9 Reasons Why We Can't Wait for Cloud 9

There are just a couple of more weeks left until Cloud 9 Music Festival is in full force, and we're already way too excited to get there and be part of one of the very few organisations solely dedicated to creating a space for underground music to emerge, running this year in the tranquil and environmentally friendly Dayra Camp in Nuweiba on the 24th of September.

In light of the ever increasing anticipation for the three-day festival to begin, and since we spend most of our time fantasising about it anyway, here is our list of nine reasons why we can't wait for Cloud 9 Music Festival to kick off. From leaving our troubles, offices and responsibilities behind to the head bangin' action to the comatose wandering about the tents, here are a few things to keep in mind and look forward to...

The Road Trip

Taking a bus full of Cloud 9 festival goers would be totally bonkers! We’re thinking school field trip times a hundred! Mainly because most of us are getting old too fast so who wouldn’t want to take advantage of the situation; relive our teenage years on a bus heading to fun-ville with our friends and all the others we’ll bump into at the bus stop, possibly sneak a few flasks around, and experience all the fun that’ll follow as we catch up with everyone and get all pumped up for our destination, only minus that annoying teacher at the front constantly telling us to shut up, sit down or stop screaming at other cars on the road. That, or a drive up there in a car with a few friends blasting music and stopping at every captivating view. All sounds good to us! 

The Beach 

It’s just a natural impulse to unpack and jump into the ocean upon arrival. There’s no doubt the beach itself is half the anticipation and pleasure of getting there, and with Cloud 9 being in full effect then, euphoria is bound to flare up at the sight of it all. A dip in the water after a long drive and perhaps a Seasha by the seashore are a sure initiation to mission accomplished. 

Yoga

Who wouldn’t want a full salutary stretch after a long drive and a hectic start to the day? As a matter of fact, yoga is possibly the best way to kick start every morning to regain our flexibility and posture, and relax our entire system from all the work and stress we left behind in the capital corporate jungle. Maybe we’ll try a bit of Capoeira too, some of us are curious! And what the heck, we'll most likely end up stopping at every workshop!

The Music, duh
!

The main reason why we’ve come this far are all the amazing acts we’ve known and admired over the years, the uprising go-getters we’ve heard of and anticipated watching, and all the ones we’ve never seen before, all equally thrilling and cultivating to our senses, from the Indie and Experimental Rock acts we’ll dance around to, to the DJs kick-starting our mornings and blowing our heads off in the evenings. Za’ed Na’es from Amman are possibly most intriguing! Their innovative audio/visual performance is cleverly unpredictable so we can’t wait to see how it turns out. Nadah El Shazly we’ve watched progress and incorporate more elements into her sound over the years and we’re looking forward to seeing her again exquisitely thriving with time and serenading us at Cloud 9. And there are more acts to look forward to such as Telepoetic and Finrod, all powerful weapons of the underground music scene in Egypt that with enough support are very likely to advance within their element and make way for other artists and subgenres to break through. Cloud 9 performers are the pillars of change in our commercially run society and we can’t wait to see them all in action. And these are just some of the incredible acts we have to look forward to as the festival will be announcing more waves of performers closer to the date.

The Energy
 

The entire mood of the festival is something we’re looking forward to experiencing once again; the beach and music, the festival lights and installations, the marvelous lack of technology that allows us to become absorbed with nature and human communication, meeting and interacting with different people, sons and lovers of invigorating serenity and adventure. Aaaaah yes!

The Setting and Scenery

Whether we’re out of our tents socialising, listening or dancing to music, taking part in the workshops or relaxing by the beach (we’ll most likely be doing two or more of those activities for the most part of the day) all of it is done on Sinai's beautiful shores. We get to wake up to majestic mountains every morning - plus the sea obviously - and lay around in hammocks all day, which is just too damn good and reviving for our burdened minds and worn out souls. Life is tough for the lot of us and we can't wait for some much needed total engagement with freedom and leisure.

Camp Exploration

The new Dayra Camp is spacious, surrounded by mountains, its tents all neat and cozy and its ocean filled with exotic sea creatures, and we can’t wait to have a walk about the camp with a few fellow adventurers and explore all its little corners and massive landscapes, all the while Cloud 9 music will be blasting in the background, making it all the more exciting. Whether we’ll find ourselves lost at sea under the moonlight for a brief while, making friends with sea turtles, making friends with random strangers in their tents, or up on a mountain or sheltered in some previously undiscovered cave occupied by a long lost hermit, the opportunities are endless!

More than extraordinary line-ups

Having announced: Pheel, La vie Boheme, Yoga by Cats on the Beach Yoga & Capoeira by Olorum Bahia Capoeira, Cloud 9 is more than music, it's a fun filled, all day around affair full of all sorts of activities.

To Party

Waking up the day after to know we have two more days of Cloud 9, refined music, engaging workshops, valuable activities, and just all-around partying. YAAAAAAS!

Check out Cloud 9 Music Festival's Facebook page here, and event page here. 

Photo credits: Cloud 9, Dayra Camp, Yoga Photo by Yaisa Nio.