“If we holler loud and make our way, we’d all live one big holiday” sings Jim James on the fan favourite My Morning Jacket song.
While ‘One Big Holiday’, taken from the band’s 2003 album, It Still Moves, has nothing to do with a festival vacation in Mexico, and takes it cues from a tale of their discovery, using the song’s title for this festival’s name is a no brainer.
After our festival guide detailed the Weezer Cruise experience, it might seem like unique band curated festivals are all the rage, yet given the psych rockers six-album career and the vast fan base they’ve acquired along the way, who could blame them for wanting to forgo the traditional concert experience for something far more interesting?
Held at the newly refurbished Hard Rock Hotel in the tourism centre of Riviera Maya, One Big Holiday will accommodate 2,500 fervent My Morning Jacket fans with all performances held at the resort.
A ticket to this festival includes all meals and drinks. Rather than skimping on alcohol like many do, the American five-piece won’t make you pay any extra for beer, wine or spirits.
If three full sets from the band along with other acts doesn’t nudge you towards booking tickets this Mexican music adventure is further complimented by yoga classes, tennis, kayaking, snorkeling, tequila tastings, theme nights and dance parties.
Over the course of the four-day event there are also excursion opportunities available for punters who wish to peruse the best attractions that Mexico has to offer (you can read more about them below).
While there is no denying that One Big Holiday is an event for My Morning Jacket diehards this isn’t just like any other festival this is a music holiday in every sense of the word.
You can either splash out now or wait years before your favourite band garners the necessary fan base and ingenuity to host something similar.
While The Flaming Lips and Marachi El Bronx joined My Morning Jacket for the 2014 event Seattle five-piece Band Of Horses and Phili natives The War On Drugs will accompany James and his men to Mexico come January 2015.
Sold? Read on for our five quick essential steps you need to take to get to and enjoy this one big holiday!
1. Book Ahead Before It’s Too Late
Before booking you must sign up for a Cloud 9 account to book your reservation. Register for your account here.
The price of admission all depends on the room you wish to book. At the present time of writing there are very limited options available, we’ve listed all of them below, but you’d best be quick and book a room soon before they’re all taken!
Deluxe Gold: $1299 for a double room, $1249 for a triple room.
Deluxe Gold Concert Courtyard: $1449 for a double room, $1399 for a triple room.
Rock Platinum w/ Single Sky Terrace: $1599 for a double room.
Rock Platinum w/ Double Sky Terrace: $1699 for a double room.
One Bedroom Rock Suite: $2199 for a double room.
Two Bedroom Rock Suite Stagefront: $2299 for a Quad room.
If you’re a solo traveller you can book a double occupancy Deluxe Gold Room and be matched with another fan. All you have to do is select the Deluxe Gold Flyin’ Solo room option and the hotel will match you up.
You must pay a $250 deposit to reserve your all-inclusive suite, unless you’re booking one and two bedroom Rock Suites which require a $500 deposit per person.
It’s also important to note that a $35 ticket-processing fee is added onto your bill.
Book your reservation by following this link!
2. How To Get There
As usual we recommend you book your flights as soon as possible for the cheapest deals. Once you’ve arrived in Cancun you shouldn’t need to worry about getting to the resort if you’ve purchased the airport transfers when you booked your room. The shuttle service runs three days before and after the event takes place.
A round trip transfer is worth $70, while it’s $37 one-way per person.
3. All The Accommodation Information You Need To Know
Every single ticket holder will stay at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya where the festival will take place.
The resort is situated within an 85-acre area of jungle and is located on a protected inlet off the Caribbean Sea. The refurbished hotel includes a natural aquarium where punters will be able to swim, kayak or snorkel. That’s not to mention other amenities such as a spa, several pools, a gym, waiting service, gourmet food provided at several bars and lounges for your leisure.
If that wasn’t enough your room is so jam packed with awesomeness you may not want to leave it. Each room includes 24-hour room service, a welcome bottle of wine, stocked mini-bar, liquor dispenser with whiskey, rum, tequila and vodka, a Jacuzzi, balcony, a coffee maker and wireless internet.
Find more information on the hotel here.
4. Here’s The Extra Curricular Activities You Can’t Miss
As noted above there are several excursions located near the resort that are worth checking out between sets. During the day you can escape the confines of the hotel by checking Xel-Ha, a natural park where the longest underground river in the world has provided ample amounts of inlets, lagoons and cenotes to photograph. Xcaret is an echo-archeological park where you can swim with the marine life, while in Tulum guests can explore ancient Mayan sites.
5. A Hangover Cure To Checking In: Extra Tips And Info You Need To Know
Check in for the event is at 3pm on the 26th of January with the first set scheduled for later that night. Check out is the 30th before 12pm so keep this in mind when booking your flights.
To take advantage of all the features that Hard Rock Hotel has to offer, the festival is providing a $500 Resort Credit to each room. More Resort Credits are provided for those who book extra nights. These credits go towards the purchase of additional optional amenities such as spa treatments, salon services, golf, upgraded wine selections, resort tours and more.
One of the new features of Hard Rock Hotel’s renovation is the Hotel Riviera Maya RockSpa. Which, if you take advantage of each room’s alcohol dispenser, could be the perfect hangover cure. The spa provides massages, wraps, facials, hydrotherapy and Temazcal, which is an “authentic” Mexican purifying experience. You will have to make an appointment for the spa so book ahead to ensure you don’t miss out!
If you’re not satisfied with just staying the four nights of the festival, the hotel provides discounted rates for punters who wish to stay two nights before and up to three nights after the event has taken place. Check out the prices here.
Need more information? Head to the official One Big Holiday Website for the answers to all your questions.
