Empire of the Sun unveil Chrysalis, a transformative three-day festival set for Baja California.
Empire of the Sun are stepping beyond the stage and into world-building mode with Chrysalis, a newly curated three-day destination festival in Mexico. It’s pitched less as a standard event and more like a portal into the duo’s surreal visual universe.
Set for May 14–16, 2026, Chrysalis will unfold at Hotel El Ganzo’s Iskali Gardens in San José del Cabo, a location that already feels half-real, half-dream before Empire even begin decorating it.
In collaboration with 100x Hospitality, the band plans to reimagine the grounds as an ever-shifting landscape of music, sculpture, performance, and light.
Each night will feature a different Empire of the Sun set, with an international lineup of musicians and artists still to be revealed.
The concept behind Chrysalis isn’t just aesthetic; it’s thematic.
Luke Steele, Emperor Steele in the band’s mythos, describes the festival as an exploration of symbols tied to transformation: a door, a key, an egg, wings, a bell.
He frames them like fragments of a secret language guiding festival-goers through rebirth and expansion.
“In a world that’s overflowing with distortion,” he says, “it’s time to let yourself be carried away.” The event promises a blend of open-air stages, wandering installations, and tucked-away experiences designed to echo that philosophy.
For longtime fans, Chrysalis feels like an inevitable next step.
Empire of the Sun’s world has always stretched beyond sound, elaborate costumes, hyper-saturated visuals, and stagecraft that borders on cinematic.
Iskali Gardens offers a living canvas for that ambition.
It also arrives during a prolific period for the duo, following the release of their fourth album Ask That God, its deluxe edition, and a full remix EP highlighting the record’s shimmering, ecstatic edge.
Whether Chrysalis eventually reaches Australian shores remains to be seen, but anticipation is already running high.
Find more ticket details here.
