In 2025, UNTOLD X closed a sprawling 10-year story shaped by the festival’s larger-than-life creatures, mythical entities and fantastical narratives. This year, with UNTOLD 1, the festival’s production team presented forward-thinking stage designs with a future-facing focus.
DJ Mag’s Megan Venzin heads to Romania to learn more.
For the past decade, UNTOLD’s fairytale aesthetic has drawn numbers increasing to over 500,000 attendees to the heart of Transylvania in Romania with its promise of unfettered escapism.
Last year, UNTOLD X closed a 10-year chapter of the festival’s story. This year, with UNTOLD 1, a new era has begun — one fuelled by its tireless production team.
The festival’s new visual aesthetic trades its previous storybook thematics for future-facing designs that are most obvious in the glowing, LED drenched Main Stage, described by the production team as a new “portal”.
Other eye-catching updates feature across the rap-focused Alchemy, mega club-mirroring Galaxy, mellifluous Daydreaming and activity-filled Soul Circle stages.
Across five updated stages, DJ Mag explores how the festival has started a new chapter with UNTOLD 1, speaking to key members of the festival’s production team.
The festival’s evolution is unmistakable in UNTOLD 1’s Main Stage, the largest and most complex built in the festival’s history. Featuring 1,070 intelligent lighting fixtures alongside 1,250 square meters of LED surface, it is a technical marvel set within the Cluj Arena.
Legendary rock star Sting, pop artist Zara Larsson and rap-star Flo Rida arrive on the same 38-metre tall stage as DJs including Martin Garrix, Sebastian Ingrosso and James Hype.
The structure itself is not as instantly recognisable as the dragons, goddesses and beasts of previous main stages at UNTOLD. So, what is this glowing futuristic behemoth exactly.
Some visitors see a space ship. Others claim a giant pair of metallic-gray lips stand before them. There are no wrong answers. She attests that this only serves to continue UNTOLD’s storytelling legacy.
UNTOLD 1’s only indoor area, the Galaxy Stage, is a warehouse-inspired space. With a 9,000 person-capacity, it feels like the festival’s own mega club. On Friday, artists including Joseph Capriati, Solomun and Mau P all play before the untethered mayhem of hard techno’s Holy Priest — a set that had a record-breaking queue in the thousands still waiting to enter at 5AM.
The Soul Circle stage debuted in 2025, but expanded in 2026 with a line-up of music and experiences inhabiting a more conscious corner of the music world. Here, attendees can find ecstatic dance, meditative sessions, soundbaths and performances from names like Malte Marten, Namirí and The White Arrow and DJ Ben Chi, who teamed up for an invigorating heartbeat cacao ceremony.
Together these artists bring to life what Mihali describes as “a more intimate counterpoint to the scale and intensity of the festival: a place where the experience could feel warmer, closer and more human.
Soul Circle emerges from a desire to welcome attendees to an introspective destination. “In a festival of this scale, sometimes the most memorable moment can come from finding a smaller space, slowing down for a while, and connecting with the music and the people around you in a completely different way,” Mihali explains.
Tucked under treetops, the Daydreaming Stage offers a softer experience, soundtracked by stars from Afro, deep and progressive house. Standout performances include a rare solo DJ set from Tinlicker, as well as acts like Jan Blomqvist and AWEN.
The earthy design, adorned with floral accents and pastel lights, bears similarities to 2025’s Mother Nature-themed Main Stage, but Dascǎl says its look is derived not from previous blueprints.
Want more? Revisit six unforgettable moments from UNTOLD X here.
Megan Venzin is a freelance music journalist and regular DJ Mag contributor. Follow her on X @Meggerzv.
Fontes
Informação baseada em material público de DJ Mag, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
