Gig On A Rig: Sailing Into Sensation

There are some things in life which just seem too fantastical to be true and when you find out about them instantly set you off into an imaginary wonderland. Gig On A Rig is one such thing; a seven day seafaring trip on the Red Sea that’s all about music, cool vibes, dancing, diving and just all-around aquatic amazingness. It is quite literally an unparalleled experience where you hop on a sailboat and spend a week floating atop the absurdly blue Red Sea with sunset music sessions by bands like Soopar Lox and Sennary, while during the sun-soaked days you can hop in the sea, kitesurf, dive, or swim with dolphins. They basically extracted all our mermaid daydreams and turned them into a reality.

“The idea is that you incubate the people; they live seven days without outside interference,” explains Faisal Khalaf, one of the masterminds behind the musical voyage which is in its fourth incarnation this year. “They listen to the same music, eat together, wake up together…after the first few days you can see people synchronise and defrost from their normal pace of life. The vibe becomes amazing; people kitesurfing, sailing, diving. But most of all, they hear great music by great musicians.” This year, the line-up will feature a diverse array of artists from around the region; DJs MadJam from Dubai, and Kitchen Crowed from Jordan, and bands Sooparlox, Trimix Sangourize, Abou, and Sennary are all on board – pun intended. “The bands always debut a few new songs on the Gig, music no one has heard before,” Khalaf tells us.

It’s all about laid-back vibes, cool tunes, and enjoying a nomadic aquatic existence; a break from the daily grind of life, a watery reprieve. “It’s all centred around music at night, and activities during the day. People leave the Gig having made friends for life and learned a new sport or developed an old one. We get people from all over; Dubai, Egypt, Lebanon... Some people want to party, some people want to dive. At the end of the night, everyone hangs out together. It's just a really good time,” Khalaf says. In order to get on the rig though, you need to be invited someone who has been there or recommended by someone. It’s like a secret society of music-loving mermaids! Where’s our invite guys? Check out last year's video below.