Guest Post by Brianna Irvin (@briannairvin on Twitter and Instagram)

Sundara: a Sanskrit term meaning, “beautiful, lovely.”

Those words don’t do justice for the pure magic that took place in Riviera Maya, Mexico as ODESZA held their first Foreign Family Collective music festival and destination event, Sundara. Although they were up against some initial backlash from fans who were hoping for something domestically based rather than international and a little more affordable for the average festival-goer, I can assure you that it was worth every penny spent. All things considered, the payment plans ended up being fairly reasonable. Would I do it again? With absolutely no hesitation, yes. This changed the festival game for me and it’s going to be hard to top listening to ODESZA play their famous “Something About You” remix while barefoot on the beach.

THE MUSIC, THE VIBE, AND THE LITTLE THINGS

(Kasbo pun completely intended.)

Being an FFC curated festival, it’s safe to say that the lineup was stacked and heavily catered with Foreign Family artists like Memba, Kasbo, and Jai Wolf. That alone was right up my alley, but what really drew me in was the touch of much-needed bass with the additions of well-known trap artists Alison Wonderland and RL Grime. Something else that grabbed my attention about Sundara right off the bat was that each artist on the lineup played two unique sets. For example, the Australian natives Rufus du Sol opened night one with a goosebump-worthy live set, playing out classic songs off their Solace album like “Treat You Better” and “Underwater,” as well as a pool party DJ set in the following days that had the entire crowd grooving under the warm sun with poolside drinks being served. It was awesome getting to see the different elements the artists brought out in each individual set!

As the hosts of the festival and the main act, ODESZA played THREE (yes, you heard that right) separate sets, consisting of: a no.sleep DJ set, their first ever ambient yoga set, and an extended live set that absolutely stole the show. Between them featuring special guests like Naomi Wild and the lead vocalist of The Chamanas to sing the live version of Everything At Your Feet, performing Kusanagi with an entire string section, bringing back old fan favorites that hadn’t been played out in years, new visuals, and even dropping a brand new edit of “All We Need,” they took their usual jaw dropping live performance to another level. It was hands down the best and most intimate show I’ve seen of theirs so far.

THE RESORT

One of the most convenient things about Sundara was that it was held at a beautiful, all-inclusive resort. They shuttled you to and from the airport upon your arrival and departure. Each guest was greeted with a mimosa in hand and an exclusive Sundara tumbler as they checked in for their stay. The festival itself was the 13th through the 16th of March, but the packages offered ranged in dates and gave you the opportunity to spend days prior to or following the festival to relax and enjoy everything else there was to offer, which I’d highly recommend doing. Checking in a day early worked to our advantage because not only did we have time to enjoy the scenery of the resort, we also got to catch the pre-party with FFC’s very own Memba, EVAN GIIA, and a surprise b2b performance where ODESZA themselves and Golden Features performed the popular “Memories That You Call” VIP Remix together. Talk about a way to kick off the festival and get the crowd buzzing about whatever else was in store for us!

Another huge perk was that it eliminated all the small, normal stresses of festivals like long lines, having to Uber to and from the venue, and finding places to eat. There were three different stages at Sundara that were all within an easy walking distance of our room:

• The pool stage had artists such as Mount Kimbie, Pluko, and even Jai Wolf b2b Chet Porter that had the party starting in the early afternoon
• The main stage right on the beach with the sound of the ocean waves crashing in the near distance for the headlining acts including Bob Moses and the ODESZA extended live set
• A club inside the resort for the intimate late night sets that the energy carried right into for sets like Tokimonsta and a rare RL Grime b2b Alison Wonderland.

As far as food options go, the options were unlimited. They had a 24-hour buffet with tons of yummy options to keep you fueled and going throughout the day. On top of that, you could book reservations at dining restaurants in advance for no extra charge other than the tip. They had a Mexican restaurant, Japanese, and a steakhouse, and we were able to fit the Mexican and Japanese spots into our schedule without having to miss any “must-see” sets. If you’re planning on doing a dinner, keep in mind that you do have to dress semi-casual. A simple sundress was quick and easy for me, and men could easily get away with throwing on a button up shirt with a pair of shorts. They also had food vendors inside of the main stage that opened around 5:00 pm, and the vegetarian stand there was actually my favorite thing we ate the entire time. Believe me, the tacos and cheesy hashbrown bites were to die for. Also, can I mention how nice it is that they have servers walking throughout the crowd during the sets offering water bottles, margaritas, pina coladas, and other drinks? We didn’t have to leave our spot once to go to the bar. The service was amazing and you’re truly waited on hand and foot there.

EXCURSIONS

For those of you who are travel junkies like I am, the excursions were a big selling point. It felt like my two biggest passions of seeing the world and music festivals were colliding and, looking back, I’m so grateful we opted into doing an excursion. They had plenty of different options, including visiting one of the seven wonders of the world the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, stopping by the local city of Tulum, catamaran cruises, ziplining and more, but we ultimately decided to go snorkeling through underwater cenotes and stop by Paradise Lagoon. They did cost extra, but between them driving us, providing lunch and all the snorkeling gear we needed, and the entire experience itself, the extra $100 felt like a steal for what we got out of it.

Overall, I wish I could say thank you to ODESZA and the entire Foreign Family team for putting together such a once in a lifetime experience for everyone involved. Although there have been lots of rumors flying around, it hasn’t been officially confirmed on whether Sundara will happen again next year. All I have to say is that if it does… I’ll see you on the beach!