Last weekend, we attended the three-day Ikarus Festival in Germany. Despite the cold and rainy weather on the first day, neither we nor the other 120,000 music lovers let it ruin the experience. 120,000 music lovers let it ruin the experience.
One of the first things that amazed us was the unique location. Ikarus festival is held on the grounds of the active Memmingen Airport in Bavaria. Every morning, from our spot in the camping area, we could watch planes taking off and landing just a short distance away. It created a surreal and exciting backdrop that made the entire experience feel even more dynamic. The blend of industrial and natural settings gave Ikarus Festival a character all its own (Check out the other events featured in our EventSpotlight section).
Ikarus Festival itself features eight distinct stages, each with its own design, atmosphere, and musical identity. There’s the massive open-air main stage, several enclosed tent stages with mind-blowing light setups, and two incredibly atmospheric stages set deep in a wooded area. The forest stages were particularly special — dancing among trees, with lasers cutting through the branches and the bass pulsing through the ground, felt like being part of some futuristic fairytale. It’s incredible how seamlessly the organizers managed to integrate the stages into the natural surroundings without losing any of the production quality.
The first day welcomed us with cold, rainy weather. But for true festival-goers, that’s part of the experience. We came prepared and embraced the challenge. Despite the mud and grey skies, the mood was vibrant. Neither we nor the 120,000 other attendees let the weather dampen our spirits. The music carried us through.
We started the night at the Onos stage, dancing in the rain to a hypnotic trance set. Bad Boombox followed by Mischluft created a relentless wave of energy. Their sets were so powerful that even when our legs began to ache, the rhythm kept us going. The connection between the crowd and the DJs was electric. The biggest moment of the evening came with Fisher’s set on the main stage, Olympe. As he dropped his remix of “Somebody That I Used to Know,” it felt like the entire crowd sang along. Thousands of voices, moving in sync under flashing lights and pouring rain — it was pure magic.
Day two of Ikarus Festival brought much better weather: dry, sunny, and warm. We spent most of it at the indoor Minos Tent, where the energy was just as high. The absolute standout was the high-octane set from I Hate Models. The intensity of the crowd dancing in unison was unreal. At one point, it felt like the tent itself was alive with movement. It was so packed that organizers had to temporarily close the entrance — a clear sign of just how epic it was.
Later that night, after HBz’s set on the main stage, a dazzling fireworks show lit up the sky. No matter where you were on the festival grounds, you could see the bursts of color above. Even after seeing fireworks many times before, it still felt magical in that setting. The third and final day brought a mix of scorching sun and brief, dramatic showers. But by then, we were unstoppable. We danced through it all, starting with Otta at our now-favorite Onos stage. Then, as if led by instinct, we ended up back at the main stage for a wild and uplifting set by Neelix.
Looking out over the sea of people, all jumping in sync with the beat, was probably the most powerful moment of the weekend. That feeling of unity through music is hard to describe — you simply have to live it. Our personal finale came with Adrian Mills. We danced until the very last track and were among the last to leave the festival grounds.
Huge thanks to the organizers of Ikarus Festival and fellow festival-goers for creating such an atmosphere of freedom, connection, and pure joy. We’re already dreaming of next year. New dates announced for the 2026 edition: May 22 – 25.
