What is Stihia?
Stihia is an electronic music, arts and science festival. It was conceived by enthusiasts in Uzbekistan in 2017.
The festival has been held in Muynak, near the dried-up Aral Sea, for several years, with the mission of achieving sustainable development in Muynak.
in 2023, festival decides to move to another location to test new frontiers. It was supposed to be a remote, deserted place, but with due means of logistics and accommodation.
In 2023, the festival will be held in Navoi region for two major, equally important reasons:
- Boosting tourism in other regions of the country;
- Finding more accessible venue.
1. What are the principles of the festival?
Stihia is a unique place of human interaction and mixing of cultures in one of the most remote corners of the world.
We expect you to follow the following guidelines:
- Respect the desert and the people around you.
- Don’t leave any garbage behind.
- Be active at the festival.
- Express yourself.
In addition, please read carefully the public offer and the privacy policy on our website.
2. How to buy tickets?
Tickets can be purchased on the website — stihia.org.
The ticket price starts from 350,000 sums (about 30 USD). You can pay using both sum cards and VISA/Mastercard.
3. What does the ticket include?
The ticket provides access to the festival territory for all three days. You will need to get a wristband at the entrance of the camp upon arrival.
Please note that the ticket does not cover transportation or accommodation costs.
4. How do I get to the location?
In 2023, the festival takes place in Navoi region, on a salt marsh near Lake Tudakul.
Airplane
The nearest city is Bukhara. Bukhara airport receives flights from:
- Yekaterinburg;
- Moscow;
- St. Petersburg;
- Istanbul;
- Tashkent;
- Urgench.
Air tickets here:
- book.uzairways.com
- aviasales.uz
- silk-avia.com
Train
Railway flights to Bukhara come from the following cities: Andijan, Gulistan, Jizzak, Navoi, Nukus, Karshi, Samarkand, Tashkent, Urench.
Railway tickets here:
- eticket.railway.uz
- tutu.ru
Bus
From Tashkent bus station you can go to Bukhara by bus.
Tickets for buses are available here:
- avtoticket.uz
Your own car
If you are going on your own, enter these coordinates in google or yandex maps:
39.808316, 64.682885
It will take almost 8 hours to get from Tashkent to the location by car.
The other two closest cities are:
Navoi (1.5 hours drive to the location);
Samarkand (3.5 hours drive to the location).
Tours – all inclusive
5. How do I get to the festival venue?
The festival is held on a salt marsh in Navoi region. Link to the location: https://goo.gl/maps/SqfBuFfpH3s6GPAX7
From Bukhara (or Kagan, if you arrive by train), you can get to the location by taxi. The drive time is about 30 minutes. The average check for a one-way car is approximately 10 USD. You can also rent a minibus.
We are working on providing transfer options and will post them on our website as soon as they are available.
6. Where to stay for the night?
You can stay in tents on the festival sites, which will be in a specially designated, protected area.
There are also several tourist lodges within a 5-minute drive of the location in the direction of the Tudakul lake.
If you have a camping car, you can park it in a specially designated place.
Least, but not last, you can stay in Bukhara, which is only a 25-minute drive away with more than 1000 hotels.
We will update the accommodation section on our website with more contacts and additional details.
7. Hints to set up a tent.
- Set up tents in a specially designated area for the tent camp;
- Spread a piece of plastic wrap under the tent.
- Place a sleeping bag on top of a sleeping pad (karemat);
- Stretch an awning over your tent.
- Do not leave valuables and documents in the tent.
- Do not build bonfires near your tent or in the tent capm.
- Do not smoke in the tent.
8. What should I bring to the festival?
We recommend bringing:
- Closed shoes.
- Masks and sanitizers.
- Wet and dry wipes.
- Mosquito repellent spray;
- Hygienic lipstick;
- Sunglasses;
- Flashlight.
- Power bank.
9. Will there be food served?
There will be a catering area and a bar at the venue (where beer, cocktails, lemonades, water will be sold). There will be a variety of snacks, fast food, plov and much more.
Of course, you can also bring your own food.
10. Will there be bathrooms on the festival site?
Yes, there will be bio toilets and washbasins on the festival site. Please treat other visitors with respect and occupy the facilities for a reasonable amount of time. Water in the desert is an extremely limited resource.
11. Will security be provided?
Security at the festival is provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Guard, as well as festival`s own security staff. In addition, there will be a medical center and a fire car. All of these personnel receive security briefings.
The organizers are not responsible for the safety of your personal belongings.
Any aggressive behavior will result in the visitor being taken out of the festival territory and included in the stop list. Please, refer to terms and conditions on this website.
12. Do I need a visa?
If you are a citizen of a CIS country, you do not need a visa. If you are a citizen of one of the countries listed below, you also do not need a visa (it will be stamped on your passport upon arrival, it is free of charge).
- Australia
- Austria
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Bulgaria
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Brunei Darussalam
- Great Britain
- Vatican City
- Hungary
- Germany
- Greece
- Denmark
- Irish
- Iceland
- Spain
- Italy
- Canada
- Cyprus
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Liechtenstein
- Malta
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Finland
- France
- Croatia
- Montenegro
- Czech
- Chile
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Estonia
- New Zealand
- Japan
If you are traveling from another country, you will need to obtain a visa, and then the process will become very simple. Follow the instructions for obtaining an e-visa here: evisa.mfa.uz/evisa_en
13. Are bank cards accepted at the festival and are there currency exchange points in the location?
Yes, in the catering area, bar and other points of sale, both cash and non-cash payment is possible through the local Payme app, as well as with Visa/Mastercard cards.
In Uzbekistan, all payments are made only in the local currency — uzbek sums. The exchange rate is about 11.450 sums for 1 US dollar.
You can exchange currency at ATMs or bank branches in Bukhara or any other major city. We recommend that you do this in advance either in Tashkent or Bukhara. In any case, do not exchange currency with currency dealers — this is illegal.
14. Is there a mobile connection on the venue?
Yes, all mobile operators in Uzbekistan have good coverage on the location.
But remember that Stihia is a place for solitude with nature and music, so we ask participants to follow smartphone etiquette.
15. Is alcohol allowed?
There will be a cocktail bar at the camp. However, you are not allowed to bring your own alcohol.
Please behave sensibly and responsibly, otherwise the security service may take you out of the festival.
Of course, any drugs are prohibited at the festival.
16. What is the festival’s program?
In 2023, festival’s program will be solely focused on music.
It will start on August 31 at approximately noon and will last until late at night, then, with a short break, it will go off before the sunrise.
There will be two stages:
- ”I Will See You Again” — techno stage
- ”On the Other Side” — experimental, progressive stage
Follow the announcements of the exact time of performances and the line-up.
17. Can I get into the fifth Stihia line-up?
The line-up is already closed for this year.
We processed a large number of applications and selected those we considered suitable. If you didn’t get an answer, it’s not necessarily because you don’t match the format. It’s quite possible that we simply run out of free slots.
In any case, send us your sets, tracks, recordings, and profiles — we are always interested in new faces, we always study them in detail and may include them in future festivals.
18. What is Stihia N+1?
A scientific forum dedicated to the study of how human activity affects our present and future.
The Forum is held in cooperation with the government, experts and scientists. The goal is to unite creative minds and launch a discussion about the environment directly at the site of an environmental disaster, as well as to discuss issues of sustainable development and art.
Since the forum’s venue is only in Muynak, we will not be able to hold it this year.
19. What is the ticket refund policy?
You can get a full refund if you cancel your ticket 15 days (or earlier) before the festival. You will need to write to company@unknownprojects.org
20. How do I become a volunteer?
Contact our support service https://t.me/moc_support
Stihia is a project of enthusiasts. A huge amount of work is done with the help of volunteers, so any help will be very much appreciated.
21. Can I install an art object?
Yes, you can, but with our prior approval. To do this, please send a detailed description of your project to company@unknownprojects.org
We are ready to help the most interesting installations with both logistics and funding.
22. What about parking?
The venue is crossed by an asphalt road. So, it will be possible to park on the side of the road.
We are working with the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the procedure for admission to parking through the gates. Later we will post information about the procedure for registering cars.