Anjunadeep Open Air returned to Santiago last weekend, marking the second time the iconic imprint has landed on Chilean soil. This comes just over a year after the 2025 edition, which served as the brand’s debut on the South American Pacific Coast. Prior to that, the label had only touched down a handful of times in São Paulo, always maintaining that signature open-air perspective. In 2025, the continent saw just two gigs—Lima and Santiago—but for this 2026 run, they expanded to a three-city tour: São Paulo, Lima, and Santiago. There were plans for Mendoza as well, but unfortunately, things didn’t pan out, leaving many who had booked flights and hotels quite gutted.

Thankfully, I made it to the Santiago show—the final leg of the South American tour—and the lineup was nothing short of stellar. I’m splitting my review into two, since I attended both the main event during the day, and boxed myself into the official afters once night fell in the city.

The Open Air: From Sun-Drenched Bliss to Peak-Time Moves

Opening the proceedings was Maty Owl, who played a set comprised almost entirely of his own productions. It’s an immensely respectable move; while he’s currently occupying up-and-coming talent slots, the sheer volume of original material and official remixes he’s churning out — combined with the full backing of the Anjunadeep machine — proves he’s already operating on a different level.

He dropped his own version of deadmau5′ ‘Strobe’ and his remix of Oliver Smith’s ‘Signals’, both of which were proper heaters. I’d love to see him in a later slot with a larger crowd next time; he certainly deserves the spotlight.

Next up was Durante. We’ve followed him for a good few years now, and he is a consistently brilliant performer. On this occasion, he delivered a masterclass in pure Progressive. It leaned into the darker side of the spectrum, though he kept it balanced for the daytime atmosphere. It was a rather overcast day initially, but halfway through the afternoon, the clouds parted and the sun beamed through—it was quite beautiful actually. My mates and I had a legendary time taking in his set. My personal favourite of the acts.

Then came 16BL. This was one of the performances I was looking forward to most, having been a fan for nearly a decade. He didn’t disappoint. It was an incredible journey that leaned heavily into tribal rhythms—a bit of a curveball compared to what I expected, but it worked perfectly. He peppered the set with classics, including the original 2009 version of ‘Man With The Red Face’, before closing with his all-time masterpiece, ‘Deep In My Soul’. He had the sunset as well, quite like Momi (Qrion) did in the previous edition.

Ezequiel Arias followed, and frankly, we all knew he was going to dismantle the dancefloor. He is simply unstoppable at the moment, with a signature sound that is uniquely his own. Last year, he played the second slot; this year, he moved to second-to-last, and the promotion suited him down to the ground. He tore the place apart with a barrage of iconic tracks and IDs.

To close the night, Patrice Bäumel stepped up. It was bombs only from start to finish. He took us back to that quintessential Progressive style, tinting an official Anjuna event with some very needed Lost & Found era energy. It was a formidable way to end the main event.

The Afterparty: Sweaty, Furious Closures

Once the sun went down, we moved on to the afterparty, which featured Durante, Ezequiel Arias, and Paul Arcane.

Paul Arcane opened the night and absolutely demolished the room. Even though the club was just opening its doors, it packed out rapidly. By the end of his hour-and-forty-minute set, the floor was heaving and the atmosphere was electric. This lad REALLY knows his craft.

He opened up the main event last year with what became my favourite set of that day, and this time something similar happened. He played a selection of his own classics and some fresh IDs. I’m also taking a ton of pride in the fact that he played an unreleased remix of mine. Absolutely mental.

He handed the booth over to Durante, who took the opportunity to show his teeth. While his afternoon set was a smoother, softer brand of Progressive, being live at 1:00 AM gave him the license to play proper heaters. The club itself was fantastic, though I was a bit worried about the lasers — they were pointed directly at eye level, so caring is the best medicine there. Other than that, probably the best small club I’ve been to.

Finally, Ezequiel Arias returned to close the night, and he quite literally tore the roof off. He delivered an extended, dark Progressive set—exactly what you’d hope for, but with an added level of intensity. He is incredibly furious behind the decks, and I mean that in the best way possible. It was the perfect, high-octane conclusion to a brilliant day and night. He played Guy J, THANK GOD the afters served for some good Guy Judah action. The energy was just right, and Eze beat-matched one of the newer tunes from him, ‘Selector’.

Now that we’re talking Guy, Paul also played one of the finest tunes from Guy during his set, his remix for nthng’s ‘With You’. Sublime. SUBLIME.

Final Thoughts

For someone who makes music and works for a music outlet, I definitely don’t go out nearly as much as I should. But when I do, we make it memorable. I don’t think I’d ever danced for 13 hours straight, but this time it was so easy to just keep going, and laughing, and connecting with my Anjunafamily, and being present in a moment that I knew wouldn’t last forever.

Find the music that makes you feel alive. For me, it’s definitely Dance music. Thank you to all my friends, and thank you to the team behind Anjuna who made my attendance possible.