Manila’s nightlife once again proved its world-class potential as the &Friends Halloween Festival transformed Okada Manila’s The Cove into an electrifying playground of sound, culture, and spectacle.
What began as a Halloween celebration evolved into a full-scale showcase of Asian electronic music excellence, spotlighting nearly 60 top DJs from across the region and attracting thousands of revelers, including a significant wave of international visitors.
The event’s success highlighted a defining moment not just for &Friends but for the trajectory of EDM in Asia. Co-founder and CEO Justin Banusing of &Friends and Clout Kitchen expressed that the vision has always been rooted in community and cultural fusion.
“&Friends was created to break precedent and bring together people over a shared passion for music. Manila proved that Asia is ready to be the next frontier for world-class EDM. Our goal has always been to merge global energy with local culture, and seeing thousands come together showed that the movement’s only getting started,” he said.
This year’s Halloween edition also made history as &Friends’ second consecutive sold-out EDM event and its most ambitious yet. The festival served as the first-ever EDM destination wedding and festival hybrid, an unusual but intriguing combination that drew more than one-third of attendees from overseas. That turnout reaffirmed the Philippines’ steady rise as a magnet for music tourism, signaling that Manila is no longer just participating in the global nightlife circuit but actively shaping it.
Onstage, the lineup was a powerhouse reflection of Asia’s diverse electronic music landscape. Knock2, Dabin, Beauz, Sabai, Frosttop x RemK x No Signal, Y3llo, and dozens more commanded three distinct environments: the high-energy Spooky Summit mainstage, the gritty and experimental Haunted Hollows, and Spirits Garden, a vibrant open-air escape. Across these stages, attendees moved through a dynamic spectrum of modern EDM, from festival-scale drops to club-level chaos and atmospheric grooves.
