A boatload of party people will start next year off with a bang on the 2024 sailing of Friendship, the annual party cruise from Gary Richards.
Richards, who has long produced music as Destructo, has revealed the Friendship 2024 lineup on Wednesday (Aug. 16), with the bill featuring Skrillex, Bob Moses, Chris Lake, Chris Lorenzo, J. Phlip, Todd Edwards, Nina Las Vegas, Rusko, Mr Carmack and a flurry of other stars, in addition to rising artists including Mary Droppinz, NALA, QRTR and many more.
The ship will set sail from Miami on Jan. 6, 2024, cruising to Belize’s Harvest Caye, a site that will host 24 hours of shenanigans including a beachside set from Skrillex. This Harvest Caye trek will also include the first ever island iteration of Richards’ Sunrise Sermon event, which he started in downtown Los Angeles in his early rave promoting days. The boat returns to Miami on Jan. 11.
Outside of music, Activities on the boats will include stand up comedy, skateboarding and a cabaret set from Dita von Teese. Friendship 2024 happens aboard the Norwegian Joy, which can hold 3,500 passengers. While the voyage is already largely sold out, a limited numbers of cabins remain.
“I’m always trying to push the envelope of new music by keeping things interesting and exciting,” Richards tells Billboard. “We have five full days, so I wanted to represent as many parts of the globe as possible to keep it spicy. We have artists from Africa, Russia, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, England, Germany, Italy, Canada, and the good ole US of A.”
He continued, “Some fresh new highlights I’m digging right now include VTSS, Vigro Deep, Sun El Musician, Nitepunk, Raven, Mersiv, A Hundred Drums, Nala, QRTR, G-Rex, Mary Droppinz, Safety Trance, Enoo Napa, and Da Capo. And of course my BFFs as always Boys Noize, Skrillex, Chris Lake, Chris Lorenzo, Bob Moses plus, plus, plus all on a private island in Belize.”
Richards launched Friendship in 2018, with the concept echoing that of Holy Ship, the party cruise Richards launched in 2012 via HARD, the electronic festival production company he founded in 2007 and which was acquired by Live Nation in 2012. Richards departed HARD in 2017.
See the complete lineup for Friendship 2024 below.
