Kyoto’s Star Festival trickles the first names for its ultra atmospheric annual event

What is arguably one of Japan’s most enchanting cities has long been a top destination for delectable food, rich culture and traditional Japanese architecture is finally drawing tourists who are interested in music with the launch of Star Festival in 2012 with Apparat on the line-up.

Later iterations of the festival has seen names like John Talabot, Axel Boman, Mathew Johnson, Peggy Gou (in 2017 before she blew up), DJ Marky, Move D, DJ Krush, Nina Kraviz, and more.

For its 2020 edition, the festival has so far locked in Mount Kimbie, Jayda G and Zip who will all deliver DJ sets for its 9th year. In previous years, Zip and Fumiya Tanaka back-to-back sets have garnered somewhat of legend status with sets averaging around 10 hours. See the full line-up below.

Unfolding at Stihl no Mori in the Hiyoshi Forest within the Kansai prefecture on May 16 and 17. The grounds are located just 40 minutes from Kyoto. The lush landscape in the area makes this the perfect opportunity to save a few yen and camp before the weather gets too hot in Japan. And thanks to plenty of trees and mountains, the aesthetic and vibe of the festival after sunset includes trippy visuals and moody lighting enhancing the natural experience.

Thanks to its serene surroundings and exclusive programming, the festival is hugely worthy of travel for those outside of Japan but live for #technotourism to novel destinations. In case you're in need a little push, watch last year's after movie here.

Star Festival takes place on May 16 & 17 at Stihl no Mori in Kyoto, Japan. Tickets are available here.