A brand-new immersive destination event is set to make its grand debut on the shores of the Red Sea. Organizers have officially announced that recap.festival will launch its inaugural edition in the picturesque resort town of El Gouna, Egypt, running from December 29th, 2026, to January 2nd, 2027. Promising an unforgettable five-day New Year getaway, the festival blends world-class electronic music, stunning coastal landscapes, curated gastronomy, and holistic wellness activities into a comprehensive cultural celebration.
Presented jointly by Venture Lifestyle and P+US, recap.festival is structured to offer attendees an expansive holiday experience. The core of the festival takes place across three main days from December 30th to January 1st, perfectly encompassing the New Year’s Eve celebrations. These primary event days will run nightly from 8:00 PM to midnight, animating various venues across El Gouna. To round out the five-day journey, dedicated opening festivities are scheduled for December 29th, with closing events taking place on January 2nd.
The organizers have unveiled an impressive initial lineup of electronic music talent spanning house, techno, and melodic soundscapes. Headlining the inaugural edition are heavyweight names including PAWSA, Seth Troxler, and DESIREE. They will be joined by an array of celebrated international artists, including Joseph Capriati, Fideles, Bedouin, RIVO, Birds of Mind, Fleur Shore, and Max Styler. According to the festival’s production team, additional artist announcements are still to come, promising a deeply curated musical journey for festival-goers traveling to the Egyptian coast.
Set against the unique backdrop of El Gouna, the festival’s programming is designed to integrate seamlessly with the destination’s distinctive geography. Built intricately around pristine lagoons, private marinas, and sandy beaches, the Red Sea resort town—located just north of Hurghada—offers an idyllic setting for a winter escape. Known widely as a premier hub for sailing and kitesurfing, El Gouna boasts an upscale infrastructure featuring waterfront dining, high-end beach clubs, and vibrant nightlife that will now serve as the canvas for recap.festival.
Rabih Mokbel, Founder of Venture Lifestyle and P+US, highlighted the intentionality behind choosing El Gouna as the home for this new concept. He explained that the resort town embodies every element required to foster a successful destination experience, pointing to the natural beauty of the Red Sea, the favorable winter weather, the welcoming local community, and a lifestyle that inherently brings people together. Mokbel noted that the overarching vision for Recap is to build directly upon that existing energy, crafting an environment that extends far beyond a traditional music event so that the entire city becomes an active part of the participant experience.
Elaborating on the timing and philosophy of the festival, Mokbel emphasized that modern travelers are increasingly seeking out purposeful journeys rather than standard nightlife outings. He noted that people are looking for experiences they can travel for, connect through, and remember long after the music stops. By bringing together music, culture, food, wellness, and New Year’s festivities into a single destination, recap.festival aims to offer audiences an entirely different way to close out the outgoing year and welcome the incoming one.
Beyond the extensive electronic music itinerary, the festival’s creators have placed significant emphasis on holistic lifestyle offerings. The five-day itinerary will incorporate curated dining experiences designed to highlight local and international culinary arts, alongside a series of creative activities aimed at enriching the mind, body, and soul. This multi-dimensional approach ensures that attendees can balance late-night dancing with daytime relaxation, wellness practices, and cultural exploration during their stay on the Red Sea.
As planning for the inaugural edition moves forward, anticipation is already building among international travelers and electronic music enthusiasts. The combination of a top-tier lineup, a picturesque coastal setting, and an integrated lifestyle program positions recap.festival as a major new addition to the global winter festival calendar.
recap.festival will take place in El Gouna, Red Sea, Egypt, from December 29th, 2026, to January 2nd, 2027, with the main festival programme running from December 30th, 2026, to January 1st, 2027. Further updates, phase-two lineup announcements, and schedule details are being shared directly through the official recap.festival Instagram page. The initial artist lineup, announced in alphabetical order, features Bedouin, Birds of Mind, DESIREE, Fideles, Fleur Shore, Joseph Capriati, Max Styler, PAWSA, RIVO, and Seth Troxler, with more acts still to be confirmed.
