The Greatest Music Festival You Weren’t Invited To

by Taj Reed

Through Halloween weekend, BACARDÍ snapped the band on a thick wad of marketing cashmore and hosted its first (and, for our sake, hopefully not last) BACARDÍ Triangle experience. The three-night event called for chartered jets from three cities—London, Los Angeles, and New York— and 1862 select invitees.

The setting? Oh, just a massively exotic private island in the heart of the Bermuda Triangle. Oh, and throw in some fire-breathing dancers and real-life bats (the sponsor’s spooky-ass logo) because, well, why not.

Despite some initial skepticism among attendees, the "what the hell am I getting into?" vibe on this press trip quickly turned more positive. That was due to the rum punch and Caribbean weather after guests touched down on Palomino Island. The festival-like atmosphere was sustained through poolside soirees hosted by world-class DJ’s and baristas and a gauntlet of a.m.-to-a.m. parties.

On Halloween night, there was a costume throwdown wherein Kendrick Lamar dressed as Jesus, Ellie Goulding came as a sexy Pocahontas, and Calvin Harris, in typical fashion, was nowhere to be found (let’s call him a kick-ass ghost). And this was just the precursor to an unforgettable night of music mayhem.

The weekend was capped by mosh-worthy performances from the aforementioned music mega-stars and a light show that’d make the most patriotic pyrotechnician put one hand over his/her heart, raise the other (clenched) hand above his/her head, and aggressively rock the fuck out.

Having hooked up Halloween’s most tricked-out treat, rum’s top dog—not to be confused with Top Dawg Ent., Kendrick’s accompanying crew—definitely made it rain (literally, at times) all over El Conquistador Resort.

Price of admission: influence, share of voice, or some serious luck with online contests. Sweet deal, huh?

Thanks to Leica and two handy and compact digital cameras, we’ve recounted some of our favorite moments from the BACARDÍ Triangle below.

Words and photos by: Taj Reed

Title image courtesy: Getty Images