Summer in Moscow was full of surprises: from unbearable heat to torrential rain. While residents of the capital wonder how to dress for the office according to the weather, rave lovers eagerly await the sunny moments, packing rubber boots in case of rain.
From August 17 to 19, Nikola-Lenivets will host the Signal 2024 festival. The picturesque art park will be transformed into a world of modern music, art and architecture, where the main inhabitants will be desperate party-goers.
If you’re part of the Signal People community, you’ll find this comprehensive guide to this year’s festival indispensable. Find out where to go, how to go, where to stay, and what to do at Signal 2024 for unforgettable experiences.
Where does it take place?
The location plays a special role in creating the festival atmosphere. Get lost in the forests of the Kaluga region and dive into the world of electronic music in Nikola-Lenivets. What could be better? For four days, Signal harmoniously integrates into the landscape of the art park, where impressive works of world-famous artists and architectural studios coexist with untouched nature.
How to get there?
By car. The journey from Moscow will take three and a half hours. There are 3 paid parking lots at the festival site. You need to reserve a place in advance, their number is limited.
By bus. The official festival shuttle departs and returns from Filatov Lug metro station. The schedule is presented on the project website. Travel time will be four hours, including one stop. The cost of a one-way ticket is 2500 ₽.
By train. If the above options do not suit you, we recommend spending two and a half unforgettable hours by train from Kievsky railway station to Maloyaroslavets station and from there by taxi for an hour to Nikola-Lenivets.
Where to live?
For those who love camping life and excitement, we recommend taking your own tent. There are four campsites in the area, equipped with everything necessary for your 10-step care: “Zarechye”, “Koltsovo”, “Novaya Zemlya” and a family camp for adults with children, away from the noisy festival scenes.
If you’re used to travelling light, a two-person tent in the protected area of Signal Camping is your ideal option. Air mattress, sleeping bag and pillows are included in the price.
The most comfortable seats will go to the most efficient ones. Tents, awnings and houses for couples and groups are being taken down in the spring. But it’s worth checking availability – but what if luck is on your side?
What are the ticket categories?
Standard category tickets can be purchased individually or as a group of 4. They include free entrance to the festival area, access to the stages and the right to set up a tent in one of the camping areas.
If you want to benefit from backstage access to Signal, Möbius, Prizma stages and free shuttle service around the large festival area, then the Priority ticket category is for you.
Parking passes, accommodation and caravan placement rights are paid separately. Tickets are sold on the website.
What to rest?
The music festival is growing and developing every year.
This year it will run from Thursday evening to Monday morning. The program will surprise even the most casual electronic fans: over four days more than 250 artists will perform on eight stages, some of which will take part in special program blocks, which are sub-events of 20 music societies from Russia and abroad.
The core of the series, presented by local and invited artists, consists of various modern electronic styles, from powerful techno to avant-garde ambience. However, the concert program significantly expands the horizons of expectations – at Signal 2024 you can hear almost all musical genres.
SIGNAL stage with T-Bank support
Designed by the Dreamlaser team, the large-scale kinetic portal installation will transport you mentally and physically to a parallel universe where only music matters. Highlights of the program: the performance of “Echo of Strings”, the TESLA show with lightning and jet projections, the premiere of the album “Gasoline” by Dolphin’s side project “Mechanical Dog”, a new AV live broadcast by Philipp Gorbachev, the trance excitement of Rambal Cochet and a performance by the Monasterio association. The stage is open on Fridays and Saturdays.
Stage Kiosk
This year, one more stage will be added to the seven: an art piece made of balloons and moving figures, designed by the MSTRSK bureau. The stage will feature Nikita Zabelin’s creative association Resonance Moscow, Sabina Chagina’s creative platform “Substance”, a sub-event with African motifs by Ugandan label Nyege Nyege, and a performance by Russian techno pioneer DJ Slon.
MEADOW stage with the support of MTC
Monumental cylindrical metal sculptures, light shows and audiovisual performances are the work of Radugadesign studio. The stage will host a huge block of 17 multi-format live performances, including Nike Borzov, LAUD, Rap&Vogue, Tengger and others.
Scene MOBIUS
The stage is open non-stop from the opening on Thursday evening until the end of the festival on Monday night. The endless electronic marathon will open with a live show by the Signal Residency participants. In the main block: Errortica and DJ Stonik1917, from foreign guests: Thomas Melchior, Japanese legend AOKI takamasa, Amsterdam artist San Proper and others. The sub-events Roots United and System 108 will also be held here.
Stage FLOWER
There’s a colorful hippie vibe here, with Odyssey Festival, RML and Leveldva music groups hosting traditional presenters Geju.
Stage RODNYA
The eponymous rooftop stage is open to four sub-events: the daytime showcase of the Slowdance label, the minimal house project RROOM led by Yuri Usachev and the minimalist house proponents of Nervmusic. The music platform HAZE will also be performing here 24 hours a day.
PRIZMA stage with the support of Beeline
The motto of the scene is sample house and warm atmosphere in a non-stop format. Highlights of the program: St. Petersburg club Blank, with its established roster for the first time at Signal, record label and events agency Applique, multi-genre festival Sigma as well as Tabordinians, Temple De Plastique and Propaganda.
GHOST scene
Signal’s stage, which opened last year, will be a premier venue for experimental and ambient music, hosting nine live acts that you can enjoy from the comfort of your sun lounger. The line-up includes locals from US label Not Not Fun, as well as Acid Twilight, Six Dead Bulgarians, Piper Spray and Lena Tsibizova, Kira Weinstein.
What do you do besides music?
Music is the main, but far from the only, element of Signal 2024’s large-scale infrastructure. Educational, children’s, sports and other alternative programs will not let festival guests get bored for even a moment.
Get inspired by art
“Arc”. Bold design decisions will even affect the iconic landscapes of Nikola-Lenivets. Dreamlaser Studio will redesign the 12-meter “Arch”, creating the illusion of sunlight passing through the dense crowns of trees.
The setup is “Alice answers eternal questions.” The unexpected guest of the project will be Yandex’s virtual assistant “Alice”, who will put an end to eternal thoughts by talking to visitors about timeless topics in an ambient style.
Curtain. Land artist and architect Alexander Shtanyuk has unveiled his second large-scale work, following “Magic Blanket,” at Burning Man in 2019. The sculpture is a fabric woven from five thousand balloons that is as tall as a 16-story building. Will he inflate them himself?
“Curtain.” Yandex Browser will be the co-author of one of the main art objects of the festival, demonstrating the laser capabilities of its neural powers. In the special brand area you can charge your gadgets, relax in hammocks and buy branded products.
Organize a “signal” exchange
This year, Signal will be teaming up with the ECRU brand to offer a capsule collection of festival merchandise. We recommend saving some space in your backpack and purchasing unique items from the Signal Store in the Market area or from the Remote Office.
Learn new things
From 15 to 17 August it will be possible to attend workshops, conferences and excursions in the Versailles landscape park to exchange knowledge and ideas in the field of music.
If the word “tour” makes you yawn a little, this year the festival organisers will change your mind. The Nikola-Lenivets research programme includes temporary installations by the finalists of the Signal 2024 art call and a permanent exhibition that defines the recognisable image of Europe’s largest art park.
For those who enjoy an extraordinarily productive free time, classes are held. The authors of the light installation, Dreamlaser studio, will take you behind the scenes of the festival and tell you how the light on the main stage works. In the list of speakers you will find professionals in their field: composer and teacher of the Moscow Music School Andrei Danilo, author of Planetronics Nika Zavrieva and founder of the Stay Hungry ensemble and the systemic skill development school for the future Humanity Anna Bichevskaya.
And that’s not all – Bang Bang Education design and technology school will screen an original film about Russian visual culture “Lepota”, SETTERS communication agency will hold a workshop manifesto on the power of original teams, multimedia artist from “Alkali” design school Masha Afonchikova will share the secrets of creating modern video art, and in an open conversation with former development director of Sevkabel Port Alexey Onatsko, you will learn what personal qualities are necessary to work on large-scale projects.
We recommend that you think about your personal schedule in advance to get as much done as possible!
What and where to eat?
Both meat eaters and vegetarians will be well catered for at the festival. The food court has over 30 dining options to suit all tastes: from burgers to Roman pizzas, delicious cheesecakes to refreshing soups. Most are open 24 hours a day.
Community Camps
A striking example of a functional Signal community will be the festival participants’ camps. This year, a record 22 communities are bringing their musical, educational and psychological ideas to life.
Residence
Guests at Signal 2024 will be the first to see the results of the three-week work of digital artists and musicians in the residency program. In addition to the premiere of joint projects, the festival will feature an audiovisual installation for the architectural object “Rotunda” and the inauguration of the Möbius stage with a joint livestream on the first day of the festival and solo performances the following day.
Signal Children
The children’s program of the festival can only be envied. The youngest participants will enjoy the game lab, the creative workshop of the artist Lyalya Vaganova, maker events with the architect Olga Rokal, improvisation sessions with the Residency finalists, an exhibition of works of art and a disco. The program is aimed at children aged six and above and takes place on Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 to 19:00 in the family camp area.
Sport
A music festival in the forest is not a reason to forget about training and sports. Signal has everything to keep your body in good shape: an equipped sports ground with volleyball, croquet, petanque and cornice courts, as well as free equipment rental. In the area of less active games you can find Tetris, yoga twister and piano hero from Samokat, as well as take part in a competition.
Play
The highlight of the cultural program will be theater performances. Plans include a two-part Hidden Dimensions performance by the contemporary art platform “Form” in collaboration with the Dreamlaser studio, exciting performances by circus artists combined with poetry performances, as well as a series of performances and a parade on the final day.
Environmentally friendly
Environmentalists can safely enjoy the music and atmosphere of the festival; Signal’s organisers will be keen to minimise their environmental footprint. There are separate waste collection points and reusable cup rentals on site. The natural materials used in the festival’s production will then be recycled or reused.
Source: People Talk
Errol Villanueva is an author and lifestyle journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for exploring the latest trends in fashion, food, travel, and wellness, Errol’s articles are a must-read for anyone interested in living a stylish and fulfilling life.
