Estéreo Picnic is a music festival that takes place annually in Bogotá, Colombia. It began in 2010 as a one-day festival showcasing mainly Colombian artists, but low turnout and financial losses during its first three years resulted in a strategic change of direction in 2013, becoming a multi-day festival on a bigger site and inviting major international bands to play alongside artists from Colombia and other Latin American countries. As a result, attendance increased markedly and Estéreo Picnic is now Colombia's biggest alternative music festival and one of the most important music festivals in South America. The musical style of the festival is similar to that of Lollapalooza and European festivals such as Glastonbury, focusing on alternative rock, indie music, punk rock, reggae, electronica and hip hop. Among the acts to have played at Estéreo Picnic since 2013 are American artists The Killers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pixies, Nine Inch Nails, Kings of Leon, Jack White, and Snoop Dogg, British groups Gorillaz, New Order, Foals, Kasabian, Mumford & Sons, and Florence and the Machine, and Australian bands Empire of the Sun and Tame Impala. The festival has also featured many of the major groups of the Latin American alternative music scene, including Calle 13, Babasónicos, Café Tacuba, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, and Aterciopelados, as well as sets from high-profile DJs and dance acts such as Deadmau5, Tiësto, Skrillex, Major Lazer, and Calvin Harris.
History The festival was the brainchild of four Colombian friends, Sergio Pabón, Santiago Vélez, Julián Martínez and Julio Correal, who came up with the idea of holding a festival of alternative music in Bogotá after discussing similar festivals that they had attended abroad. Recruiting three more acquaintances, Juan David Shool, Philippe Siegenthaler and Gabriel García, the seven founded a company, Sueño Estéreo (Stereo Dream), to put on the festival. The first edition of Estéreo Picnic was held on 24 April 2010 and featured mostly Colombian acts, headed by American rapper Matisyahu and Belgian dance act 2manydjs. However, the festival attracted fewer than 3000 people. In 2011 and 2012 the promoters more than doubled the number of acts appearing, but attendance was still low, with 4500 people turning up in 2011 and 6000 in 2012. The promoters made a loss of US$80,000 on the 2011 festival, and US$200,000 on the 2012 festival, with the festival only surviving by being subsidised by the money made on other concerts put on by the promoters.
Faced with continuing losses, the promoters took the decision that they needed a major headlining act to boost ticket sales. They booked the Killers, whose debut concert in Colombia in 2009 had attracted 10,000 people, as well as other major supporting acts including New Order and Café Tacuba, and reduced ticket prices by 25%. The organisers hoped that with this new strategy they would sell 18,000 tickets compared with the previous year's 6000: in the event the 2013 festival was attended by 23,324 people. Attendance has since increased every year: the 2015 festival had an attendance of 50,133 and the 2016 edition was attended by an estimated 63,000 people.
Line-ups by year 2010 The first edition of the festival took place on 24 April 2010. Matisyahu 2manydjs Instituto Mexicano del Sonido Bomba Estéreo The Hall Effect Superlitio Palenke Soultribe Profetas Alerta La Makintouch Afrolatina Pizarro (LSCFJ) Radio Rebelde Soundsystem
2011 The 2011 edition of the festival took place on 9 April 2011.
Estéreo Stage: The Presets Calle 13 CSS ChocQuibTown Zoé The Sounds Hercules and Love Affair The Mills Monsieur Periné Providencia Radio Rebelde Alfonso Espriella Remaj7
El Tiempo Stage: The Twelves Bag Raiders Frente Cumbiero Jiggy Drama Modex Profetas Revolver Ciegossordomudos V for Volume Reino del Mar Purple Zippers LSCFJ Sexy Lucy Frankie ha Muerto Bendito
2012 The 2012 edition of the festival took place on 30 March 2012.
Estéreo Shock Stage: Cassius MGMT TV on the Radio Superlitio Yuksek Tinie Tempah Crew Peligrosos Planes Soundacity Copyright? Resina Lalá
Picnic Stage: Los Amigos Invisibles Gentleman Caifanes Monsieur Periné Systema Solar Toy Selectah Tres Coronas Dënver De Bruces a Mi La Makina del Karibe Armando Quest Globos de Aire
2013 The 2013 edition of the festival took place on 5 and 7 April 2013. It was the first edition of the festival to take place over more than one day, and the first in its new venue of the Parque Deportivo, which has remained its home ever since.
Friday 5 April Picnic Stage: Steve Aoki Foals Two Door Cinema Club Vetusta Morla Silencio No Hay Banda León Larregui Diamante Eléctrico
Sunday 7 April Estéreo Stage: The Killers New Order Café Tacuba Passion Pit Carla Morrison Juan Cirerol Esteman Meridian Brothers Picnic Stage: Crystal Castles Major Lazer Pernett Ondatrópica Alcolirycoz Planes Panorama Mr. Bleat Banda Radioacktiva
2014 The 2014 edition of the festival took place from 3 to 5 April 2014.
Thursday 3 April Tigo Music Stage: Nine Inch Nails Babasónicos Julian Casablancas Mateo Lewis Caracol Stage: Phoenix Capital Cities Portugal. The Man Dorian Árbol de Ojos
Friday 4 April Tigo Music Stage: Red Hot Chili Peppers Zoé Pixies Natalia Lafourcade Monsieur Periné Juan Pablo Vega Caracol Stage: Empire of the Sun Vampire Weekend Cut Copy AFI Savages Injury
Saturday 5 April Tigo Music Stage: Tiësto Los Fabulosos Cadillacs Gogol Bordello Bomba Estéreo The Wailers Cultura Profética Camila Moreno Antombo Oh'laville Caracol Stage: Axwell Zedd Jovanotti La 33 Gerard RVSB Lospetitfellas Charles King Consulado Popular Lianna El Freaky
2015 The 2015 edition of the festival took place over 12–14 March 2015. The festival was expanded to include a third stage, the Club Social Music Stage dedicated to DJs and dance music.
Thursday 12 March Tigo Music Stage: Jack White Foster the People The Kooks Telebit Caracol Stage: Skrillex SBTRKT Astro Pedrina & Río 424 Club Social Music Stage: Designer Drugs Mitú La Tostadora El Mató a un Policía Motorizado Planes Grupo de Expertos Solynieve Tan Tan Morgán
Friday 13 March Tigo Music Stage: Kings of Leon Aterciopelados Damian Marley alt-J Superlitio Milmarías Caracol Stage: Major Lazer Kasabian Rudimental Puerto Candelaria Herencia de Timbiquí Rancho Aparte Danicattack Club Social Music Stage: Seth Troxler Chet Faker Guberek Slow Hands Mavidip & Steinlausky Balancer Okraa DMK
Saturday 14 March Tigo Music Stage: Andrés Calamaro Calvin Harris Miami Horror Draco Rosa SOJA Quique Neira Lion Reggae Caracol Stage: Los Amigos Invisibles Mala Rodríguez Systema Solar Compass Crew Peligrosos Ciegossordomudos Elsa y Elmar Reyno Fatso Club Social Music Stage: Deep Dish Crew Love (No Regular Play, Nick Monaco, Soul Clap) Ulises Hadjis Salt Cathedral Caloncho Andrés Correa Federico Franco
2016 The 2016 edition of the festival took place from 10 to 12 March 2016. It was preceded by an "inauguration party" in the evening of 9 March at the Bogotá music venue Armando Music Hall, featuring a live set by Eagles of Death Metal. The 2016 festival gained some unexpected international publicity after one of its invited artists, the American rapper Snoop Dogg, mistakenly tagged himself on his Instagram account as being in Bogata, Romania, instead of Bogotá.
Thursday 10 March Tigo Music Stage: Mumford & Sons Tame Impala Of Monsters and Men 1280 Almas Huiwei Stage: Die Antwoord Odesza Bad Religion Albert Hammond Jr. The Kitsch Pepsi Music Stage: A-Trak The Joy Formidable La Minitk del Miedo Ela Minus El Otro Grupo Electric Mistakes
Friday 11 March Tigo Music Stage: Florence and the Machine Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Alabama Shakes Ximena Sariñana Oh'laville Huiwei Stage: Zedd Duke Dumont Jungle Walk the Moon Vicente García Revolver Plateado Pepsi Music Stage: Jamie Jones Patrick Topping Christina Rosenvinge Francisca Valenzuela Unknown Yet Little Jesus Los Pirañas Ismael Ayende
Saturday 12 March Tigo Music Stage: Snoop Dogg Jack Ü The Flaming Lips Seeed Lospetitfellas Tarmac Huiwei Stage: Kygo Sidestepper MNKYBSNSS Onda Vaga Nelda Piña & La Boa Sultana Pepsi Music Stage: Alvvays Nicolas Jaar Nicola Cruz Lunate Kanaku y El Tigre Goli Xavier Martinex
2017 The 2017 edition of the festival took place from 23 to 25 March 2017.
Thursday 23 March The Weeknd Justice The XX Rancid Cage The Elephant G-Eazy Glass Animals Bob Moses Damian Lazarus Aj Dávila Seis Peatones Manook y El Ultimo Esquimal Sagan Popstitute Julio Garces
Friday 24 March The Strokes Flume Two Door Cinema Club Caribou Silversun Pickups Claptone: Immortal Live Vance Joy Catfish and The Botlemen Zalama Crew Rawayana Arbol de Ojos Rat Race Cocononó Los Makenzy Gordon N. Hardem Los Hot Pants Adi
Saturday 25 March Deadmau5 Martin Garrix Wiz Khalifa Sublime with Rome Richie Hawtin Toto la Momposina Gus Gus Quantic Chancha Vía Circuito Bazurto All Stars Nawal Mateo Kingman Julio Victoria Elkin Robinson Cero 39 Romperayo Ali A.K.A Mind Canalón de Timbiquí Buendía
2018 The 2018 edition of the festival has been confirmed to take place from 23 to 25 March 2018.
Friday 23 March The Killers Lana Del Rey Dillon Francis Metronomy Tyler, the Creator The Neighbourhood Milky Chance Sofi Tukker Thomas Jack La chiva Gantiva Mnkybsnss Centayrys Tribu Baharú Surcos La Ramona Saail Esteban Copete y su Kinteto Pacífico Cohetes
Saturday 24 March Gorillaz Hardwell Bomba Estéreo De la Soul Galantis Mac Demarco Ondatrópica Kali Uchis Dengue Dengue Dengue Crew Peligrosos La Máquina Camaleón N.A.A.F.I Moügli Alfonso Espriella Dany F Cynthia Montaño Ácido Pantera Bleepolar
Sunday 25 March LCD Soundsystem Dj Snake Zoé The National Royal Blood The Black Madonna Ow Wonder La vida Boheme Buscabulla Diamante Eléctrico Technicolor Fabrics Charles King Telebit La Boa Salomón Beda Aberlado Carbonó Pablo Trujillo Tomas Station Salvador y el Unicornio
2019 The 2019 edition of the festival took place from 5 to 7 April 2019.
Friday 5 April Tigo Stage: The Kitsch Alcolirykoz Interpol Twenty One Pilots Kendrick Lamar Adidas Stage: Usted Señalemelo Ximena Sariñana Esteman Cuco Years & Years Rüfüs Du Sol Axe Stage: Silvina Moreno Mabiland ha$lopablito Rap Bang Club Mula Khruangbin Don G Jon Hopkins Budweiser dome: Anti DJ. Cas Las Hermanas Debit Cayetano Kenny Larkin
Saturday 6 April Tigo Stage: TSH Sudaca Rhye Portugal. The Man Grupo Niche Underworld Adidas Stage: Alejandro y María Laura Apache FIDLAR Zhu Disclosure Tiësto Axe Stage: Absalón y Afropacífico Pedrina Erlend Øye and 'la Comitiva' La Payara Mitú Cerrero Nicola Cruz Budweiser dome: Juana Valeria Kat Leeon Volvox Defuse DJ. Pierre
Sunday 7 April Tigo Stage: Nicolás y Los Fumadores Bajo Tierra The 1975 Sam Smith Arctic Monkeys Adidas Stage: Arrabalero Da Pawn Irie Kingz St. Vincent Foals Odesza Axe Stage: Montaña Las Yumbeñas Margarita Siempre Viva Quemarlo todo por error Los Espíritus Carlos Sadness Seun Kuti & Fela's Egypt 80 DJ Koze Budweiser dome: Stay at Home Aletti' S 72 Dorado Project Pablo Nuclear Digital Transistor Soul Clap
2020