Year in, year out, art elite from all over the world descend upon Miami in their glitzy gaggles for world-famous Art Basel – and last year was no exception.

But amidst the celebrations, an up-and-coming festival has been making waves due to its ambitious line-up, carefree atmosphere, and dreamy oceanside setting (on Miami’s historic Virginia Key Beach Park, no less).

Introducing Rakastella festival, which celebrated its third year in 2019 – lauded for its focus on sustainability, and a refreshing alternative to Art Basel’s flashy superclub shindigs.

Plastic-free, with waste reduction incentives, recycling practices, and the involvement of the “Leave Only Footprints” campaign – how can we not stan?

And to add to the impressive nature of the festival’s sustainable goals, members of the line-up have been especially vocal about their participation. Eli Goldstein, of house and soul duo Soul Clap, who has been heavily involved in DJs 4 Climate Action has underlined his dedication to the cause: “Dance music was born as an underground movement of marginalised people. I think it’s our duty as we follow in their footsteps to use the power of our culture to make positive change in our world. To me, the greatest threat facing humankind right now is climate change and the dance music industry has been part of the problem for years. From DJs relying on airplanes to take us to gigs, to the piles of garbage left behind by festival goers, it’s time for us to take responsibility and change how we operate. It’s inspiring to see so much energy throughout the industry to make big changes and festivals like Rakastella are setting a great example, especially here in the US where we’re way behind Europe and the UK in sustainability at festivals. By educating and reducing waste we can make an impact on our communities while we continue to go out, dance and enjoy ourselves.”

Rebeca Lange, Talent and Experience Curator at Rakastella added: “Our whole team knows how lucky we are to host our event at the incredibly beautiful Historic Virginia Key Beach Park. We understand just how special and sensitive this venue is, which is why we created our “Keep Her Wild” sustainability program – to protect the environment and educate attendees on how they can do the same.”

Founder at Ascendance Sustainable Events, Vivian Belzaguy, said: “It was truly inspiring to watch people connect through music to come together around protecting the environment.”

Find out more at rakastella.com