EDC Orlando weekend is almost here, and Slumberland Festival at the Avanti Palms is an art and music festival with pool parties, aftershows, and more.
Slumberland Festival is the place to both keep the party going and chill and recharge during EDC Orlando weekend. The resort takeover features immersive experiences and headlining DJs like Nora en Pure and Paco Osuna.
Darren Scott, the founder of Slumberland Festival, is coordinating a weekend of music, artwork, and entertainment at the Avanti Palms resort in Orlando. The festivities start on Thursday with a pool party and an aftershow from Nora en Pure. The rest of the weekend is full of pool parties in the afternoon and late-night afters until 5 AM. Slumberland also offers a shuttle back and forth from EDC Orlando.
Slumberland is a 21+ event that will both serve as a compliment to EDC Orlando or as a whole weekend getaway in itself. The lineup focuses on house and techno but also includes artists from other genres including a Saturday night stage takeover from Jantsen. Hotel packages are still available for purchase, as well as single day tickets and standalone party passes.
We interviewed Darren Scott about his vision for Slumberland and what fans can expect at the resort takeover. It’s not too late to plan a trip to Orlando for a stacked weekend of EDC Orlando and the debut of Slumberland.
Slumberland Festival Daily Lineups
Hi Darren, what is your vision for Slumberland, and what we can expect next weekend at the Avanti Palms?
It’s all about emotions and people coming together to have a good time. After COVID, one of the lessons I learned was that it’s not only important what you’re doing, but more importantly, who you’re sharing that time with. Being able to provide this safe space where art, community, and music are flowing is what we set out to do.
Having different levels of intensity is a good way to describe the experience. One room will have a lot going on, and other areas will be more chill. There’s definitely a vibe to Slumberland. We have the outdoor silent disco at night and we also have the Daydream Theater, which is a really chill vibe going on at the same time.
We also have two more stages inside in the convention spaces: Lucid Dream and the Nightmare room. Lucid Dream is where headliners will be, and Nightmare is a smaller space with bass music and stage takeovers. Everything at Slumberland is themed in a dream world. The whole idea is everyone comes for the weekend and leaves reality to go to another dimension.
Tell us a little bit about the artwork and visual experiences from Sebastian Collidge, Vince Kadlubek, and others. What is the artistic element of Slumberland going to be like?
Slumberland is an organic, grassroots festival. Sebastian Coolidge is someone that’s come into my life over the last few years, and I felt like this was a great way to work with him and get him the audience that he deserves. I think his art is amazing. It’s interesting because it fits so well in the festival scene, but he hasn’t done much in this scene yet. And Vince Kadlubek comes from this immersive world with Meow Wolf. We’re all coming together and building this first-year festival with a long-term vision. We want to tie a storyline with characters, performers, and visual production so it feels like you’re not in a hotel anymore.
We’ve also dove into a lot of wellness activities like sound healing and yoga. It all goes back to Sebastian’s hashtag: #WeAreAllArt. We want people to experience creativity and get something out of this experience and take it home. Everything ties back to building a community. At the end of the day, people just want to be around like-minded individuals and have a good time with friends. That’s what Slumberland is set out to do: provide that safe space for everybody. We’re throwing an experience that allows you to turn off everything else going on outside of Slumberland and really enjoy yourself for the weekend.
I’ve really just been listening to a lot of people. That’s what makes this community so special…watching the group grow from 10 passionate people to what it is now. Building those relationships has been amazing, and the team working together is what’s really gotten us to this point. I’ve been able to work alongside a lot of people who are as passionate as I am.
Who are some of the artists on the lineup that you’re most excited for?
Barnacle Boi and Brothel are two artists that I discovered on the lineup that I can’t wait to see. Mary Droppinz. Ardalan. Nora en Pure is always a great show. Paco Osuna is a huge booking as well. Kyle Kinch, Chocolate Sushi, Layd, and DJ E-Clyps are all my homies so it’s great to have them perform at my first festival.
Outside of the music, what are some of the other performances and activities you’re most looking forward to?
Sound healing and yoga, especially on Saturday afternoon. The whole wellness program is getting together for one room of yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, and sound baths while a DJ plays from 12-4 PM.
Cafe Bosna will be performing live music and serving coffee from 2-5 AM each night. The Les Vixens are the #1 all-lesbian burlesque troop here in Florida. We also have Adriana Sparkle, a bearded drag queen. Big shoutout to all the local artists that are playing the Silent Disco as well.
FAMA has been a huge supporter of us – they’re a local Orlando collective. We also booked Orlando House Party, one of the city’s hottest parties right now. It’s the same kind of organic vibe as Slumberland. They’re doing our Thursday Nightmare room takeover.
What are some of the long-term goals of Slumberland?
I want to push the envelope. I think I’m just getting started…having intentions behind everything you do is important. For us, it all comes back to diversity, inclusion, sustainability, and catering to a more personal side. We want you to be inspired and leave with new creativity and energy from a positive experience. We don’t just want you to rage the whole time – we want you to chill, talk to some friends, drink some water, and lay out by the pool.
We just signed a multi-year deal with our ticketing partner. And after this event, there’s so much conversation to be had about what’s next. I’m interested to see who shares the vision and how we can build upon it in the future.
Finally, you’ve been working all year to make this event happen. What’s a message you have to everyone attending next weekend?
Just let everything go. Next week is a great starting point for the rest of our lives. A lot of people are still struggling post-COVID and trying to figure things out. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world. One thing we can be sure about is creating art, building our communities, and bettering ourselves. This project was built on the backs of individuals that got together and wanted to build something dope, and we can’t wait to share this with everybody.
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