SXM Festival will fuse oceanside luxury and music festival culture March 13-17 in Saint Martin.
The five day festival spans a private beach, VIP villas, nightclubs and a jungle venue. Attendees can not only watch the performances of acclaimed electronic music artists—such as Guy Gerber and Nicole Moudaber—but also enjoy an array of food and drink vendors, shop at boutiques, observe art installations and indulge in wellness activities, such as massages and yoga. Julian Prince, founder of SXM Festival, adds that the festival is set up so attendees are in close proximity to everything, making it easy for them to move around the festival grounds or take a break in their villa.
“SXM offers diverse culture, nightlife and fine dining with gorgeous nature elements, a perfect climate and it’s all framed by fantastic beaches,” he adds. “There’s an myriad of beach clubs, many clusters of stunning villas, excellent transport links and a variety of accommodations to suit any adventurer. The locals are warm and inviting—it is called ‘The Friendly Island’ by reputation. Add to this colorful mix a family of fans from around the world and the best electronic music talent on the planet, and something very special unfolds.”
According to Prince, the festival originally started as a way to combine his love for electronic music with his desire to give back to Saint Martin—an island he frequented with his parents to escape the winters in Montreal. The first year of the event was 2016, but the festival had to take a hiatus last year due to damage done to the island by Hurricane Irma.
“Many of my family members and friends were on island the night Irma hit,” Prince says. “We lost contact for over 18 hours. It was terrible for everyone, and terrifying for those on island. After the storm subsided it did not look like we would have a festival in 2018.”
With SXM Festival’s return this year, Prince will continue his original goal of encouraging tourism to the island while also helping to alleviate the damage done by Hurricane Irma. Some of the notable charitable and sustainable work done by the festival includes a Go Fund Me page created to benefit the island, a plastic straw ban at the event and the festival employing up to 300 people during the week of the event with 80% of suppliers being local. Even the cabanas, stages, art installations and more are designed using local resources, and the festival partners with a local specialist to help ensure best practices are being used.
For Prince, who has worked to give back to Saint Martin before and after Hurricane Irma, the return of SXM Festival will be a “special” occasion.
“This year is a celebration of rebirth,” Prince says. “It is an emotional return for our team and the community that supports us locally and across the globe. We have been working hard and waiting a long time to share the magic again on this little island paradise. There won’t be much to compare to the feeling of being back together at Happy Bay with beautiful music, nature, art and people that make memories to treasure. We are back and cannot wait to welcome our guests.”
