RENDRD Radar: Exploring Costa Rica Through Envision Festival

Last weekend wrapped up the 7th edition of Envision Festival, taking place on the beautiful coastline of Uvita, Costa Rica. Envision fully lived up to the international hype carried on from previous years. The festival is different to many out there in how it encouraged active participation in the experience, rather than more typical entertainment value. Our music team was more than impressed with the diverse lineup of musical talents, acrobats, performers, guest speakers, and workshop leaders throughout the weekend.

The festival’s musical acts performed across on four different stages, all within a couple minutes walking distance from each other in the venue. Sol Stage was the largest and featured most of the multi-piece bands and acrobatic performances. Luna Stage was another hefty set up which churned out rumbling loud bass music acts as well as stunning pyro displays and additional on stage acrobatic performances. Lapa and Village stages were provided a more intimate experience with dancefloors for grooving and lounging about. The Village stage was one of our favorite as it's settings of tropical horticulture brought you into a magical jungle experience.

We felt the musical lineup had a good split between live performances and DJ sets. The Sol Stage was booked with most of the larger headlining band performances and had beautiful, transforming, projection mapped visuals lining the outside of the stage. Standout performances at this stage for us were Autograf, Rising Appalachia, Papadosio, Systema Solar, and the Envision Ensemble. Right around the corner the Luna stage was literally blasting pyro displays for what seemed like every beat of every DJ set. Our favorites at this stage were Opiou, Ott, Funk Hunters, and Clozee. Take a look at some of our shots from these amazing performances below.

Stages aside, the festival grounds could be easily confused for a hideway beach paradise. Just a step back from the Lapa Stage, you'd find the pathway to the beach, lined with locals selling beverages, local food, jewellery, and souvenirs. The coastline, only operational during daylight hours, provided the perfect relief and refreshment from dancing in dusty crowds. Surfboards were also easily available for short-term rental. The campsite itself was very accessible, directly adjacent to the village and stage areas, making any trips back to the tent convenient. That being said, sleeping in the tents did prove to be a challenge unless it was the early morning, when temperatures cooled off enough.

Envision is a festival we’ll definitely keep our eyes on in the coming years. It’s only in its’ early stages of growth so we are excited to see even bigger lineups and production in the near future. Take a look at a selection of more photos we feel sum up the abundance of emotions we felt throughout our time at Envision Festival.