Photo Diary: Ceremonia
Festival Ceremonia was hotly anticipated this year, with heavyhitters Björk, MIA, and Underworld set to lead the one day festival's line-up. Flights were booked, hotels were confirmed, and music fans flooded into the city of Toluca (an hour and a half outside of Mexico City) for a day of musical bliss. Strong winds had their own plans in mind. Gusts damaged two stages and at the last minute, on the Saturday of the event, it was announced that the festival was cancelled. Many were gutted.
Behind the scenes, organizers scrambled to see what they could do and while potential attendees were drinking away their sorrows, the announcement came that the festival was moving to Sunday. Fans were allowed to accept a full refund or attend a reduced line-up. Some artists, like MIA, Vince Staples, and Beach House couldn't commit to the new date, but plenty of other artists, including Nicolas Jaar and James Blake who performed an earlier set due to his travel schedule, raged on.
Spirits were high. Björk, the woman of our dreams, performed on stage with a specially assembled orchestra from Mexico City. They were joined by experimental Venezuelan producer Arca to perform a new version of “Isobel" from Björk's 1995 album Post. Björk's show-stopping performance was followed up with a dance party of celebration led by London legends Underworld.
Outside of the music, the grounds offered amusement park rides, a medieval village with fully costumed staff, and several art installations. Overall, the event attracted an estimated 15,000 people, the highest in its 5 year history.
Photography by Becca Griffin
