Stihia Festival
Stihia is a festival of electronic music and art. Born in Uzbekistan in 2017, the festival has already passed the five-year mark and has built an international reputation for bringing together music enthusiasts and art fans from all over the world. Stihia is organised by Unidentified Projects Company and the creative organisation MOC, whose mission is to exploit the potential of the creative industries of Uzbekistan.
Photos: Feruz Rustamov
For the first four years, the festival was held in Muynak, Karakalpakstan, but in 2023 the decision was taken to move it to the border of Navoi and Bukhara Regions. The three-day festival took place from 31 August to 2 September. The decision to move the festival was prompted by two things: the desire to develop tourism in other regions of the country, and to make it more accessible for visitors and musicians.
In 2023, the festival attracted 30% more visitors than in the past, more than 3,000 people in total. Half of the guests were from Uzbekistan, and the rest came from all over the world, including from France, Germany, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and the USA.
Stihia is a unique event in Uzbekistan because of the way in which it facilitates human interaction and the mixing of cultures in one of the most remote corners of the world. Musicians and DJs gave 60 performances on three stages, and guests noted the high quality and diversity of the music programme.
At this year’s festival a DJ from Turkmenistan, Alina Zharikova, performed for the first time, so artists from all five Central Asian republics were represented. Uzbekistan’s music scene was shown off by Tohir Kuziev (Safo), as well as Meros, Qaraqoom, and a huge number of local DJs, including T-Shunk, a DJ from Karakalpakstan. The producers of several major world labels and festivals, such as Spirit of Tengri, Signal, Fields Festival, Ninja Tune, and NTS Radio were in the audience: they came to the Stihia deliberately to acquaint themselves with local talent. This is, of course, a prime opportunity for local musicians and DJs to promote themselves on global platforms.
Stihia’s guests stayed for three days in a specially-built tent city, entertaining themselves not only with music but also with various activities and shopping. The festival bazaar featured products by ECOJON brands, a laboratory for recycling recycled materials, giving them a second or even a third life; the UYAT clothing brand, which combines modern and oriental styles; and Yanguraz, a brand which upcycles vintage clothing. Yanguraz and ECOJON hosted workshops on embroidery, customisation of clothes with linocuts and stencils, and creating bracelets and jewellery from recycled plastic. And thanks to Your Cosmos, festival-goers could get a massage or manicure, try face painting, and play musical instruments.
Stihia is becoming more ambitious every year: the once-free, one-day, and quite niche event has already grown into a cultural phenomenon attracting thousands of visitors, international partners, and creative communities from across Uzbekistan and neighbouring countries. Every year, the organisers and participants show their dedication, and every year they make it a huge success. The 2023 festival demonstrated yet again how much demand and affection there is for Stihia, and as long as this is the case, then the festival will grow and thrive.
