UVA Festival: Spain’s boutique disco and house haven

Juan Chacon, Main Stage

It’s 25 degrees when we arrive in Malaga at 10am on Friday morning. Ushered in by the rolling Mediterranean hills and neatly manicured farmland, anticipation was high for a tropical time before we had even hit the tarmac. It’s a far cry from the party wasteland we witnessed in Ibiza just two days ago. But entering UVA later that evening firmly put lingering images of dusty motorways and bad sunglasses out of our heads still heavy from some of the White Isle’s opening parties.

Marcos Valle’s Brazilian boogie number ‘Estrelar’, a track that couldn’t be more sunshine if it tried, welcomes us on to the site and in amongst a crowd decked out in kimonos, Hawaiian shirts and bare feet (not to mention the friendly dog cruising around). It feels very relaxed and bourgeoisie but people also seem ready to party.