ION festival returns to Albania in September 2022!

Having been postponed for two years due to Covid, ION will be taking over the picturesque area of Dhërmi, Albania. The festival location is set amongst crystal blue sea, cold war bunkers, secret coves, and multiple stages covering the seven-day event with more to be announced. Artist highlights include CHAOS IN THE CBD, MARIBOU STATE, JEFF MILLS, NINA KRAVIZ, DJ STINGRAY, HELENA HAUFF, DANIEL AVERY, HAAI, NICOLAS LUTZ and PANGAEA.

The stages will include some of the most original on the global festival circuit bringing Junction 2’s legendary sound and light teams with them to create some of the most memorable parties to happen across Europe. The festival takes place from September 7th – 14th 2022.

ION is a different kind of music event, one where there are no festival fences. Ticket holders are pushed to explore as they please and create a pure holiday experience.

Set in an untouched part of the world on the outskirts of Europe, ION festival shares the same region of the Mediterranean as Corfu and Southeast Italy commanding 25°C weather in September. The first thing of note is the stunning Albanian coastline running along the Ionian Sea pressed against a pebbly beach and transparent ocean water taking up much of the festival site. The part that really adds to ION’s incredible setting is that it’s directly under the imposing green Ceraunian mountains that only adds to the scenic nature of the festival which feels totally cut off from the rest of the world.

Dotted throughout the festival playground will be a number of stages and experiences. Currently, there are five stages announced across the festival site with other experiences across the coastline, only accessible by boat. These will provide some of the most memorable moments of the week.

When we are started to bring our vision for ION Festival to life, we wanted to make sure each music location had its own, unique vibe with a distinct music programme to match. From the open-air hedonism of our Main Stage and The Deck, to the depths of The Bunker, the intimacy of The Cove, to The Yacht Club’s slick terrace, we feel we have fine-tuned our lineup with exceptional attention to detail. And that’s all before we get to the additional experiences that we know will provide some of the most incredible spots to experience electronic music anywhere in the world. We hope you can all join us in this stunning location that we are extremely fortunate to call home this September.

Jeff Gray, ION festival

THE MAIN STAGE will be an open-air haven, a safe harbour set into a private cove. Lucky dancers can keep moving until the early hours when the warm sunrise spreads over the area.

THE BUNKER will be hidden away from prying eyes. The cavernous indoor space of blasted concrete pillars and the labyrinthine of passageways creates the more atmospheric buildings on the site.

THE DECK is for those lazy cocktail-fueled days and balmy nights. This beachside stage is a spacious outdoor area in which to enjoy the music of those selectors who know how to soundtrack summer memories.

THE COVE is an intimate, sandy paradise on the water’s edge. As the heat of the afternoon gives way to night-time hedonism, this stage transforms from a chilled-out sun trap to dance central. 

Jutting over the Ionian is The Yacht Club, from its position on top of a rocky outcrop, festival-goers can dance into the early hours and enjoy the coast’s epic panorama view from this slick, modern terrace. 

The team behind ION is no stranger to putting on a good party, best known for Junction 2 festival, the team at LWE has slowly risen through the ranks from club promoters to major festival event organisers. Now ION is the jewel in the crown bringing people from far and wide for one hedonistic week in a brand new location.

For everyone who chooses to come to ION on this extended summer party, it will be a week filled with new encounters and 3,000 like-minded friends, all soundtracked by electronic music’s best artists.

ION Festival 2022 poster