A Record-Breaking Space Edition of Big City Beats World Club Dome

Big City Beats’ World Club Dome returned to Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Arena bigger and better than ever. The sold-out event welcomed more than 180,000 visitors from more than 70 nations across the three-day event. Over 230 DJs and live acts showcased their musical talent across a range of indoor and outdoor stages at the record-breaking event. 

Day One

The first day kicked off with an impressive indoor main stage reveal inside the Arena with a number of talented local and global acts. British DJ Curbi opened up the main stage, followed by local favourite Le Shukk. Aussie twins Nervo were next up and got the crowd going with their catchy and energetic performance. The king of trance himself, Armin van Buuren, then put the entire sold out Arena into a state of trance, while the entire main stage was revealed; showcasing an impressive 28-metre-high, true-to-scale replica of the Ariane 5 Rocket, acting as the centrepiece of the stage. Finally, Marshmello closed out with a colourful and crazy performance filled with eye-catching visuals and pyrotechnics before the official Space Opening Ceremony concluded the night. Meanwhile, the outdoor Pool Sessions featured a number of popular acts; including Boys Noize, Dubfire and Paul Kalkbrenner. 

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History In The Making at Big City Beats World Club Dome

During the official opening ceremony, Big City Beats and World Club Dome made a history-making an announcement; blowing the entire dance music community away. In August 2019, they will be making history by sending an astronaut to space to DJ aboard the ISS. After receiving rigorous training from German DJ Le Shukk, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano will be the first person to DJ in space; committed to merging the fields of both entertainment and science. 

“This collaboration between Big City Beats and ESA is simply great and helps us reach young people in a way I never thought possible” – Emmet Fletcher, Head of Partnerships Unit ESA

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Day Two

The party continued early on day two, with the remaining 11 stages and dance floors opening up to the sold-out crowd. 60,000 visitors had the opportunity to explore not only the iconic main stage but experience a brand new outdoor main stage, a forest stage, the official elrow takeover, a dedicated hardstyle stage and more! While I didn’t get a chance to explore all of the stages, I did get a good feel of both the indoor and outdoor main stages, as well as my favourite; the Zombie Stage, dedicated to the harder styles. My day kicked off with Bassjackers at the Zombie Stage and Lost Frequencies at the outdoor main stage; before gravitating back into the Arena for Nicky Romero and W&W. 

The remainder of my day was spent at the Zombie Stage, going all out for my favourites; Wildstylez and Da Tweekaz. The Zombie Stage was absolutely packed throughout the entire day and it was amazing to see how much the harder styles scene has grown over the years, especially in comparison to the last summer edition I attended back in 2017! Following the final performance, the Zombie Stage featured the Apocalypse end show, filling the entire sky with fireworks to the soundtrack of some of the hottest tracks. 

Closing out the night, I made my way back into the Arena to witness the world premiere of Steve Aoki featuring Timbaland. The two legendary acts teamed up for an out of this world performance, uniting the worlds of dance music and hip hop. Featuring all of the Aoki classics with a few surprises along the way, the final set featured special guests The  Black Eyed Peas, who joined the artists on stage.

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Day Three

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the final day of the event; however, I was kept in the loop by my colleagues at the event. The final day featured an extensive range of names across all 13 stages and dance floors. The indoor main stage featured the likes of Mike Williams, Don Diablo and David Guetta; as well as Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, who once again created an earthquake in the heart of Frankfurt. The official closing ceremony show featured an impressive fireworks display, as well as announcements about future editions of the event. It was also revealed that the number 1 DJ in the world, Martin Garrix, will headline the upcoming winter edition. Finally, Robin Schulz closed out the main stage, concluding this year’s history-making edition of World Club Dome. 

Beyond the Commerzbank Arena, the outdoor stages were once again absolutely packed with enthusiastic fans; as popular international acts took to the stage. The outdoor main stage featured bass favourites Alison Wonderland and NGHTMRE b2b SLANDER  before closing out with electronic pop sensation Clean Bandit. The Zombie Stage also closed out in full force, showcasing the likes of popular harder styles artists Brennan Heart, Korsakoff, Radical Redemption and Angerfist. 

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Final Thoughts

Overall, Big City Beats and World Club Dome put on another spectacular event. After attending my first summer edition of World Club Dome back in 2017, I was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to return and see how the festival has evolved. There were definitely some major noticeable changes throughout the entire event; however, all of them were extremely positive and definitely contributed to the growth and success of this festival. One thing that definitely stood out to me was the entry and exit process of the Arena, which was significantly smoother than it was in previous years. 

Overall, this festival remains as one of my favourites in the world for many reasons. Consistently delivering a world-class lineup filled with diverse names, this festival features something for everyone; opening up the opportunity to explore and discover so many new artists and up and coming talent. The stage designs, while minimal, perfectly complemented the surroundings and accommodated for the impressive laser and light shows that were seen throughout the entire weekend. My favourite, of course, was the fireworks displays, which were observed throughout the weekend on the iconic main stage as well as the outdoor stages. As a photographer, this festival is a dream to capture; and as a spectator, it was an absolute blast to be a part of. I will definitely be back next summer and can’t wait to watch this amazing event continue to grow!

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The Future of World Club Dome

Following the incredibly successful Space Edition, Big City Beats and World Club Dome have already announced their return to Frankfurt next summer; as well as a number of other events. The next event to take place will be the World Club Dome Cruise Edition; where thousands of clubbers will sail their way to the party island of Ibiza from August 12-16. Following the festival season, the winter edition of World Club Dome will return at a later date, taking place from January 10-12, 2020. Finally, World Club Dome will return to Frankfurt next July 5-7. 

Super Early Bird tickets for World Club Dome are on sale now!  

Photo credit: Katarina Cvetko