GALLERY | Dream Nation 2025 by Jonathan Ferreira

At Nord Villepinte—an expo complex just beyond Charles de Gaulle Airport—Dream Nation once again built a liminal playground. Removed from Paris but buzzing with energy, the venue felt like a rave city dropped into a no-man’s-land, equal parts carnival, warehouse, and dreamscape.

Inside, the festival’s scale came alive with two massive stages locked in nightly combat. Facing back-to-back, they pulsed with light, lasers, and bass, creating the sense of a sound duel that swallowed the cavernous hall. Outside, the third stage offered a different rhythm—wedged between food trucks and a carnival “power jet” ride, it became a wandering ground for anyone needing air before plunging back inside.

Each scene carried its own identity. Pulsar and Lunar delivered the festival’s biggest acts with pyrotechnics and flamboyant spectacle. Warzone and Bassquake pushed the opposite extreme: a dense pit of hardcore, drum & bass, dubstep, and hardstyle, raw and unrelenting. And then there was 2Much and Organik, the most subversive of them all—an all-female lineup on Friday, playing atop a truck while screens flashed The Craft, Powerpuff Girls, and VHS-era aerobics clips.

Beyond the stages, the culture of Dream Nation thrived. Lockers kept bags out of the way so the crowd could lean fully into self-expression: piercings, tattoos, DIY outfits, and sparkling customization. Food and drinks flowed easily, and even in packed spaces the atmosphere felt communal.

What set Dream Nation apart wasn’t just its music but its setting. Being so far from the city gave it an uncanny sense of removal, as though the festival existed outside time and place. For two nights, Nord Villepinte wasn’t an expo hall—it was an alternate universe, a fleeting reminder of rave culture’s ability to reinvent reality.

GALLERY: Dream Nation 2025

All photos: © Jonathan Ferreira

Text: SHOWGRAPHERS