Located in the sunny hills of the region of Mijas, a Mediterranean oasis located on the coast of Malaga, Spain, Cala Mijas will take place from the 31st of August until the 2nd of September. Since its first edition in 2022, Cala Mijas quickly positioned itself as the perfect escape for those looking for a quality music festival but with a layback holiday vibe filled with sunsets, sandy beaches and sundowners with friends.
For its second edition, Cala Mijas just announced new names and the split of acts by day with an incredible roster of international and national artists including Idles, Arca, Moderat, SLOWTHAI, Charlie Cunningham, José Gonzalez joining an already impressive line-up with The Strokes, Florence + The Machine, Foals, Arcade Fire, The Blaze and more. As part of their commitment to support the national music community, Cala Mijas 2023 will see a diverse line-up of local talent playing along with some of the biggest international names.
60 artists across 3 days, the peak of a memorable summer.
Thursday 31st of August will see the comeback of Cala Mijas with a stellar day line-up with something for everyone. Thursday’s acts include the already announced Arcade Fire who will only play at two festivals this year and Foals joined by IDLES, the self-proclaimed ‘angry band’ from Bristol that will deliver their usual fury of punk rock. Other highlights of the day include the Northampton rapper SLOWTHAI will be presenting a new setlist from his recently released album ‘UGLY’ – Cala Mijas attendees can expect the usual politically charged lyrics but with more guitars this time. The UK legend and ex-lead of The Banshees, Siouxsie also joins the line-up. The king of rock ballads, Tamino will enchant the masses with new tracks from his most recent album ‘Sahar’ and for those looking to continue the party until the early hours of the morning, the electronic music supergroup Moderat will be in charge with their usual electronic sounds. Also joining the party is the Brazilian drag queen Pabllo Vittar and her message of sexual liberation, backed by icons like Major Lazer or Charli XCX that will make the Cala Mijas crowd dance to the rhythm of her massive queer pop.
Friday 1st of September welcomes the ultimate rock’n’roll rotation, with the New York indie band, The Strokes and Australian punk group Amyl and the Sniffers. Inviting a taste of Spain from the soil of Granada is Lori Meyers, famous for their Spanish alternative chart toppers. Adding to the acoustics on stage, Charlie Cunnigham is bringing his guitar for a lushly layered arrangement and the Buckinghamshire-born songwriter will cast his autobiographical lyrics from his third album, ‘Frame’, set to land this March. Set to further take over the stage with a new psychedelic rock sound, is young American rapper Lil Yachty, after the release of his 2023 album ‘Let’s Start Here’. Turning up the energy even more with the pop factor festival goers can prepare for nostalgic, electronic pop with the duo Junior Boys and lush dream-pop of mixed folk traditions from Mexican rising star Kevin Kaarl, and the oriental house by the Parisian duo Acid Arab. Additionally forecasting heat on the dance floor is Playback Maracas.
The electronic music oasis at Cala Mijas: La Caleta
The debut edition of Cala Mijas in 2022 introduced what is already known as the ultimate summer rave taking place at La Caleta stage. This space where both the audience and artists are the main stars has a unique atmosphere that features 360 sound and vivid colours visuals.
Beautifully described by Cormac who will be performing at La Caleta on the 1st of September; ‘What happens on a dance floor is something magical: you can fall in love, you can break your heart, you can flirt, you can dance, you can feel alone or accompanied’.
On an idyllic dance floor surrounded by a eucalyptus forest, the visionary James Holden will present his new album joined by an impressive list of acts including Nicola Cruz, the residents of Panorama Bar (Berghain) and LGTBIQ+ activists Prosumer and Cormac, as well as the talented Italian DJ Budino and the Andalusian Buganvilia. Call Super could not miss the date after a jaw-dropping set at La Caleta last year, nor could the master of Detroit’s Techno Palms Trax. La Caleta will also welcome one of the new faces of the UK scene Saoirse, the height mixes of Yung Prado, the fusion sounds of the female DJs Topanga Kiddo and Ouri Live. Axel Boman will present his new album with his powerful live show, the sum of Madrid resident Ketiov and NTS’ DJ Moxie, will perform at La Caleta as a completely unconventional b2b set, to which will be added, in different slots, the British I. Jordan and Tom VR and Alvva from San Sebastian. The cherry on top will be the master of the turntables Helena Hauff closing La Caleta on Saturday with her iconic vinyl set.
Last Tour, recently became the leading live music promoter in Europe to join the B Corp community, representing a roster of festivals including Cala Mijas, Bilbao BBK Live and BIME. B Corp is a global movement that evaluates and verifies the efforts that companies and organisations make to generate a positive social and environmental impact.
With the objective to reduce its environmental impact, Cala Mijas operates with infrastructures including a strict recycling and waste management system; energy efficiency measures, free drinking water on the premises; or services connected to a chemical-free network. Other measures like the promotion of sustainable transportation, prevention and awareness programmes against sexist attacks and to promote and celebrate gender equality, position the festival as a pioneer in his field.
The hiring of km0 resources and talent and maximising the social and cultural impact by promoting free concerts for the local community such as the La Playa program or through its alliance with the Mijas Town Hall to promote the hiring of local personnel. Other positive impact projects involved, the development of people at risk of exclusion or the NGO Equilibrio Marino which seeks to protect the Calahonda Special Conservation Zone in the region of Mijas, Malaga.
