Horizon Festival 2017

Let’s rewind a bit and revisit Horizon 2017, reminiscing about the après-ski parties, late-night club sets and winter sports extravaganzas. 

What Horizon Festival 2017 Was Like

When and Where It Took Place

Horizon Festival 2017 was held between Sunday, March 26and Sunday, April 2, bringing thousands of attendees together in the small village of Arinsal, Andorra.

The mountain location played a key role in creating the unique character that Horizon was known for, with Arinsal nestled between Spain and France in the Pyrenees. Meanwhile, the festival dates were carefully selected to make sure that the weather would be just right whether guests were dancing to DJs or hitting the slopes with snowboards and skis. The incredible views of the mountainside were a bonus, too.

What Was Different About It 

A big part of what made Horizon so unique was the fact that it was a snow music festival, as opposed to taking place in a field somewhere in the middle of summer. While other events are like a cross between music and camping, Horizon Festival was a cross between a club night and a ski holiday. There was a huge amount of entertainment on offer, and people didn’t have to choose between sports and music because they could enjoy them both.

Known in particular for championing DJs and electronic culture, this was a seven-day mountain party that changed people’s lives. Festival-goers could ski and snowboard throughout the day and then attend some of the best après ski DJ sets and club nights that the slopes have ever had to offer. 

Why the 2017 Edition Stood Out

Now, you might be wondering why we’re focusing on a specific year, rather than looking at the festival experience as a whole. The simple answer to that is because Horizon 2017 was so different to previous instalments that it was almost like a brand new event, in part because of its new home.

This was the highly anticipated Andorra edition of the week-long event, with the new location allowing organisers to increase the size and scale of the festival and to breathe new life into what had already been a successful format. It was a larger ski resort with brand new performance spaces and a greater range of entertainment on offer, both during the day and throughout the night.

Why Arinsal and Andorra Were a Good Fit

Why Arinsal Was Chosen

Horizon’s organisers put a lot of thought into the location of the festival, looking at everything from the amenities available in the ski village to the transport access for both locals and international visitors.

The decision to use Arinsal wasn’t an easy one, but it makes a lot of sense. The Andorraresort isn’t so popular that the festival clashed with existing events, and it has easy access from both Barcelona and Toulouse. Better still, its infrastructure enabled it to host the huge number of visitors that the festival organisers were expecting, and it provided the perfect mountain base for the festival to build on.

What the Ski Area Had to Offer

Thanks to its spectacular choice of venue, the Horizon Festival ski area was praised for its range of amenities and the facilities on offer. There were a whole heap of different slopes and terrain types, which made it perfect for skiers and snowboard fanatics of every ability level. There was something for the first-timers who mostly came along for the music, and there was something there for the pros and semi-pros who saw the music as just a bonus.

The Arinsal and Pal sectors were also linked by a system of lifts that were designed to make travel from one area to the other as quick and easy as possible. The result? No long travel times and no busy pistes, meaning more time to ski and less time in line

Why Andorra Was Attractive

For festival-goers, Andorra was the perfect travel destination because of its existing reputation for winter sports and the fact that it offers tax-free shopping. Even without Horizon, the small, landlocked nation is known for its tourism, bringing in over ten million visitors every year despite having fewer than 100,000 permanent residents.

Capital city Andorra la Vella has a spectacular collection of shops that rival the very best that other European capitals have to offer, and the duty-free shopping makes everything affordable. Meanwhile, the incredible views over the Pyrenees and the ease with which international visitors can pay it a visit mean that it just made sense as a festival location. 

What the Music Program Included

Key Artists Who Performed There

The important thing to remember here is that while the musical acts on the Horizon Festival lineup were far from the only attraction it had to offer, the organisers were still able to bring in some big hitters. In fact, some of the most influential and well-known electronic music performers of the late 2010s graced the stage in Andorra.

Major performers on the 2017 lineup included Floating Points, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Ben UFO, Oneman, KiNK, Mala, AJ Tracey, Craig Charles and Romare. Between them, they covered genres ranging from house and techno to drum and bass and grime. The festival organisers also did what they could to champion up-and-coming talent alongside the existing greats.

The Genres That Defined the Music Programme

The 2017 Horizon Festival lineup was interesting because it focused so heavily on DJs, and each DJ had a different set of musical influences and interests. The result was an electronic music lineup that covered house, techno, grime, garage, bass, funk and jungle, as well as a bunch of other genres that crept their way into their sets.

The great thing about having all of these different strands of music was that there was something there for everyone. That was particularly important given that a lot of festival-goers were drawn by the winter sports, meaning that it had an inherent need to be a multi-genre event.

How the Music Shaped the Festival

Underground electronic music has never been in the mainstream, and so the decision to develop a curated lineup of house and techno meant that Horizon Festival was able to build a strong identity all of its own. It’s unusual for a large event to focus on such niche genres, but it was the right choice for Horizon. 

That’s because there’s a huge amount of overlap between club culture and après ski parties, with most of the DJs on the lineup having a long history of residencies and festival sets. There’s also a lot of crossover between the two audiences; it turns out that the kind of people who are into winter sports are also often into underground electronic music. 

The Venues and Stages

What the Mountain Top Stages Were Like

So what was in store for festival-goers who were lucky enough to score tickets to Horizon 2017? Well, most people started out with the Mountain Top Stages, which paired a huge range of electronic music with sweeping Pyrenees views and great acoustics that rivalled anything that a sea-level festival could have to offer.

Daytime sets on the mountain stage offered a change of pace from the ski slopes, and they gradually built momentum throughout the day before culminating in a sunset party as the light faded and the nightlife took over. Once you've seen the sun setting over the mountains, you never forget it.

What Happened in the Clubs and Bars

By the time it got dark, festival-goers had moved over to the late-night stages, which were a range of pre-existing and purpose-built venues that were designed to keep people warm and dry throughout the night. We’re talking about clubs and bars with huge sound systems and some of the best DJs on the planet behind the decks.

The nightlife at Horizon was a reminder that it wasn’t just a skiing holiday with a little music thrown in. The club events and bustling bars were just as integral to the Horizon experience as the slopes and the snow. That left it up to each attendee to decide exactly how to split their time.

The Hostal and the Secret Forest Rave

Perhaps the most immersive venue of all was the Hostal, a truly unique space that helped to put Horizon on the map. Designed to stimulate all of the senses, it was also a central hub that was easy to access from everywhere else on site, as well as something a little different to the usual clubs and stages.

Then there was the Secret Forest Rave, a hidden party largely spread by word of mouth with limited access, both of which made it feel more exclusive. The forest stage made ordinary festival-goers feel like VIPs, providing an opportunity for people to stumble upon one of the most memorable aspects of the festival.

The Avalanche Acoustic Arena

Even the most hardcore fan of electronic music needs a little downtime. That’s where the Avalanche Acoustic Arena comes in.

This dedicated chill-out area is an important reminder that Horizon had a more relaxed side, too. True, there were DJ sets and dance parties, but there were also acoustic sets and hot tubs, campfire gatherings and cinema screenings.

One particularly popular activity was snow yoga, which provided an opportunity for mindfulness and helped people to soothe their aching muscles after a day on the piste and a long night of dancing. Attendees loved the fact that they could bond with other festival-goers and get in touch with their spiritual side while surrounded by the snow that drew them to the festival in the first place.

Activities Beyond the Music

The Snow Park and Championships

By now, you’ve probably got a good idea of how Horizon 2017 was about so much more than the music. And when it comes to the winter sports that made it so iconic, the biggest draw was the Horizon Championships.

The championships added a competitive element to the festival, allowing festival-goers to pit themselves against one another in a ski competition with prizes on offer for the top performers. With that said, the snow park was also a ski and snowboard training area, with beginners just as welcome as seasoned pros. The goal was to get people taking part in winter sports, and there was truly something on offer for everyone.

Entertainment Extras

The good news for attendees who weren’t into winter sports was that there was plenty of other entertainment on offer, ranging from the active to the more relaxed. One particular crowd-pleaser was the Campfire Comedy, which saw stand-up comedy performances around a campfire and was a great way to unwind with friends and family.

Outside of the comedy arena, the Forest Paintball Wars brought people together in a very different way as they teamed up to take on their adversaries in a paintball game. This woodland event proved particularly popular with the more energetic festival-goers and showcased the sheer natural beauty in and around the festival site. 

The Music Production Lab and Spa Cinema

Horizon 2017 also underlined its commitment to supporting up-and-coming artists and producers by hosting a bunch of workshops, artist Q&A sessions and other events that were designed to foster creativity. These intimate sessions meant that wannabe superstar DJs could meet their heroes and ask them about their careers, influences and creative processes. 

On top of the Music Production Lab, there was also the Hot Spa Cinema, a unique attraction that allowed people to kick back and watch a movie while sitting in a hot tub. The warmth of the hot tubs made for a pleasant change from the cold air out on the slopes, providing yet another unforgettable experience.

The Village Festival Closing the Week

Another unique aspect of Horizon 2017 was that it all built up towards a huge celebration at the end of the week. The festival finale switched things up a bit and changed the vibe from a party on the slopes to a village festival, with street food, bonfires and more.

The closing event made for the perfect change of pace, allowing people to step back and reflect upon their time in Andorra while catching up with the friends they’d made throughout the festival. At the same time, there was plenty of music still on offer for those who wanted to dance the final night away, but there was also the chance for an early night if you had a flight in the morning.

Travel, Accommodation and Tickets

How Guests Got to the Festival

Getting to Horizon Festival was reasonably easy, despite the fact that it took place amongst the mountains. Andorra doesn’t have an international airport, and so most attendees flew into Barcelona or Toulouse and took an airport transfer from there. Fortunately, the fact that Andorra is a popular tourism destination meant that there were plenty of established travel routes already in place.

Many people opted to travel from Spain because of the Barcelona Pre-Party, which took place on Saturday 25March and which acted like a warm-up for the main event. Either way, festival organisers had organised shuttles to Arinsal, and many partygoers chose to meet up first and to travel to the festival site together. 

Where People Stayed

Most festivals offer some form of camping, but that wouldn’t have worked for Horizon. Few people choose to camp out in the snow unless they’re explorers and they can’t avoid it.

Fortunately, there was plenty of accommodation in Arinsal, Erts and La Massana, which meant that people could take their pick based on budget, convenience and personal preference. A festival stay that was further away from the site wasn’t out of the question because there was a range of shuttle options for getting back to the slopes.

That meant that most people were faced with a relatively simple choice: whether to stay in a central area or whether to stay somewhere quieter. 

Tickets and Package Options

As with most other aspects of the festival, it’s all about choice. Festival-goers could pick the ticket package that worked best for them, whether picking up standard access tickets or whether going for a ski package that bundled in equipment hire or time on the slopes. Another option was to pick an accommodation package that took the headache away from finding somewhere to stay.

Regardless of which festival ticket option you picked, you’d have access to the majority of the programme, including access to the different parties and venues and the ability to pay for upgrades as needed.

What Made the Festival a Full Travel Package

As you might have noticed from the huge range of entertainment on offer, the Horizon Festival package was about so much more than just music or skiing. True, there was plenty of that, but there was also rest and relaxation, fantastic food and new friendships to be made around every corner.

For those who were smart enough to go for a travel package and to save a few pennies by securing their accommodation at the same time, the result was an all-in-one booking that took away the headaches. The logistics behind heading to the resort festival had never been simpler, despite the fact that Andorra was a new destination for the year.

Why Horizon Festival 2017 is So Memorable

How the Atmosphere Stood Out

There isn’t just one reason why people look back so fondly on Horizon Festival 2017. Dozens of different factors all came together to create an unforgettable atmosphere that hasn’t been seen before or since.

Nowhere else has been able to combine fun on the slopes with lively alpine nightlife quite like Horizon did in 2017. We’re talking about a week-long mountain rave with some winter sports thrown in, plus luxury hospitality and room to relax in hot tubs and in front of acoustic acts.

The festival atmosphere from 2017 still lives on nearly ten years later in the memories of everyone who was lucky enough to attend. It’s hard not to wonder how many lifelong friendships came about because of Horizon.

The Blend of Music and Skiing

The most iconic thing about Horizon was the way that it successfully blended ski culture with dance music to put on a unique event that pulled in people who might not otherwise have visited Andorra. The destination festival brought people to the slopes in the same way that casino culture turned an isolated spot in Nevada into Las Vegas.

As a ski and music festival, it had something special that iconic festivals like Glastonbury, Burning Man and Coachella just couldn’t compete with. It was a snow music event on steroids, a week-long, one-of-a-kind party where the only thing better than the daytime was the night. 

What Defined Horizon Festival 2017

Ultimately, perhaps the real legacy of Horizon Festival 2017 is that of a mountain event that was so unique that it didn’t take place again, at least in that venue and in that format. It’s become synonymous with the idea of an Andorra festival, making it impossible for any other electronic festival on the slopes to avoid comparisons to Horizon.

The key to its unforgettable festival experience was the coming together of a bunch of different factors, from its iconic setting to its incredible lineup, its range of venues and the organisers’ commitment to bringing multiple forms of entertainment together under the Andorran sky.