With huge headline artists, iconic stages and spectacular technical productions, the world’s best festivals all share certain characteristics that make them successful. However, when it comes to the festivals at the very top of the tree – the Glastonburys and Coachellas of this world – there’s something intangible and almost impossible to describe that makes them so much more than the sum of their parts and all but guaranteed to sell out year after year. It is this elusive X factor that Offlimits Music Festival aimed to capture with its inaugural edition, taking place on 26 April in Abu Dhabi and boasting an eclectic lineup headlined by Ed Sheeran.
Catching up with TPiMEA after the dust had settled at Etihad Park, Sia Farr, CEO of event organiser, UAE-based Theory Eleven Entertainment, reflected on the success of the festival’s maiden iteration. “We weren’t sure exactly how Offlimits would be received, but the response couldn’t have been better – it’s been overwhelmingly positive,” he said.
The idea for Offlimits is one that had been percolating in the mind of Farr for many years before the festival was conceived. “We had been toying with the idea for a long time to create something specifically for Abu Dhabi that would stand out in the world of music,” he revealed. “We could have easily gone down the route of acquiring an international IP, but we decided that it would be much more impactful to create something original that would belong to Abu Dhabi and has the potential, in time, to become a legacy festival.”
While recent years have seen the Middle East make great strides in the festival world – most notably in Saudi Arabia with the rise of MDLBEAST-backed events – the region has historically struggled to attract the biggest names to its festival lineups, with the top-level stars often preferring to include the region as a one-off show or stopover on a world tour. However, with Offlimits, Farr was looking to change that.
“We’ve had many touring shows pass through the region, but I’ve never seen a show with that genuine festival vibe that you experience at the likes of Coachella or Glastonbury,” he stated. “We wanted to create something unique that would stand out and make Offlimits the must-attend festival in the country, and we knew that part of the puzzle would be attracting AAA talent of the calibre of Ed Sheeran.”
Winding back the clocks on the process of putting the festival together, Farr described how the Theory Eleven team first embarked on an intensive period of research, which proved to be invaluable. “We looked at festivals all over the world and tried to understand what makes them successful,” he explained. “We then devised our own plan, drawing inspiration from the multicultural and diverse nature of the UAE to come up with something that has a USP of its own and is not an imitation of an existing idea.”
Farr was keen to credit the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), which he described as “an extremely strong supporter”. He added: “Without their engagement and the hard work of their team, this would not have been possible. They shared our vision, which was vital to the success of the project.”
After engaging with artwork designers around the world, Farr ultimately decided to work with a local creative who grew up in the UAE. “This was a testament to one of the core elements I wanted to push with Offlimits, which is that we can create world-class festivals here in the Middle East that have the qualities to stand out on a global stage. It’s all about bringing the right people and the right talent together.”
Very much part of that package was renowned set designer, Florian Wieder – the creative brain behind the stages for the likes of U2, Beyonce, Eurovision, and Adele’s groundbreaking Munich residency. “I’m a fan of Florian’s work and was particularly mesmerised by what he achieved with Adele in Munich,” Farr explained. “Florian is a guy who has to really want to be part of a project before he takes it on, so the fact that he chose to jump into the project from its inception and have his fingerprints all over it is incredibly satisfying.”
With a prodigious talent such as Wieder onboard, Farr was keen to give him free rein and allow his creativity to dictate the direction of the project. “We leaned towards a more modern, futuristic aesthetic, in line with the UAE’s modern aspirations, but apart from this very general direction, Florian had complete creative freedom to take the initial concept and shape it in any way he saw fit.”
The result was a spectacular open-format festival featuring four stages: The T11 Main Stage, Meteor Stage, Club X Stage, and Head Stage. “The first design was mind-blowing,” Farr recalled. “It didn’t take long for Florian to grasp the parameters of what we wanted to achieve, and once we got onto site, it was amazing to see it all come together. Etihad Park is a very modern structure with a grass park area, so it carries through this old-meets-new vibe.”
As impressive as the creative and technical setup was, the success of the festival hinged on its ability to attract the right talent. “It’s very rare for AAA talent of Ed Sheeran’s calibre to come onboard for the first year of a festival, but we worked very hard on maintaining the right relationships over the past two years and thankfully Jon [Ollier, Ed Sheeran’s Manager] shared our belief in the project and we were able to have Ed headline, which was fantastic.”
As well as megastar Sheeran, the Offlimits lineup boasted a diverse array of artists, ranging from Filipino stars Ben&Ben and Palestinian-Jordanian R&B artist Zeyne, to the likes of Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Faithless, Kaiser Chiefs, and One Republic. “The diverse programming was a very conscious decision,” Farr explained. “We would have liked to have made it even more varied with elements of K-pop and Afrobeats, but we had limited slots and the timeline was short. It’s certainly something we’ll be looking to extend for future editions.”
Photos: Theory Eleven
