After an unforgettable return, the Ocaso 2023 International Music Festival was held at Playa Tamarindo in Guanacaste. The most outstanding electronic music festival in Central America once again enchants attendees with first-class sets in the midst of majestic sunsets between the jungle and the sea.
The festival was held in Tamarindo, a town located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is recognized worldwide for its beaches with strong waves. Since its first edition in 2017, it has been characterized as an inclusive meeting place where freedom of expression and gender demonstrate its value of equality in every way and where you can dance and enjoy the experience being yourself. The environmental value for which Costa Rica stands out is also impregnated in Ocaso, where attendees clean the beaches before and after the event.
With parties among the vegetation and humid fauna or in the middle of the beach in front of a tremendous sunset, the event took place from January 6th to 9th. The lineup of artists on hand included two greats: global icon and label boss Diynamic Solomun, and endlessly touring Swiss duo and Afterlife mainstays Adriatique. The event included the largest laser show in the history of Costa Rica.
The event was held with the best and most sought after artists from the House and Techno scene in the world; For this reason, this edition of Ocaso 2023 became a highly valued destination for the global elite of the “underground”. According to the organizers, all attendees enjoyed an “unforgettable” experience.
Who is behind this great festival?
Devin Ellis (Owner and Founder) will give us information about the festival that changed the scene in Costa Rica.
How did Ocaso start?
“It started as an idea in 2015 when I was in Playa del Carmen, Mexico for a music festival called BPM. I thought it had some very interesting elements and wanted to take a similar festival further south, to a beach somewhere in Central or South America. I visited many cities in South and Central America to find the place, the first time I walked on the beach in Tamarindo at sunset I knew we had found the home of Ocaso”, Devin tells us.
After doing some research on the Costa Rican underground scene, Devin discovered that Alex Arias and Mauricio De Sousa were the main event hosts in Tamarindo. They were introduced by a mutual friend and decided to start planning for the first Nightfall in January 2017, and this is where the story begins.
“Launching an event in Costa Rica during the cold North American winter seemed perfect. Tamarindo has by far the best climate in the country, so we thought it would be the best location for Ocaso, Ellis continues.
What makes you vibrate the most about Ocaso Festival?
“The energy of the crowd. I have traveled to festivals all over the world for the last 30 years and I haven’t felt that energy in a very long time. It reminded me of the energy of the Los Angeles underground scene in the mid-’90s, which to me is the best there has ever been in the United States.”
A festival that consolidates its reputation
Ocaso has grown in reputation and has caught the attention of many people experiencing the festival for the first time.With the most idyllic gathering in a place that leaves all spellbound by its majestic sunsets, and in awe by the natural beauty of the jungle, definitely a place to have your soul soothed by dancing around a sun-kissed landscape.
With the all new night parties presented in the jungle as vines hang down and humid and lush green flora and fauna provide the backdrop. And of course the incredible sunset parties on the beach with sand between your toes and the ocean stretching out to infinity in front of you.
A “leave no trace” event
Ocaso is a “leave no trace” event. Attendees cleaned up the beach in Tamarindo before and after the festival and were constantly looking for ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the festival, since in Costa Rica everyone is mindful of water conservation, wildlife, and the trash they create while visiting. These things are very important to Costa Ricans, and to everyone involved with Ocaso, as is the fact that it is a safe, diverse and welcoming space for all genders, sexualities and races. Ocaso is a place where freedom of expression is embraced as a defining characteristic and everyone is welcome!
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