December seems to be the time of lull in the busy festival schedule. Still, there are some events in various parts of the world for those who miss the vibe of summer open-air. The Music Void lists a few that make the most festive month of the year even more special.
Clockenflap
1-3 December
Hong Kong, Special administrative region of China
The major international music event in the city romantically portrayed in Wong Kar-Wai brings together impressively diverse acts. With perennial Pulp as a headliner, the line-up features other iconic collectives such as New York hop-hop group De La Soul and Chinese alternative rockers Omnipotent Youth Society who have been active and defined the local independent music scene. Taking place at the city’s Central Harbourfront, the festival boasts six stages focusing on various music genres from pulse-y dance beats at Electriq to more experimental ones at Tommy. Preceded by a wave of cancellations due to the Hong Kong protest in 2019 and the pandemic later, this year finally sees the festival returning to its seaside metropolitan splendour. Get tickets here.
Maho Rasop
Bangkok, Thailand
2-3 December
The two-dayer in the capital of Thailand puts emphasis on music and a festive pre-Christmas mood (the name Maho Rasop translates as “festive celebration”. This year, the festival will hold its fourth edition featuring some of the names from the line-up of neighbouring Clockenflap: British post-punk revivalists IDLES, Squid and Yard Act will play at Maho Rasop on Saturday, the next day after their shows in Hong Kong. Post-punk is certainly a keyword that defines the festival’s spirit and choice of acts for 2023. The Sunday programme will be headlined by Interpol. Still, the event gives a chance to discover hidden gems of Southeast and East Asia: viral South Korean K-pop project Balming Tiger, intense Japanese girl group Atarashii Gakko!, Thai extravagant fashion designer and DJ Nuh Peace and more.
Get tickets here.
Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky
Riviera Maya, Mexico
2-6 December
Labelled as “an intimate, all-inclusive, music vacation”, Sky Blue Sky is a festival curated by Chicago-based alternative rockers Wilco. The four-dayer takes place in Hard Rock Riviera Maya, a seaside resort in Mexico. Combined with the picturesque setting, the line-up looks especially tempting featuring maverick artists: art-pop producer Cate Le Bon, indie-folk songwriter Kevin Morby and Father John Misty, to name a few. The latter will be playing material from his latest Chloë and The Next 20th Century album described by Pitchfork as a “wryly comic collection of vignettes that all depend upon the timelessness of a love song”. Apart from the music programme, Sky Blue Sky offers a variety of excursions, pools, an on-site waterpark, zipline, swim-up bars and other kinds of leisure. Worth a long journey, even from a different continent.
Get tickets here.
