Just beyond the treeline skirting the main stage, somewhere between the giant yellow rubber duck and the phone booth hotline to ‘God’, three imposing domes float into view: tangerine orange, poppy red, and chequered white. The hot air balloons rise high over the landscape, speckled in fluorescence from neon lights below.
Deep in the heart of Transylvania, Romania, lies a dynamic landscape etched in myth and mystery – gothic tales of Vlad the Impaler, howling wolves, mist-shrouded castles, and Dracula’s legend. Here, under the glint of the moon and propelled by curated eccentricity – amidst smoke machines, strobe lights and thumping basslines – sushi is sold beneath a revolving disco ball, and ravers complete half-marathons at dawn.
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“There were so many dogs roaming around,” Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme deadpans about their 17-hour journey to the festival. “One stopped the bus, almost holding up a paw like, ‘hang on.’ I swear another was running a small local corn business. Ruff job.”
In its 11th year, with a namesake aptly nodding to its roots, the festival is huddled in the grounds of 15th Century estate, Banffy Castle. During its fifth edition, the castle’s doors opened to the public to help restore one of Romania’s forgotten landmarks. Now it hosts a plethora of boutique markets, art installations and exhibitions.
Over the years, the fortress’ lineup has emblazoned a genre-spanning display: including international names such as Massive Attack and Florence + the Machine to Fatboy Slim, Iggy Pop, and Bring Me the Horizon, as well as upcoming talent from its domestic shores and beyond. 2025’s five-day escapade welcomes performances from international and local talent alike. From the infectious saccharine EDM bops of local Inna, to the vibrancy and vigour of Yungblud’s punchy rock anthems, and Justin Timberlake’s slew of Top 40 pop hits, it’s a playlist pulled straight from every corner of a record store – glossy and gritty, with some underrated gems awaiting discovery.
Shrouded in a parka and sunglasses, Justin Timberlake slides onstage on Thursday night. The day’s incessant drizzle may not have dampened spirits of some 72,000 attendees who turned out in arms to see the ex-NSYNC singer in action, but certainly softened some of the US artist’s signature slick vocals and choreographed flair. Backed by a full band and dancers, the heavens wring themselves out in tandem with 2002 triumph ‘Cry Me a River’. Kicking a pool of water from the stage with one foot, the pop singer proceeds to storm through a battalion of smash hits, including ‘SexyBack’, ‘Rock Your Body’ and ‘Senorita’. Infectious, sultry and deliciously nostalgic.
Experimentalism, quality, nature, and heritage form Electric Castle’s core, creating a world for true escapism and sensory richness. “Escape is a beautiful thing, it’s very undervalued,” Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme considers, ahead of the US rockers’ set on Friday night. “What better way to do that than to enjoy the arts for a moment.
“Isn’t a festival kind of like a mixtape? Remember, when you cared about someone you would make them one. To say, ‘this is how I feel about you’. I think festivals are often people’s way of living their mixtape. I don’t think that goes out of style”, he explains.
While a software outage disrupted travel for many artists and attendees last year, Queens of the Stone Age were also forced to cancel their debut due to Homme’s health. This summer, they returned against the odds, delivering a mighty (selected on the fly) setlist. As gritty openers ‘Sick Sick Sick’ and ‘No One Knows’ chug to life, the band dives into a set packed with charm and charisma.
“When times get really dark, that’s when we’re at our funniest – our gallows humour,” Homme tells me. “I think we were raised on a diet of, ‘there’s a time to be serious and a time to take your pants off.’” As the set ebbs and flows, seductive anthem ‘Make It Wit Chu’ brings a stage-wide karaoke in true festival flair, before thumping stoner rock finale ‘A Song For the Dead’ churns mosh pits galore.
Novelty and experience take precedence. Over 70 non-musical experiences include communal BBQs, a half-marathon, jumbo board games, hot air balloon rides, and a gated walkway homage to Netflix series ‘Wednesday.’ Spray paint cans are also freely laid beneath a graffiti wall, adorned with Gary the snail and a peculiarly buff Spongebob.
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Inside Disco Lidl, a spinning mirror ball scatters flecks of light across rows of cold cooked meats, rotisserie chickens, and pre-cut fruit salad as strobes pulse overhead to a thumping techno DJ poised above the biscuit aisle. Elsewhere along the festival’s interconnecting pathways, timber walkways guide attendees to a barrage of other stages, ponds, and food courts, interspersed with twinkling lights and mystical lanterns. On Saturday, concealed in the thicket, Ukrainian DJ Gala masterfully blends new wave soundscapes with funk, disco and deep house as glorious sunshine blares down between the leaves.
Despite praise for reigning as one of Europe’s ‘truly 24 hour’ festivals, the festival blooms with life as the sun begins to dip behind the horizon. The main stage whirrs to life at around 7:30 pm, and as darkness descends the masses disperse to explore the throng of electronic artists dotted across the site. Dubstep, drum & bass, techno and hardcore thrive in sparse amphitheatres, open fields beneath the ferris wheel, or in mysterious woodland nooks.
From the jubilant Balkan rock of Bosquito to Justice’s pulsing electroclash, sets from Sofi Tukker, Netsky, Jayda G, and Brutalismus 3000 thread everything from house to hardcore through the castle grounds. While UK festivals face growing uncertainty and shrinking lineups, here in Transylvania, the scene feels vibrant and varied, surging with life. All the while, crowds are respectful, messy drunken antics are few and far between, and the grounds feel free for all genders to explore in hassle-free safety.
As attendees tuck into bowls of linguine and gnocchi in the Italian restaurant nestled beside Banffy Castle, a rave pulses just yards away around a giant glowing orange cube. Above the crowd, a thumping remix of Amelie’s Comptine d’un autre été weaves through the night air – an eerie, beautiful soundtrack to a night where refinement and noise blur together. A surreal fusion of creativity and chaos, Electric Castle feels like its own living, breathing mixtape.
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Words: Maddy Smith
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