This past week, Holy Ship Wrecked! debuted their first ever land edition of the now infamous Holy Ship! festival party in the resort town of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The pristine white sand beaches, glistening turquoise waters and the unbeatable 80 degree weather leaves no question as to why the organizers of Holy Ship Wrecked! picked Punta Cana as Holy Ship Wrecked's new home.
Now a festival destination, Holy Ship! chose Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to play host for this year's festivities with a complete resort buyout. The buyout made Holy Ship! Wrecked feel even more exclusive and private. Festivalgoers were able to explore the enormous grounds and unwind at the hotel's 13 expansive pools, the beautiful white sand beach just steps away from their luxury suite, take a culinary journey with the hotel's 9 sit down restaurants and of course take part in the almost 24 hour musical experience. The musical selection had everything an EDM aficionado could ever want, with multiple sub genres of electronic dance music. The multi-day lineup included beach and pool sets every day from 12pm-4pm with the evening sets taking place at 6pm until 4am every night.
One thing that most festivals lack is comfort. When attending any event or festival it is common to disregard sleep and comfort, it is refreshing to know that steps away from the party, festivalgoers can take a few hours to unwind and relax
in their spacious comfortable suites. Not only are the suites a highlight of Holy Ship Wrecked! but partygoers did not have to worry about missing their favorite DJ's set. Many DJs including Diplo, Eli Brown, Dom Dolla, Mikey Lion, Valentino Khan and Nghtmre played multiple sets throughout the 4 day festival. In addition to the musical performances, there were also friendly competitions and games hosted by DJs themselves including Sumo Wrestling with Valentino Khan and Snails, cocktail competition with Phantoms, and a talent competition hosted by Mikey Lion and Porky. But, one of the more popular and highly anticipated sets by many was Lane 8's sunset set and Chris Lake's sunrise set on the beach which took place from 6am-9am with Chris Lake performing for an additional hour.While, the size of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino did take away from the intimacy of Holy Ship! (formerly on sea) it did make up for it with the grandeur and opulence of buffet style food options at the mainstage, 24/7 room service, unlimited resort credits, all inclusive food and alcohol selection and the ever friendly waitstaff that were more than happy to take drink orders throughout the venue. For true fans of electronic dance music, Holy Ship! on land or on sea is not to be missed. Where else can you say hi, share a drink or have a friendly conversation with your favorite DJ or take a photo and have a friendly chat with Insomniac's founder, Pasquale Rotella who could be seen roaming around the resort and make new friends along the way! Holy Ship Wrecked! shows us a new way one can experience music and create new and lasting friendships.