Here's your chance to party at a full-blown music festival from the safety of your own homes.
This year, Take Back The Nights returns as an immersive four-part concert series that's happening on the first Friday of every month. The kicker? It'll be held entirely in an open virtual-reality (VR) world that's inspired by Singapore's iconic Somerset Belt.
Founded in February 2020 when Singapore was at the cusp of a COVID-induced lockdown, Take Back The Nights started off as a series of livestreamed shows that were organised to revitalize the live entertainment industry. It is organised in conjunction with video and digital media creative agency Rawspark Group.
Taking on the theme of 'Light The Future', the first installment of this year's concerts will take place on 6 August from 6 - 11 PM. The remaining three shows will happen at the same timing on 3 September, 1 October and 5 November.
Take Back The Nights will run on the Unreal Engine gaming platform and is best accessed on desktops. No external VR equipment is necessary, but the festival's Director of Music and Sound Production Michael Andrew Garcia shared that the use of VR gear would give attendees "an added layer of immersion".
With a promising line-up of artists including Inquisitive, Intriguant, and Haneri, be prepared to move around in the VR festival grounds and explore a range of exciting activities and performances.
In the VR world, you can meet up with your friends and play interactive games, attend fireside chats with a distinguished panel from the music and entertainment industries, or even order from a wide selection of F&B options and have it delivered to your doorstep.
Some of the panelists festival attendees can look forward to hearing from include music label owner Tan Peng Sing (M1LDL1FE, Where Are The Fruits), fashion label owner Camira Asrori and film industry specialist Nicholas Chee (Sinema, The Flying Kick Asia).
While access to the event is free, festival-goers can opt for upgrades (priced at $14.90 and $18.90) to their concert experience that will unlock a variety of superpowers — including that of flying around the sprawling festival grounds. They can also take sky rides on 'Chomp Chomp the Stingray' and 'Sambal the Whale'.
VIP packages for groups of four and eight are also available. These unlock all festival superpowers and include the delivery of festival food, beverages, merchandise and vendor promo codes to the attendees' homes.
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Other musical artists scheduled to perform at the VR festival on subsequent episodes include Linying, Plainsunset, Fingerfunk, Astronauts, O$P$ and Kitty Purrnaz among others. The full line-up and the dates the artists are performing can be found on the festival's website.
A rotating roster of three visual artists will also be digitally exhibiting their artworks in each episode of the festival.
Over the past year, the live entertainment industry has been pivoting towards digital shows in light of pandemic restrictions. Most recently, concerts like Hydeout have also offered VR gig experiences to its attendees.
To sign up for Take Back The Nights, head over to the festival's official website.
