Airforce Festival 2016 – One of the finest battles this summer

This year, Art of Dance in cooperation with Absolutely Fresh presented a new festival concept located at the military airbase in Twenthe. With some similarity in the location and military theme, Airforce Festival right away got named as Q-BASE #2 or the ‘new’ Q-BASE. This, together with a huge line-up, and Angerfist and Radical Redemption as the event’s anthem makers, called for high expectations since the initial announcement.

On the 6^th of August as the clock struck midday, Art of Dance and Absolutely Fresh opened the gates of Airforce Festival 2016. It didn’t take long before thousands of soldiers from all over Europe were making a triumphant entrance into the military airbase of Twenthe. Quite a lot of them were Germans who took the ‘combat’ theme quite seriously, as loads of them disguised themselves in soldierly outfits – you’ve gotta love the Germans and their enthusiasm! I don’t want to make a fool out of them, since their astounding outfits right away set the perfect military mood for the rest of the day.

Just like the German visitors, the decoration at the Festival itself was spot on. AoD & AF cleverly used the location to create and maintain the army look. Over the entire length of the airstrip, typical runway lights we’re placed to maintain the unique feeling of an airstrip. Half of the stages we’re placed inside the existing military buildings, which provided an awe-inspiring atmosphere – imagine you partying in a bunker where they used to store fighter jets…

Some other cool features we’re the antique fighter jet stalled at the back of the mainstage, and the futuristic war-robots who were watching over the festival. The combination of authentic warfare equipment and futuristic warfare elements gave the festival quite a unique vibe.

As AoD promised on their social media, Airforce Festival would blast through the sound barriers – and hell yes they did! Yes, the sound was loud as fuck, but every song, every kick and every melody met the ear with a fullness of purity. It seems as lately some festival have underestimate the importance of a godlike sound system. In contrast, the sounds the system placed at Airforce we’re just as thrill giving as fighting jets passing through nearby clouds. At these moments, when the sound is so good it pushes the breath out of your longs, the perfect atmosphere emerges for these majestic head-to-toe thrills the hard dance music is famous for.

Just as important as the sound system are good accommodations on the festival. The stages at the festival we’re all lined-up on both sides of the airstrip. As some festivals turn into a level 1000 maze once you get horribly drunk, so it was a relief that all of the stages were visible once you stood on the airstrip. Furthermore, there we’re hardly any lines at the bars, food plazas, or at the toilets. Even after the closure, everything went astonishing smoothly as everyone could just follow the airstrip to the exit – convenient and vivid.

What I personally loved about the festival were the gigantic possibilities to relax and chill. AoD & AF gave its visitors plenty of room to catch a breath on great numbers of seats, benches and track tires. Most of them were located just behind the stages, so you could still enjoy the music while giving your feet some rest. The food was quite expensive like on all the festivals, but this time, in contrast to many other festivals, the quality was good. Next time try the sandwich with warm ham, indeed before you get F***** up.

So what about the acts? This is something tricky to talk about as I believe this is a somewhat personal matter. To my own surprise, the opening set of The Architect was brilliant as he managed to bring me in the party mood right away; definitely keep an eye on this youngster. However, the closing act of Denekamps Gespuis on the main stage was definitely something special. It is already fearsome enough to see Crypsis, Angerfist, Radical Redemption and Dyprax during their solo sets, so witnessing the spectacle of them rocking the wheels of steel together was something else! Denekamp is only a 10 minute drive to the military Airbase of Twenthe, making it almost like a backyard garden party set for these fellas. It was clear to see that they wanted to take it to the limit in this home match. With a blistering set, forcing the perfect sound-system to its fullest, these guys, with the help of some majestic fireworks, gave the first edition of Airforce festival the end it deserved.

Airforce Festival 2016 has been one of the biggest surprises and successes this summer. With a splendid line-up, perfect vibe, a unique location, great decorations and godlike sound-systems, this festival was one of the finest this summer. The second edition of Airforce Festival is a battle you surely don’t want to miss.