Nigel LowZoukOut left no stone unturned for its 10th anniversary bash at Sentosa, Siloso Beach on Saturday night; delivering a night of spectacular music, dance and art. An estimated crowd of 30,000 turned up from all over the world, consisting of no less than 30 different nationalities.
The turnout on Saturday easily surpassed the record crowd of 26,000 people from the previous edition of ZoukOut in 2009. One can hardly wonder why,when an extensive line-up of world-renowned DJs rocked ZoukOut this year along with double headliners for the first time; DJ gods, David Guetta and Tiësto – both ranked at #2 and #3 respectively in the Top 100 DJs 2010 by DJmag.
Also gracing the stages of the 12-hour party extravaganza were veterans of Germany’s Electronic scene: production gurus, Booka Shade, and also “Best Techno Artist” (2009), American DJ Dubfire.
The prized ZoukOut ticket was such hot property (despite the $20 mark up this year) that advance tickets were sold out weeks before the event and some 10,000 partygoers were even seen queuing at 3pm for last minute tickets.
Stepping into the event venue, one could only gawk in awe of the sheer magnitude of the celebrations. As the evening progressed, and more fans started flowing in at 11pm; it was quite certain that they were gearing up for a night to remember.
Over at Arena A, Dutch maestros Afrojack and Laidback Luke pounded bass-filled beats with a heavy smattering of electronic music effects. Also on showcase was the skillful mixing of our very own local Zouk DJs Aldrin and Andrew Chow, over at the smaller Arena C.
12 bars were scattered across the venue and also present were familiar food outlets like Frolick and Old Chang Kee. The anticipated astronomical prices for beverages turned out to be true, with non-alcoholic ones costing $4, while alcohol was sold for at least $8 a pop.
The 3 arenas stood like mammoth figures across the coastline pumping infectious beats to kick the outdoor festival off with a bang. Sponsors like Singtel and Havaianas even got into the act with their own inflatable booths showcasing their merchandise including limited-edition flip flops.
Alan, a partygoer from New Zealand, who looked to be in his mid-40s,has frequented ZoukOut on previous occasions and showered the event with praise, marveling at how “awesome everything looks”.
Sue Liana, 19, also exclaimed in excitement, “ Oh my goodness, this is my first ZoukOut and I love it!”
ZoukOut obviously saved the best for last and the Dutch DJ performed at 3am, spinning music from his chart-topping album, Kaleidoscope and more.
In unison, the party people interviewed agreed that Tiësto was the one man everyone wanted to watch. Student, Yue Jun, 19 explained, “People love the hypnotic-like trancey Euro beats in his songs.”
The masses seemed to agree as they filled up the main stage area (Arena A) to the brim. Barely any walking space was left,and fans were mesmerized by favourites like “C’mon”, “Who Wants To Be Alone” and “I Will Be Here”.
A slight drizzle and a few technical faults failed to dampen spirits at ZoukOut 2010, which was capped off with exhilarating fireworks and pyrotechnics that rumbled in the sky.
French global powerhouse and multi-platinum selling artiste, David Guetta finally took to the stage at 5am with his signature mixture of electro, house and pop. His 2-hour set consisted of popular dance tunes like “Sexy Chick” and “Getting Over You”.
He could not have summed up the night any better than when he duly announced: “I can guarantee you one thing. This is the best party on the planet right now.” Guetta have more?