Decibel Open Air: "The festival is an expression of what we love"

Decibel Open Air has established itself as one of Europe’s biggest dance parties, consistently locking in a lineup of electronic music’s top titans and future stars, as well as attracting an international crowd who flock to the world-famous Visarno arena in Florence for two days of electronic royalty.

The next installment will see performances from the likes of Paul Kalkbrenner, Amelie Lens, Ben Klock, and Richie Hawtin, so we took the time to speak with brains behind the festival to discover more about this Italian dance heavyweight.

How did Decibel begin?

We just loved attending festivals around the world since we were kids, but these kinds of events were missing in Italy. Decibel is just an expression of what we love and we’re trying to build an experience based on that.

Could you tell us a bit about the venue where the festival takes place? 

The venue is Visarno Arena which is a hippodrome in the middle of the Parco Delle Cascine. Which is awesome because it's a huge natural park, but in the city centre. It’s 1.5km from the main train station and 200m from the metro station.

The giant space is adaptable to the ideas that we have for the future which grow year after year.

What is the festival’s music policy? 

House and techno are a huge part of our story but we try to expand the variety of styles each edition and aim for Decibel to evolve into an electronic music festival without any tag on the sub-genre.

What is the festival’s ethos? 

We want to offer an experience. It’s not just an opportunity to just listen to some of your favourite artists, but to have an incredible and unforgettable experience. World-class electronic music soundtracks a huge open-air location, surrounded by people from all over the world, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world whilst the sun is shining.

Where can attendees stay if they attend the festival? 

Florence is full of amazing places to stay whether you want to experience luxury or are on a budget, packages can be found both on our website and Festicket.

What kind of people attend Decibel? 

There is a diverse crowd at Decibel - attendees of the festival are from 18 to 50 years old, and from Italy, to all over Europe, America, Asia, and beyond!

How would you describe the atmosphere at the festival?

A gathering of likeminded people who have a huge passion for music.

What is one of Decibel’s most memorable moments? 

There have been a lot over the years, but it’s always a spectacular moment every time the sun sets at the Doa stage.
 

Pick a song that embodies your festival. 

What are Decibel’s plans for the future? 

Continuing to grow, and offering our attendees more every year!

Decibel Open Air 2020 takes place from 5-6 September at Visarno Arena– book tickets, packages, and extras here