Did Untold Dubai Live up to the Hype for Music Lovers?

If you can’t feel your feet after all the dancing to your favorite music at Untold Dubai, then you’re not alone!

Untold Dubai was the biggest music festival that Dubai has ever seen and for the four days it lasted from Dec. 15 to Dec. 18 at Expo City Dubai, the festival caused more than a stir. 

The festival featured various big names from the music industry including Tiësto, Ellie Goulding, G-Eazy, and many others. 

Festival Goers Came to Untold Dubai from Outside of the UAE

Not only did people from all over UAE attend the festival, but many festival-goers came from different parts of the world just to see their favorite stars perform at Untold.

Polina, a 35-year-old travel agent, travelled all the way from Russia to Dubai just for the festival. "It was my birthday on Feb. 14, so me and my husband attended the music festival as a birthday getaway."

Although it was a long journey, the trip was definitely worth it for Polina because she got to see her favorite star Tiësto live at Untold Dubai. 

"Seeing him live was electrifying! Everyone was living in the moment!" she said.

The ‘Godfather of Electronic Dance Music (EDM)’, Dutch DJ Tiësto had the crowd at Untold dancing the night away to some of his well-known hits.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Tiësto (@tiesto)

Other than Tiësto, fans were also excited to watch Ellie Goulding set the stage on fire in Dubai and the English pop star did not disappoint!

Emma Darcy, 26, said, "I thought Ellie Goulding was really good....and she put on a really good performance!"

Image source: @untoldfestivaldubai. 

Not only did Goulding have fans sing along to hit songs like ‘Outside’, but she also had the audience stunned to silence by her high notes and the heart-wrenching lyrics of the song ‘Power’.

Cancellation of Bebe Rexha's Performance 

Untold Dubai hosted many big stars for its first edition, however, many festival-goers were anxiously waiting to watch American pop singer Bebe Rexha unleash her singing prowess at Untold!

Unfortunately, the American singer was not able to perform at the music festival, which left many fans heartbroken.

"She (Bebe Rexha) was definitely someone who I was the most excited to see. I know a lot of people were disappointed by that (concert cancellation)," Emma shared.

Despite the cancellation, festival-goers got to enjoy a diversity of artists and DJs!

One attendee particularly journeyed to Dubai all the way from the Czech Republic to only watch Hardwell because she had missed his performance at an Untold festival in Romania. 

Jana Kolísková, 28, said, "In Romania, we basically [caught] only five minutes of his set because we had to run to the train." 

"I missed him in Romania at Untold, so I was really excited to see Hardwell perform live," Jana shared. 

The Dutch DJ’s set featured some adrenaline-pumping beats, which were complemented by thrilling pyrotechnic and light effects.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by UNTOLD DUBAI (@untoldfestivaldubai)

With such a heart-pumping show, Hardwell’s performance at the Untold festival is surely etched in many minds forever!

Discovering New Artists at Untold Dubai

Untold Dubai not only showcased fan-favorites but also other talented artists. 

Virgin Radio RJ and 'Dubai Bling' star Kris Fade was also at Untold Dubai with DJ Dean Curtis who played some very cool beats. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Kris Fade (@krisfade)

 "Kris Fade had a set where he just DJed...I know Kris Fade off the radio...I kind of stumbled on his [gig]... and it was my favorite," Emma said when sharing her new favorite artists from the Untold festival.

Other than Fade, Untold Dubai hosted Indian rapper Badshah, PSY, DJ Bliss, and many others. 

Read More: Complete List of Winners at Dadasaheb Phalke Awards 2024

The Setup of Untold Dubai

Image source: @untoldfestivaldubai. 

Dubai’s first mega music festival was hosted at Expo City Dubai where there were four stages including the Main Stage, the Alchemy Stage, the Time Stage, and the Galaxy Stage.

"All the stages were so well done. The screens on the side of the stages where they show the artist up close were really good,” Emma commented.

“There were lots of good fireworks and smoke shows and streamers that made the festival an exciting experience," she shared, which left her very impressed with the music festival. 

"The Galaxy Stage under the huge Expo dome was amazing because it made every performance bigger and better," Polina said about the stage that was set up at Al Wasl Plaza.

All these elements combined with the top-notch music made Untold Dubai better than many festival goers’ wildest dreams!

Long Queues and Other Technical Issues

As thrilling as the experience at Untold Dubai was for many fans, some festival goers experienced issues with acquiring the wristbands that helped attendees get access to the festival and merchandise and drinks at the festival.

These wristbands needed to be topped with points to access these services and to get these points, festival goers had to pay at terminals.  

“There was a huge queue and we were waiting for one and a half or two hours, so we kind of missed some of Ellie Goulding’s performance,” Jana shared from her experience with her friends at the festival.

Other than the long queues, there were issues with depositing money to these wristbands.

“I was not able to deposit money to the band through my credit or debit cards because they did not work at the terminals,” Polina explained what is anyone’s worst nightmare at such an event.

Although there was a terminal where cash could be deposited to the wristband, the long queues became a terrible hindrance for Polina and many others at the festival.

If there will be future editions for Untold Dubai, the management should introduce a more efficient way of accessing the services at the festival at the event.

Looking Forward to the Return of Untold Dubai 

Image source: @untoldfestivaldubai. 

Although, it has been less than a week since Untold Duba finished, The Untold Dubai app’s homepage already says 2025, which has left fans anticipating the second edition of the festival.

“I would a 100 percent go again!” said Emma upon hearing the news and we are sure that many fans are already looking forward to Untold Dubai 2025!