From July 18 to 21 the vast grounds of Ferropolis became the stage for the seventh edition of WHOLE Festival. The post industrial site with its towering steel machines once built for extraction now hosted one of Europe’s most vital gatherings of queer electronic culture. For four days it turned into a living world of music, intimacy and collective care where bodies and sound shaped new forms of togetherness. This year’s edition carried the theme WHOLE New World. The title draws from SOPHIE’s track Whole New World / Pretend World and framed the festival as an opening into queer futurism. The teaser directed by Liam Schnell gave shape to this vision with sci-fi imagery and playful camp. Alien avatars, shifting visuals and the silhouette of a spaceship pointed to the idea of the rave as a portal into transformation. SOPHIE’s presence carried weight, her influence guiding queer communities and electronic music alike. The theme extended beyond visuals to serve as both a tribute and a living thread linking her legacy to the festival’s present.
