Hypefest Aranya brought culture at its finest to life in China
Hypebeast, a leading global platform for contemporary culture and lifestyle, wrapped up a two-day cultural festival, Hypefest Aranya, in the famous coastal line of Qinhuangdao, China on September 23 and 24. Following Hypefest’s success in Brooklyn in 2018, its debut in China showcased a diverse range of regional and international cultural happenings, bridging the Hypebeast community with its audience in China. Produced in collaboration with RYCE Entertainment and ALLIN Entertainment, the festival featured an impeccable line up including Jackson Wang, Swae Lee, Aminé, Cordae and MC Jin, along with immersive pop-up experiences. Bringing together over 15,000 Hypebeast audiences over the 2-day period, the event offered an intimate experience of all things music and art, to fashion and creativity in physical form to Aranya like never before.
The cultural festival returned with a diverse lineup of hip-hop, R&B and pop artists. Special guest Jackson Wang, and headliners Swae Lee, Aminé, Cordae and MC Jin were joined by Lexie Liu, Vinida, Gali, Thomeboydontkill, Karencici, Caelan, Dough-Boy and Charity SSB on the main stage. Title sponsor adidas Originals curated the stage with its iconic giant Superstar and interactive activities including photobooth and a DIY tattoo space. DJs from Preme, Pulse and Yeti Out, including Thaiboy Digital, Na$ty, Silkboi, Guz, Cika Koo, DJ Cell, Kinj, N.O.L.Y, Tom and Arthur Yeti, Badaam, Fergus and Tedman Lee also performed on a second stage and brought the energy up high during the 2-day weekend.
At the music festival, Hennessy, the exclusive cognac provider of the festival, invited visitors to experience its V.S.O.P X TEAM WANG Design pop-up space that featured the Hennessy V.S.O.P limited edition by TEAM WANG Design and a beverage truck. Penfolds, in collaboration with its creative partner NIGO, curated a “One by Penfolds” beach resting area. The space showcased four animal motifs – a crocodile, rooster, panda, and bear, and represented the four winemaking regions where One by Penfolds wines are sourced – Australia, France, China and America respectively.
Beyond the festival grounds, a series of installations and experiential pop-up stores in Aranya, visitors also engaged and got to know a range of different brands on a personal level. Marshall took over the Breeze Bar with a rock-and-roll themed double-deck bus and telephone booth, a vintage marketplace, British delicacies, and DJs were on-site to spin the speaker sound with hip-hop rhythm. In support of emerging artists and the local music scene, Marshall also hosted a secret party at 1023 Club on September 23 featuring hip-hop artists Jiu Wei and Xia Zhiyu. Athletic footwear and apparel brand Saucony Originals released its latest 2K Cavalry sneakers at the “House of Saucony” pop-up space. Taking over Bar Lotus at Aranya, the space took inspiration from the Y2K styles, and was transformed into a café with DIY workshops and hosted “A Conversation With” panel discussions. International apparel retailer, GAP took over the Aranya’s library, dubbed “the world’s loneliest library”, and curated a space entitled “GAP-LLERY”. Showcasing creative installations inspired by GAP’s latest collections, the artistic space immersed emerging youth through five key themes: New Impressions, New Trends, New Functionality, New Texture, and New Collaborations. Hoegaarden, in collaboration with artist OYOW, transformed the town’s theatre complex into a Hoegaarden Unwind Corner. Visitors may enjoy a glass of cold beer and music spun by renowned DJ Tom Yeti and Arthur Yeti, as well as a chance to win a limited edition Hoegaarden x OYOW hexagonal glass. Vans brought “The Vans Showdown” to China for the very first time in collaboration with professional skateboarder Jeremy Hu. The street contest was hosted at the Aranya Skatepark to promote China’s finest skateboarders and creative minds, while offering support to skate shops and communities through its give back components in various phases of the campaign. Taking over the city’s Xerox printing shop was designer brand Randomevent. In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the brand debuted its “Printing House” capsule collection in collaboration with Actual Source, and decked up the space with a workshop to generate creative prints and a product display zone for guests to capture memorable moments.
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