rom the day I forced myself to quit, I prayed that I’d never be tempted to return to the addictive nightmare that is Minecraft.

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But now, after years of freedom, fresh air and sunlight, the announcement of URL Events’ ‘Pixel Festival’ has sung the sirens call.

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On March 25th the newly founded event company took to Twitter to announce Pixel Festival - a two-day virtual EDM festival on April 6th & 7th based entirely in the world of Minecraft.

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The first day boasts a stacked Disciple takeover featuring almost their entire roster, including Virtual Riot, Barely Alive and PhaseOne, rounded off with the addition of trap artists including Graves & Medasin.

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The second day adds a lighter feel with the addition of Flosstradamus, What So Not & Krane, and it’s great to see plenty of Australians on the list with Anna Lunoe, Slumberjack, Blanke and Yvng Jalapeno rounding off the bill.

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For many people the idea of a virtual music festival is a laughable concept.

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What I think we’re actually seeing could be the future of musical entertainment.

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Just imagine. A festival where the organisers don’t need to worry about security, staff or transport. Where there’s no need to worry about the venue, accommodation, drinks, food, fights, drugs, the list could go on.

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By hosting a festival online, organisers can cut costs by an unfathomable amount, whilst increasing their potential audience by an immense number.

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Glastonbury music festival in the UK boasts the largest capacity in the world of 275,000, which makes up a tiny 0.3% of Minecraft’s 91 million playerbase.

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Promotion companies are beginning to properly recognise the benefits of virtual events, and Pixel Festival isn’t the first of its kind.

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‘Fire Festival’ was the first Minecraft-based event and proved hugely popular, while Marshmello’s concert in Fortnite amassed over 10 million online participants.

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The reality is, why spend thousands of hours and millions of dollars planning an event to hold 200,000 people, when you can cut costs and do the whole thing online to an audience of millions?

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The music entertainment industry is changing, and no one wants to be left behind.

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As always I hope you enjoyed the read. Party safe, stay hydrated, and I’ll catch you all in the virtual-mosh on April 6th. See you next time