Evolved from a Madrid social club back in 1870, Elrow has developed into a global force on the entertainment and festival scene, with offshoots in Ibiza, London, Las Vegas, Amsterdam and, of course, Dubai. With Elrow XXL Dubai now entering its fourth year, the event has become a firm favourite among Dubai’s party crowd, known for its maximalist aesthetic and celebratory vibe.
Someone who has played a key role in bringing Elrow to Dubai is Shiraz ‘Baz’ Baziko, who has been Festival Director for the previous three editions and continues to oversee Elrow’s regional activities through his company, Dubai Dance District.
After a decade working at MTV, Baz got his first taste of Dubai’s events scene when he was brought in to produce a boxing match on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab with Floyd Mayweather in early 2022. “I made some great contacts on that project, and we started talking about how Dubai was crying out for a proper dance music festival,” he recalled.
“I was already in touch with Juan [Arnau, CEO of Elrow] and I brought up the prospect of Elrow launching in Dubai,” Baz added, tracing back the roots of the festival. “Dubai is a city that Juan likes and while he’d done a few shows there in the past, he always wanted to do something bigger, so, I put together a proper proposal and we took it from there.”
The first edition of Elrow XXL Dubai took place in February 2023 and, contrary to how things are typically done in the region, Baz and his team implemented an advance presale sign-up phase for the event. “Everything in Dubai tends to be very last-minute, but I’m used to taking a much longer run up at an event,” he explained. “The presale phase was very important for our first year, as it allowed us to gain a greater understanding of the audience very quickly – who is interested in these kinds of events, and what the potential audience size is. From there, even before we went on sale, we could tweak how we did things to cater to the expected demand.”
As well as establishing audience size, this presale phase also allowed for a lot of important data collection. “The people who signed up in that first year became our core audience, and many of them have remained loyal to us and have come to multiple events subsequently,” Baz revealed. “We know who they are, what they like, and we send them offers, pre-sale opportunities and generally keep in touch.”
The three years of Elrow XXL Dubai so far have all taken place in different locations, with the first being held at D3, the second edition held at Media City Amphitheatre and the most recent event taking place at Jubilee Park, Expo City, in May 2025. “Dubai is a city that loves the first of anything, so, the challenge going into years two and then three was how to maintain the momentum, keep it special and different,” he explained. “Moving venues has benefitted us, and with Elrow we have the luxury of the event having a different theme every year, so each year is distinct from the previous one.”
As well as the venues changing through the years, the line-up has also varied, going from the likes of Idris Elba and Sonny Fodera in year one to a huge headline set from Fisher in year two, and a varied lineup including Kasia, Ilario Alicante and Franky Rizardo for 2025. “I’m personally more of a fan of the balanced lineup, because Elrow is an experience in itself,” Baz shared. “The artists are important of course and we couldn’t do it without them, but the atmosphere, the spectacle and the carnivalesque nature of an Elrow show is what people are coming to see.”
One area that “has come on leaps and bounds” over the course of the past three years is the festival’s VIP offering – something that is always key in the Middle East market. “Our VIP tables did incredibly well this year and I think that was in part down to how we designed the site, offering various options, both for those who wanted a perfect view of the stage and for those who wanted to be up close and personal with the DJs and part of the dancefloor,” Baz commented. “That really helped kick the event forward from a commercial perspective.”
Another commercial success from the 2025 edition came from partnerships, which Baz reported as being “brought to life” this year. “We had some great activations with brands including Bershka Music, Noon Food and African & Eastern, and this is the fruit of longevity in the market,” he explained, also acknowledging the importance of the ongoing partnership with Dubai’s DTCM (Department of Tourism and Commerce). “The fact that the event has now run successfully over multiple years means it’s easier for brands and government entities to have confidence that we’re here to stay and worth working with long term.”
While Baz retains an interest in several projects throughout the year, including Terra Solis by Tomorrowland, which he represents as Director of Music and Business Development, he’s already casting his mind towards Elrow XXL Dubai 2026. “We’ve learned something new from every event, and we use all these learnings to inform decisions for the following year,” he reflected.
“We know that Elrow is a brand that people like and it’s extremely effective in creating these huge moments and a unique celebratory feeling among the audience,” he concluded. “I always walk around the site and take it in from every vantage point and when that confetti blast goes off, the atmosphere is off the hook. You feel immersed in the aura of Elrow. This hasn’t faded in the past three years – it’s only grown – and it’s exactly what we get into the industry for.”
With Elrow now this year’s biggest show in Ibiza, and the brand also confirmed to be expanding into further Middle East territories before the year is out, it seems that the confetti blasts and streamers will be continuing for a long time to come.
Photos: Elrow
