It seems as if today, the Arab World can’t get enough of electronic music given the slew of dedicated events punctuating our calendars in recent months. If Morocco, Egypt, and Lebanon were in a state of almost monopoly over the genre and its associated festivals in the region, the landscape is slowly starting to expand, conquering what have historically been uncharted territories as the once-niche pocket of music continues to welcome new destinations into its pulsating embrace. And, according to the amount of noise generated in Jordan, the Hashemite Kingdom is on its way to becoming one of the region’s newest hotspots as it is slowly gearing up to host the next electrifying event in the Middle East.
Shahin Mani and Sherif Koyess, co-founders of Tithorea production company, have just revealed plans to launch a new five-day, dual-location, festival set to take place in the historical sites of Petra and Wadi Rum, in the Jordanian South, dubbed “Medaina,” which is a portmanteau of the word “Mediterranean” and “ain,” the Arabic term for spring,
Revered and esteemed names in the realm of music and the arts, the duo, with a track record of successful events across Greece, Turkey, and Costa Rica, have now set their eyes on our side of the world, promising to bring the ultimate cocktail of culture for those seeking a transcendent and immersive experience.
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“We’ve done festivals all over the world but I’m especially excited to present Medaina at the absolutely magical sites of Petra and Wadi Rum in Jordan. The synergy that has come together to make this historic celebration happen has been thrilling and the support from the Jordanian people and government is deeply inspiring. We’ll offer our fantastically state-of-the-art creative direction to make this an immersive experience of a lifetime,” Mani said in a statement.
Expected to kick off on May 22, 2024, all the way up until May 27, Medaina will be based on five creative pillars— namely music, art, gastronomy, culture, and sustainability— hoping to build an all-encompassing moment for ticket-holders while weaving a rich tapestry of experiences for guests who’ll be able to venture around several different areas of culture at once.
With the opening day set to occur in the heart of one of the world’s seven wonders, namely in the rock-carved city of Petra, before carting off to the UNESCO-protected Wadi Rum desert, the line-up, which is expected to bring a balanced mix of both international and local talent, will present an earsplitting fusion of musical prowess that transcends borders against a backdrop of ancient marvels and breathtaking landscapes.
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Ahead of the region’s latest addition to its already rich festival circuit, we asked the organizers of Medaina a series of rapid-fire questions to gain some insight ahead of the hotly-anticipated event. Read on to discover what you can expect from Medaina.
What inspired you to choose Jordan as the location for the festival, and how do you envision these unique settings enhancing the overall experience for attendees?
If you look back at Tithorea, we always focused on creating a novel experience in a unique place, such as San Miguel in Mexico, Cappadocia in Turkey, Nosara in Costa Rica, and Transylvania in Romania. This year we decided to take a break because we did not feel we had the right place and settings.
After scouting many countries and cities we landed on Petra and Wadi Rum in Jordan. I believe these locations have very strong cultural and historical elements that will be inspiring for our audience and will also serve as very unique and aesthetically pleasing locations to create a mind-blowing production aligned with the culture, history, and geo elements of the place.
Medaina has been described as a festival with five creative pillars. Can you elaborate on how each of these pillars will be incorporated into the event and what attendees can expect from each aspect?
These are always the main pillars of our events. Most importantly, in addition to inviting international well-known artists, we curate and produce our events with the intention of supporting the local talents across each of these pillars.
Our guests go through a journey curated based on these pillars across five days. Day one is centered around local traditional music and gastronomy. The second day in Petra is focused on tours and cultural activities around the city followed by one of the two big events from sunset to sunrise. Friday, we will move to Wadi Rum and celebrate the full moon in the desert with another gastronomical event, and Saturday will be centered around cultural activities in Wadi Rum, followed by the final closing event from sunset to sunrise.
We feel it’s important to underline that we are a sustainable and plastic-free festival. We will be hosting various workshops and activities around sustainability, including group activities to clean the desert and reduce waste and emissions.
With an expected attendance from over 70 countries, Medaina is expected to become a true global gathering. How do you plan to celebrate and embrace the diverse cultural backgrounds of the attendees while maintaining a cohesive festival experience?
It is quite inspiring to see we have come to the point where we can host people from 70+ countries at a new destination. I think our main focus for this year is to firstly, truly showcase the culture and beauty of Jordan to our attendees, secondly, to make sure we can provide an experience and production that meets our guests expectations and make sure everyone leaves with a piece of this place in their hearts and finally, make all of our local partners and authorities inspired and happy with the result. In the end, this is the first time anyone is bringing a festival of this kind to Jordan and it will be a lot of hard work on all fronts.
How do you plan to balance the festival’s modern elements with the preservation and respect for such ancient sites like Petra and Wadi Rum?
We are in the initial phases of our production design but think of it this way– Petra is in the past, and it’s unclear how it was built. Wadi Rum is in the future, and maybe it’s on a different planet. What if the concept of time and space did not exist? Could the future have built Petra in the past? This will be the starting point for our narrative and storyline while ensuring we are showcasing the cultural and historical elements of Jordan. Our creative direction has been one of our strongest suites historically. Wholly agreed on the rich historical and archeological significance of both locations— it’s our hope to integrate this history and culture with our cutting-edge production design, with a keen focus on the cultural elements of both locations.
Sustainability is one of the festival’s pillars. What steps has Medaina taken to minimize its environmental impact and contribute positively to the local communities and heritage of Jordan?
Sustainability is one of our community’s pillars which is a very important part of every one of our events and festivals. This is both around maintaining a sustainable environment and also a better future, given where the world we are living in is headed. A few of the initiatives to mention include:
- Reduce waste and increase recycling
- Zero plastic
- Stay as digital as possible
- Cashless
- Renewable energy sources
- Climate-conscious food traders and vendors
- And really most importantly: be present, look around, enjoy the beauty, and think about how we can unite to take care of a place like this
How will Medaina build upon the experiences gained in the past, and what new elements do you plan to introduce to make Medaina stand out as a distinct and unforgettable event?
This is probably one question both Sherif and I think about when we wake up and go to sleep. I think most of our community knows this, but for us, Tithorea (the parent brand of all these festivals) has never been about making money. We are from and love the Middle East. We love to create an experience that has not been done before and we love to support local talent. By the time Medaina takes place it will be two years from the last Tithorea. This is two years of reflection, inspiration, and creation. We now also have the challenge of raising the bar because people traveling from 70+ counties will have their expectations as well.
We have been doing a lot of reflection and brainstorming on how we can elevate our guest experience. I can’t give too many spoilers yet but there will definitely be introducing new elements before (including flight and airport), during, and after the experience. Some of these will be socialized soon through some of our partnership announcements.
Given the global nature of Medaina and its potential to attract attendees from all over the world, how do you envision the festival contributing to cross-cultural exchange, fostering new artistic collaborations, and leaving a lasting impact on the international music and arts community?
This is really important for us and probably something that has not been done before in the region to this scale. We want to promote and support inclusion and diversity as much as possible. This applies to our attendees, artists, and collaborators. We are hoping we can be a platform to gather and support a diverse community to create, showcase art and a more sustainable future.
