Festival and Travel Planner 2025

There was no answer yet to this question - shows that people have mixed feelings about Magic.

You are inferring something that isn’t there. More viable explanations: 1) People have not read the post yet, or 2) people have read the post but choose not to respond for a variety of reasons not linked to Magic. We just don’t know.

For the record, Magic is definitely worth attending.
 
You are inferring something that isn’t there. More viable explanations: 1) People have not read the post yet, or 2) people have read the post but choose not to respond for a variety of reasons not linked to Magic. We just don’t know.

For the record, Magic is definitely worth attending.
I would add that the number of posters on the forum is too less to be statistically significant to gauge interest in Magic.

I would have liked to go. But I can’t for reasons not related to dancing.
 
Magic sells out so there is definitely market for it. Are you target audience? How can we know?

I've been there, not going again. Posted review here. Basically I didn't like sound and music, liked people and location. For me it was a hassle to get there, but now there are direct flights, so I went to other Slovenian events. Everyone has different circumstances, needs, means, etc.
 
The question was 'is Magic still worth attending?'

There are too many variables to even answer this question.

What kind of experience do you want?

Maybe a better question is 'How has Magic changed over the years?'

People who go there every year religiously obviously love it. And Magic has one of the biggest cult followings. It is like the closest we have to a Salsa pilgrimmage. All roads still lead to Magic.
 
The question was 'is Magic still worth attending?'

There are too many variables to even answer this question.

What kind of experience do you want?

Maybe a better question is 'How has Magic changed over the years?'

People who go there every year religiously obviously love it. And Magic has one of the biggest cult followings. It is like the closest we have to a Salsa pilgrimmage. All roads still lead to Magic.
Decline in PISC, El Sol, Vienna, and Rostov is a big factor that can’t be discounted. Magic attracted the same crowd that liked going to these. Later on the marathon crowd. Magic among larger festivals is the only one that grew post-Covid. It was last man standing. Is that reason it is more popular post-covid? Now you have a whole new events that have sprung up in EU. Outside of EU, Jeju in S. Korea is still place to go.

Berlin congress was disliked before Covid too.

First time I attended Magic, it had about 800 people by my estimate. That would put it category of smaller to mid size congress. Its popularity took off from the following year onwards. When multiple people from San Francisco start traveling to a festival or an event (15-18 hours journey one way) you know it has become popular :D Mambolove was getting there but then Putin had other ideas!

P.S. I thought the Rovinj and Sibenik (plus El Sol) were more like salsa pilgrimage than Magic.
 
Sibenik is a bit small to be considered a pilgrimmage. Rovinj maybe, but it has more of a summer holiday feel and is also a sensual fest.

Back in the day El Sol for sure was.
I only went to Sibenik once. A couple of years later it closed. Was very expensive sea resort place if you stayed inside. Most people rented apartments outside and shared.

Its small size compared to Rovinj was the key draw. Most focused on salsa and the quality was better. Half the crowd had traveled from Rovinj to Sibenik.
 
You are inferring something that isn’t there. More viable explanations: 1) People have not read the post yet, or 2) people have read the post but choose not to respond for a variety of reasons not linked to Magic. We just don’t know.

For the record, Magic is definitely worth attending.
Well, I do have mixed feelings about Magic, and a few expressed also their critics in the past. Of course that's not representive. And so I said it's worth going there once. I would not say for me it's worth going every year.
 
I haven’t been to magic in years due to timing not being good for me and flights.

Afternoon social music was amazing when I went many years ago. Hopefully that has not changed.

Music in the evening by the same djs was more conservative but that would not be their decision.
 
5 hours of shows.
This is insane. I'll either lose my mind or fall asleep at the 3rd hour mark.
Are there people that really watch all of those?
 
If show groups really pay to perform then 101 shows must be big income for the organizer?
They have to pay for their own accomodation and buy performer’s pass. I don’t know how much a performer’s pass costs. It is usually discounted to 50% of the full congress pass (in most USA congresses). That would probable mean $115ish?

101 performer -if average per performance is two people that would net the organizer 200x115=$23,000. Hmm that’s impressive for single day collection.

I don’t know how many performers were there over three days - Fri, Sat, Sun. But I will assume that with room sharing, the performers booked at least 100 rooms at the venue. Organizers don’t get cut of revenues from the hotel for room bookings. Instead if the booking reaches minimum number of rooms, the hotel doesn’t charge rent for the ballrooms and other spaces.

Advantage to organizer is performers will book early. So minimum number of rooms quota is met. Then hotel opens the next tier room quota. When non-performers see the number of rooms already booked, they see it as a signal that a lot of people are interested. It creates a fly-wheel effect.

Assuming total 2000 attendees who are not performers, paying average $100 (a really low average figure) each, that is 2000x100=200,000. The main expense for organizers is insurance, travel fees, and accommodation for the top “artists” + the same for all the DJs. Most of the festival staff is volunteers with some paying partially for the festival pass depending on the number of hours volunteered. I am guessing minimum take is $250K. Assuming all the expenses cost $50K to $75K (generous assumption), you can see how profitable it is.
 
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