Here's one for fans of camping in raw nature, electronic music, workshops, and experimental theater. The folks behind house/techno small-club/bistro Roam and the lay-down lounge Tang are throwing their Shuangda (双打) festival again from May 29-31 down in Xiangshan/Fantongshan Peninsula, a bit southeast of Ningbo, 193km from Jing'an, give or take. This happens on the shore, surrounded by mountains, cliffs, and the sea. I've not been personally but have heard good things from friends who attended in the past. This is the vibe, in the organizer's words from their WeChat post:
"House, techno, Psytrance unfold across time. Dancefloor, space, sound – each moves on its own. No single center. Move as you like. Stay where you land."
"Beyond music, other things appear: Experimental performances, installations, fire and light, workshops, market, temporary-built spaces. They don't need labels. They don't need to be defined. They're just there.
"Food is always nearby."
"It may be called a music festival, but it is closer to a temporary community – a shared way of being that emerges in nature."
Stages & Lineup: There's two stages for this one, the Openair Stage and the Tang x Fulldome Stage, featuring about 50 names from China's underground and music going almost 24/7 (there's a break on Saturday morning from 8.30am-1pm). Friends tell me that the sound systems here were on point in previous years. The lineup includes some great DJs who run underground clubs in other cities, like Mariio from Foundation Nanjing, Xiuxianxiatiao from Gift Space in Dalian, and Sunyoung from Cici Park in Chongqing.
Tickets & Accommodation: Tickets are going for 498rmb for the weekend, available via this WeChat account: 地下空间站 (scroll down and there's an English article from April 24). Camping is free if you bring your own gear, and they've also got 2-4 person tent kits for rent for 1,480rmb for two nights and rooms from 2,280 for two nights.
One last note: the WeChat post also mentions to bring earplugs for sleeping, that the event happens in an area with cliffs, open water, and "complex" terrain, and that swimming is not recommended. Stay safe out there and have fun.
