Rise Festival 2024

As we wind through the mountainous French landscape it begins to feel like nature is the DJ, skillfully building the excitement before the big drop. Around each turn, an ever more spectacular mix of lakes and snowcapped peaks awaits until finally, we arrive at Les Deux Alpes, a picturesque town nestled in the valley with imposing slopes on either side. A recent snowfall has left a blanket of white but the knowledge that the 10th edition of Rise Festival - the party on top of the world - is about to kick off right here leaves a palpable sense of eager anticipation that contrasts with the peaceful scene.

Rise Festival has been delivering an exhilarating blend of skiing, music, and culture for a decade, growing from a small ski trip for a group of friends to the world’s largest independent ski festival. These guys know what they’re doing, seamlessly mixing the adrenaline of the ski slopes with the euphoria of a full-scale music festival, all while integrating unforgettable moments of French mountain village food and culture, and a few surprises along the way.

BBC Radio 1’s Arielle Free provides the first taste of what’s to come with her Freeze Your Mind takeover at the indoor Muzelle Stage, dropping the party tunes to an excitable crowd. We follow a tip and head over to small, afterhours club, Jukeboxx, where Joe Weller and Elliot Crawford are spinning tech house. It’s an unexpected roadblock and the place is rocking until doors close at 2am.

Well rested, we emerge in the morning and make for the slopes. Everyone’s out from wobbly beginners to seasoned pros and numerous enjoyable runs are on offer. Throughout the week the skiing experience was nothing short of spectacular. Sunshine and clear blue skies graced the resort from day three onwards, illuminating the panoramic views and adding a magical glitter.

After a day skiing you feel you’ve earned a good night out and Rise delivers. Gorgon City headline in style at the main Alpine Stage as the festival programming officially begins, while Sub Focus takes over at Muzelle with slick D&B and bouncing crowds. We end up at late-night venue Studio until the early hours for the Lost Track Of Time takeover and uplifting disco house that perfectly fits the mood.

The next day we take the snazzy new Jandri Express ski lift up the mountain to enjoy the slopes and hit Pano Bar, with outdoor stage 2600m up. You’d be hard-pushed to find a festival stage anywhere in the world with a better view than this one. Oppidan wows the crowd with her irresistible garage grooves before Arielle Free makes an appearance much to the joy of a packed crowd who seem unbothered by the challenge of dancing in ski boots.

The evening sees Bou up the tempo on the Alpine Stage before Chase & Status deliver the headline set, underlining their festival legend status. The big tunes seem endless with each one landing hard. If the crowd are tired from skiing they don’t show it as they jump as one to the beats. Muzelle Stage oozes quality with house from Palms Trax and the groundbreaking hi-energy of Australian star, Mall Grab. Luckily these two stages are close to each other so we’re able to take in as much of the music and atmosphere as possible. Afterwards, we head to Avalanche where Badger drops an incredible set of bass, house and garage so full of twists and turns it’s impossible not to get involved on the dancefloor.

On Wednesday we step up for the Mixmag pop-up party with rising star Riordan taking the reins up the mountain at Pano Bar. There’s nothing quite like the sight of skiing down the slope near the mountain peak only to see a full-on rave appear over your left shoulder. Riordan shakes off the cold and packs out the dancefloor as skiers speed like torpedoes down the mountain towards the thumping basslines, drawn like moths to a flame.

After a brief recovery - we should mention the incredible food experiences such as Hommage Au Fromage (raclette, fondue, and cheesy singalong guitar), Lunch In The Clouds (atop the mountain on the terrace at the Michelin Guide restaurant, Le Diable Au Coeur) and a host of other quality restaurants all designed to bring you back to life with energy for the night ahead - we’re back in festival madness. Sammy Virji is moved from Muzelle to the Alpine Stage and the queues still snake down the street and round the corner to see him. Of course, he delivers, thrilling fans with his unique house / garage crossover.

The party continues at the cavernous Indoor Arena where thousands of tireless ravers bounce to the twisted, bass-heavy DnB rollers fired out by Hedex. They’re still going strong when we leave Simula dropping his filthy basslines to search out a late-night pizza.

We wake on Thursday feeling jaded. Undeniable stamina is required to get the best out of Rise but a quick trip up the mountain to get some skiing in is the ultimate restorative. That fresh, clean air and the exhilaration of flying down the slopes, plus a cheeky beer at Pano Bar, soon has us ready for more.

Before the dancefloor we take in the Bongo’s Bingo experience; it’s bingo but wild, unpredictable, very boozy and a whole lot of fun. All of which sets us up nicely for the highlight of the night, Fish56Octagon, who has the Muzelle Stage heaving with fans loving his mix of banging house and classic trance. His obvious enjoyment and ‘I can’t believe I’m actually doing this’ facial expressions only add to the love in the room. Whatever his route to stardom you can’t argue that Fish can pick the tunes, knows his way around the decks, and can get any dancefloor rocking.

We take a change of pace as we hop over to the Alpine Stage to catch French legend Dimitri From Paris spinning filtered house and pop classics, the perfect soundtrack to the dazzling fireworks display over the mountain, lighting up the sky in a kaleidoscope of colours as Rise celebrates 10 years and the close of another incredible festival.

Of course, there’s always an afterparty at Rise and it’s going off in the Indoor Arena as Josh Baker draws a huge crowd with a euphoric set of driving, 90’s-infused house. We meet an old raver from Canada wandering the dancefloor and I comment on the string of coloured bulbs he’s wearing around his neck. He magically produces another set from inside his fur coat and places them around my neck like Hawaiian greeting garlands. We dance together and as I light up in different colours I reflect that Rise Festival might just be as near to the perfect festival experience as you can get.

Rise Festival returns from 6th - 13th December 2025. Tickets are on sale now: www.rise-festival.com/book-rise-festival-2025