5) Martin Garrix Makes His Creamfields Debut
In last year’s edition of Creamfields UK, progressive house DJ/producer Martin Garrix played to a crowd of thousands for his official Creamfields debut.
After the monumental success of “Animals,” the then-18-year-old became the youngest artist to chart on the DJ Mag Top 100 – although he may not be the most celebrated musician among dance music’s elder statesmen, the festival’s organizers proved that the event could adapt to an ever-changing global business landscape.
4) Creamfields Embarks On Its International Expansion
In 2000, the first Creamfields Ireland took place – only two years after the flagship UK festival kicked off. The following year, it expanded to South America, and in 2003 the brand added the Czech Republic and Turkey to the list.
By 2007, Creamfields events took place in Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Mexico, Abu Dhabi, Portugal and Poland. As of this writing, Creamfields events have taken place in 19 different locations across the world.
3) Adverse Conditions Halt The Festival’s Third Day
For the first and only time in Creamfields history, the third and final day of the 2012 edition of the flagship UK festival was cancelled after inclement weather conditions caused massive flooding on the event grounds. Refunds were issued to ticketholders, and the following year the festival’s organizers announced that they would spend £500,000 on significant structural reinforcements and other onsite improvements.
2) Darren Hughes Resigns From Cream
As with countless other first-time festivals, Creamfields didn’t come anywhere close to breaking even on its inaugural 1998 edition. According to Cream founder James Barton, his business partner Darren Hughes nearly left the company during the event as he’d worked to facilitate a buyout for his new employers, Big Beat Records, to which Barton did not agree.
Hughes ended up resigning before the following year’s installment would take place, ultimately foregoing his share of the monumental growth of the brand. Barton himself would ultimately sell Cream Holdings Ltd. to Live Nation in 2012, but not before growing the company on an international scale on his own terms beforehand. He now holds an executive position on Live Nation’s board.
1) The Pet Shop Boys Bridge The Generation Gap
Even though much of the Creamfields experience would come to be associated with emerging trance icons like Paul Van Dyk and Paul Oakenfold, arguably the most memorable performance in the history of the event was that of the Pet Shop Boys during the 1999 edition of the festival.
The Pet Shop Boys were involved in disco since the early ’70s independently of one another, and made ’80s synth pop since long before house or techno became household terms. Their set at the second installment of the event accomplished what all great electronic music is supposed to: No matter when you listen to it, it sounds like it’s from the future.
