The Challenge

We were tasked with designing and delivering immersive festival stage design for GemFest, the independent grassroots music festival produced by PullUp Records — Wales’ largest dance music label. The challenge was to create standout themed stages that reflected the underground identity of the event while enhancing the overall festival experience for thousands of music lovers.

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The Idea

Our vision was to design two contrasting stage environments that captured the spirit of GemFest’s underground culture. One would channel a raw, industrial edge inspired by Berlin’s nightlife, while the other would focus on a more organic, atmospheric setting. Both stages were conceived to be immersive, memorable and visually striking, setting a new benchmark for creative festival production in the UK.

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The Experience
 

Barghain Stage

• A tongue-in-cheek festival tribute to Berlin’s iconic Berghain.

• Guests entered through red butcher shop curtains and a polycarved fascia emulating the club’s brutalist architecture.

• Immersive actors, including a mock bouncer, greeted guests at the entrance to emulate the Berghain experience.

• An inflatable blackout tunnel led into a draped blackout tent, heightening the anticipation.

• Inside, the stage featured laser bars, cages, and a fully immersive light show, creating a gritty underground club atmosphere.
   

Geodome Stage

• A geodome structure transformed into a vibrant festival performance space.

• Designed with fabric décor, creative lighting, and live plants to add depth, texture and atmosphere.

• Offered a softer, organic contrast to the industrial feel of Barghain, giving audiences a unique and varied festival journey.
   

The Results

• Delivered two of the festival’s most talked-about immersive stages.

• Combined festival theming, creative stage design and production detail to elevate the GemFest experience.

• Balanced industrial and organic environments, showcasing the versatility of immersive event design.

• Strengthened GemFest’s reputation as a forward-thinking grassroots festival in Wales and the UK.
   

This project demonstrated how immersive stage production and creative festival theming can transform an event into a cultural experience. From the raw, industrial energy of Barghain to the organic atmosphere of the Geodome Stage, our work at GemFest set a new standard for festival stage design in the UK.