A Hidden Oasis in the Land of the Kings

It all started with my friend mentioning that there was this majestic festival called Magnetic Fields in the Rajasthan desert, India, where renowned DJs play for a fortunate handful of ticket holders in a beautiful oasis overlooked by the palace of Alsisar.

I mean, she didn’t quite describe it like that but the fact that it was small, boutique and based in India was enough to convince us to go.

Having always wanted to travel to India, this was the perfect way to start the trip – watching our favourite artists (including Maribou State, Palms Trax, Kamma & Masalo) play in the land of the kings.

Stepping off the plane into smog-covered Delhi we weren’t sure what to expect. We’d missed the last of the luxury bedouin tent bookings and were relying on a kind stranger to let us crash in a shared ‘homestay’ room for the weekend.

The morning of the first day of the festival, we hopped into a taxi (easily booked through the festival website), and began the 7-hour drive to Alsisar. As we drove through tiny rural villages and picturesque Rajasthan farmland, we were getting very excited about the fact that we were finally in India and on our way!

Villages faded into the distance and we were more remote than ever, with grey clouds looming above us in the sky. Normally the desert is hot at this time of year (apparently, we were very unlucky with the weather). Alas, this didn’t dampen our mood and after a bit of back-and-forth in the taxi we made it to our accommodation.

Okay – there’s no sugarcoating it, we should have been more prepared and snapped up a bedouin tent, this was extremely basic, a little bit dirty and lacked a shower (a bucket of boiling hot water was brought to us on demand). Despite this, we did have an amazing roommate from the North of India who showed us the ropes and took us up to our first visit to the palace.

Magnetic Fields is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before! With few westerners around, it houses some of India’s most elite and music-savvy punters who come here to enjoy the incredible setting of the palace, amazing food stalls and a star-studded lineup (no expenses spared).

Expect to walk past cattle and Lamborghini’s in the carpark and watch as two very different words collide for this three day spectacle.

The music gets going in the afternoon with different hideaway stages around the palace showcasing various types of music (mostly electronic) – from the dungeon, to the poolside courtyard, to the rooftop – each stage has been well thought out, dressed up, and sound-checked to offer a flawless festival experience.

There is also a field below the palace that boasts the Ray-Ban Desert Oasis stage, further food stalls, souk market, a wellness spa, beauty parlour, talks and various chill-out zones. It is also where they keep a tiny disco tent that keeps going until the early hours (and where we kept finding ourselves ending up).

Bonfires are lit all around the palace at night to keep warm because, believe us, it gets freezing. Cold aside, the atmosphere is buzzing until 8am each morning, everyone gets dressed up in their best North Face jacket, favourite bum-bag and designer sunglasses to party hard.

If you can keep going until 10am you’ll also find a host of secret ‘afters’ around the place too.

Whilst the festival is curated to perfection, there is also the rustic side of the Alsisar countryside that sees herds of goats and cows chilling around the festival site, camels carrying luggage to people’s tents and local vendors in the streets outside the site.

The crowd were amazing and the town residents welcoming to outsiders; everyone was happy to be a part of the magic. Performers hung out with the crowd supporting other artists, whilst the prince himself danced with us at 6am to the closing set.

Highlights included; Sundowner Rooftop Session with Modular Princess, Maribou State’s live performance, Haai playing Paradise at The Peacock Club and Daniel Avery at the Courtyard Red Bull Stage.

We’ve been fortunate enough to attend a lot of festivals around the world but this tops it as one of our favourites. If you’re thinking of heading somewhere exotic for December 2020, keep Magnetic Fields Festival on your radar.

Things to consider:

Book early to secure a room in Alsisar Mahal (palace hotel) or a bedouin tent (luxury tents with fully functioning bathroom, proper double beds, front porch, heating)
Fly into Delhi or Jaipur and book a private taxi through the festival website to reach the location as other taxi providers will struggle to find the site.
Take lots of warm (but fashionable) clothes for the festival including gloves, hats, scarves and thermals
Bring cash with you, the festival has its own currency which you can pay for using card or cash (but cash is always the safer option)
If staying outside the festival site (in a surrounding Haveli) pick-up cheaper booze from the airport
If staying on the festival site (in tents) be aware that there are thorough bag searches and no booze is allowed in
Leave space in your bag to buy from some of the amazing pop-up clothing stalls in the souk market
Stay on after the festival and explore Rajasthan