UNTOLD‘s main stage. “Just Hold On” and “Back to You,” the songs that topped the charts in the UK and the US, turned the Cluj-Arena into a place of authentic emotions. “UNTOLD is truly special, thank you! The energy of this place is something unique”, said Louis Tomlinson.
With a live show featuring his most well-known songs, “Little Bit of Love” and “Found What I’ve Been Looking For,” British artist Tom Grennan sang songs from his upcoming studio album for the first time. “You are an extraordinary audience; these songs, which you hear exclusively at UNTOLD, are my way of thanking you for being with me!” said the British artist.
Purple Disco Machine played songs that brought him to international charts and premiere productions from his upcoming album, “Paradise,” which will be released in September.
Steve Aoki joined all 9 editions of UNTOLD, and this year, he invited the Romanian artist Irina Rimes for their collab on the remix of “Dudadu“. “UNTOLD is my home away from home, and sharing this song with you was a special moment. Out of love for fans, I wanted to work with a Romanian artist. This is my first collaboration with Romania, and I made this remix for ‘Dudadu’ by Irina Rimes out of love for Romania.”
Timmy Trumpet generated incredible euphoria and told fans they are a family to him. His set also included a Romanian song by the band Cargo, “Dacă ploaia s-ar opri” (If the Rain Would Stop).
UNTOLD offers diversity in musical styles at every edition, this year hosting 8 stages and multiple music spots with electronic music and its subgenres, including house, deep house, chill house, tech-house, techno, dubstep, drum-and-bass, breakbeat, rap, trap, and more. The underground techno culture has its home on the Galaxy stage, which welcomed the legends Black Coffee and Carl Cox and the Romanian DJs Prâslea, Marwan Dua, and Akos.
UNTOLD Festival Day 2: 110,000 souls and top best artists such as Lenny Kravitz, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Alok, Lost Frequencies, Solomun, and more
Pop-rock legend with four Grammy Awards Lenny Kravitz‘s live show was a journey where only the connection between people, music, and emotion mattered. Tracks from Lenny Kravitz’s latest studio album, Electric Blue Light,” “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “I’m a Believer,” “I Belong To You,” “American Woman,” “Fly Away,” “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over,” “TK421,” “Human,” and “Paralyzed” brought people together.
“Thank you for being here with me, for allowing us to celebrate music together. Love is the only thing that matters, and you have given it to me!” said Lenny Kravitz.
Alok, the Brazilian DJ and producer who loves UNTOLD‘s energy, created a new show concept and played a powerful set. He paid tribute to Nicu Covaci, the founder of the Romanian rock band Phoenix, who passed away. It was a moment filled with authentic emotion, for which he received tens of thousands of applauses.
Another moment that took the main stage excitement to another level was the DJ set of Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. “You remain the greatest crowd in the world. We missed you so much.” said Dimitri Vegas.
Lost Frequencies, one of the most charismatic artists in electronic music, has prepared a unique show concept with tracks from his latest studio album, “All Stand Together.”. Brazilian DJ Zerb made his debut in Romania at UNTOLD. The producer of the hit single “Mwaki,” a track with many streams on platforms, was highly excited about the festival’s organization, the hospitality, and the Romanian fans who stayed with him until sunrise.
Netsky smashed the Alchemy stage, while the techno temple, the Galaxy stage, hosted Solomun, Sara Bluma, Peredel, Cezar, Mihigh, and Poltom.
UNTOLD Festival Day 3: 120,000 souls and top best artists such as Sam Smith, Swedish House Mafia, Jax Jones, Salvatore Ganacci, and more
The unique moments with Sam Smith and the Swedish House Mafia once again highlighted why UNTOLD is one of the most important festivals in the world.
Sam Smith, the only artist who managed to bridge the gap between soul and pop music, performed for the first time in Romania on Cluj-Arena, with the UNTOLD Festival being part of the global tour “Gloria – The Blackout Tour.”
Tens of thousands of fans celebrated with the British artist, sharing a love for music, freedom, tolerance, and friendship. With his impressive voice, Sam Smith created an incredible connection with the best crowd in the world, delivering a live performance that remains in UNTOLD‘s history.
Sam Smith met 12 cancer survivors from 12 countries through the Youth Cancer Europe organization. These meetings were emotional, with the artist expressing gratitude through hugs and autographs for them.
The British artist received the first diamond record ever awarded in Romania to an artist during the UNTOLD Festival. Universal Music Romania presented him with the Diamond Record for “Gloria” and “In The Lonely Hour,” the first certification of its kind in Romania.
Swedish House Mafia, one of the most powerful electronic music acts, delivered an impressive live set to the fans at Cluj-Arena. Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Steve Angello generated total euphoria with iconic songs like “Don’t You Worry Child,” “Save The World,” and “One,” as well as productions from the album “Paradise Again,” the comeback album of the legendary Swedish House Mafia trio.
“You created magic!” said Axwell, who thanked the best crowd in the world at the end of the live show while having a fireworks spectacle.
Salvatore Ganacci wore the number 10 jersey of Romanian football legend Gheorghe Hagi, representing the Romanian national team. A nonconformist artist, the Swede offered not just a DJ set, but a visual spectacle with a unique production. Salvatore danced and mingled with the crowd, played football on stage, and gave his phone number to the fans who called him during the show, and he answered.
Jax Jones and Jaxomy smashed the main stage, and Tujamo closed it with the fans at sunrise. Stephan Bodzin, Charlie, Grigore, SIT, and Priku b2b Arapu transformed the Galaxy stage into a universe where space and time didn’t matter; only the passion and love for techno music did.
UNTOLD Festival Day 4: 100,000 souls and top best artists such as Burna Boy, Martin Garrix, Mahmut Orhan, Nicky Romero, FISHER, and more
The Grammy Award winner for “Best Global Music Album” Burna Boy took the main stage of UNTOLD with his band and dancers, and an impressive production was integrated into the main stage. The Nigerian artist wore a handmade hat by a Romanian designer during the show.
Martin Garrix‘s live set was pure energy, joy and magic from the first to the last beat. With remix versions created especially for the UNTOLD show and newly released productions, Garrix thanked his Romanian fans. The Dutch DJ and producer electrified the atmosphere with his tracks and visual spectacle.
Mahmut Orhan, Nicky Romero and DJ Bliss delivered strong sets, while the indie-folk band Milky Chance played a beautiful concert on the main stage.
FISHER, the Australian DJ and producer who conquered the electronic music scene with a unique and fresh sound, debuted at UNTOLD on the Galaxy stage. With the arena being full, FISHER played an insane set and rocked the atmosphere.
Once again, the UNTOLD Festival was pure joy and magic. Fans enjoyed lots of activities such as a flying simulator, VR games, a Fashion Village with over 30 Romanian Designers, a permanent tattoo studio, and a Food Festival with more than 40 vendors offering a diversity of tastes from Romanian Cuisine to Asian, Hungarian, Indian, and more, including food for veggies.
The 9th edition was an UNTOLD like no other, and the team is now working on the 10th chapter, the anniversary edition called UNTOLD X.
40,000 souls already long for pure joy and booked their tickets for the UNTOLD story in 2025. For the next wave of sales, fans can register here.
The best is yet to come. See you next year for a special anniversary, UNTOLD X!
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