KaZantip is probably one of the most famous festivals in the world, if only for its sheer endurance. Starting way back in 1992, it runs for 2-3 weeks and hosts more than 100 000 people annually. There’s this whole amazing culture around the event. You don’t buy tickets, you buy a “viZa.” The festival’s creator is called President Nikita. Everyone wears orange and carry yellow suitcases for some reason.

THE event for dance-music loving hedonists the world over, the event has built a steady reputation as one of the most outrageous, wild and truly unique events in the world. The world’s biggest artists have performed there, including Carl Cox, Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, Skrillex and even Pendulum.

Until 2013 it was held on the Crimean peninsula – you know, that war torn land that Russia and Ukraine spent a lot of 2014 violently fighting over?

SO while KaZantip looks like one heck of a good time:

Shit really started going down:

So last year, for the first time ever, the festival relocated to a completely new area – Anaklia, Georgia.

Georgia is a fairly conservative little country, one that has suffered immense political turmoil for decades.

Usually, Anaklia looks like this:

But during KaZantip, a little more like this:

Georgian conservatives reportedly demonstrated before and after the event due to, well, all of that stuff ^^ happening for weeks on end. The Orthodox Church led the rallies, protesting about the immorality of the event, and how they didn’t want Georgia to become “Sodom and Gomorra” (although, to be honest, I reckon that’s exactly what KaZantip wants to become.) In fact, the dispute was so widespread that the head of the National Tourism Administration (who helped organise the event) was reportedly fired directly because of this conflict. Ouch!

So KaZantip has now moved again – to a little island off Sihanoukville, in south Cambodia. I’ve been to Sihanoukville, it was pretty cool. I ate a lot of delicious seafood and the water was beautiful.

Usually called Koh Puos Island, the private Russian-owned land is one square kilometre big, and usually home to gorgeous villas and a little “town” with shops etc. But for ten days in February, it’s set to become KaZantip Izland!!

I’m not sure what they’ll be doing with flights and all that, but the viZas are really reasonably priced, especially when you compare it to local festivals. Depending on the quality of your room and the amount of people you share it with, viZa and accommodation start at 10 euros per night, up to 80 per night for a fancier, more private room.

Anyway, it’s all pretty interesting. Considering the location, this is probably the one time that us Aussies will get a chance to do this with a not-so-outrageous budget!

More details here.