For over a decade, Empire Music Festival (EMF) has stood as a beacon of creativity and cultural pride in Central America. What began as a bold idea by founder enrique Ponce has grown into the region’s leading festival, weaving together music, technology, and storytelling into a transformative journey for thousands of fans. Always paying homage to its Guatemalan Maya roots, EMF has consistently redefined what it means to create an immersive festival experience where art and culture fuse with sound and light.
This year marked a milestone: 10 years of EMF. To honor this legacy, the festival embraced the theme of the Jardín de la Libertad – a symbolic portal connecting past, present, and future. This portal stood as a metaphor for the bridge between generations of fans, uniting them in celebration of music’s timeless power while also opening the way for what’s to come.
The Stages of EMF: A Fusion of Cultures
At the heart of EMF lies its unique ability to blend Latin rhythms with global electronic sounds. The Sol stage brings the fire of leading Latin artists, while the Luna stage shines with international electronic acts. Adding to this spectrum, the Perdidos stage delves deeper into underground beats – afro-house, deep house, and techno – giving fans a complete sonic journey across genres.
This dynamic fusion has made EMF a cultural meeting point unlike any other, where regional pride and global trends harmoniously collide.
Crafting the 10th Anniversary Closing Show
To seal the 10-year celebration, EMF entrusted Grand Finale’s creative team with designing an unforgettable closing spectacle. The challenge: to create a musical journey that embodied the DNA of EMF – a fusion of heritage, innovation, and emotion.
We curated a setlist that honored the past while pointing to the future:
- Daft Punk’s One More Time and Push’s Universal Nation paid homage to electronic music history.
- Bad Bunny & El Alfa’s La Romana and Gordo ft. Eladio Carrión’s Outside brought the heartbeat of Latin and electronic fusion.
- Artbat’s remix of I Adore You infused contemporary afro-house textures.
- RÜFÜS DU SOL’s Innerbloom offered a heartfelt encore, the perfect emotional closure to a decade of memories.
The result was a show that resonated instantly with the crowd – a tapestry of sound that captured EMF’s spirit while projecting it into the future.
Innovation in Motion: The Goddess of Music
One of the most striking moments came during I Adore You. Inspired by the Maya goddess Ixchel, we unveiled Genesis – the goddess of music. This ethereal figure came alive through a collaboration of artistry and technology:
- Choreography by Carolina Dorell, built on creative direction from Mark Rietveld.
- Performance captured via motion-capture suit by Jasper Hesseling.
- Motion data synchronized to ignite pyrotechnics in real-time, merging movement with fire and light.
It was a powerful visual embodiment of EMF’s theme – a portal uniting human expression, ancient heritage, and modern innovation.
Precision Programming: Lights, Pyro, and Effects
In our pre-visualization studio, every element of the show was meticulously programmed to achieve perfect synchronicity. Pascal Parent dedicated three full days of time-code programming in Depence 3 to align lights with the musical beats. Collaborating with Lucas Gerritzen from Pyrofoor and José from FES Fireworks in Finale 3D brought the pyrotechnics to life. Mark’s creative direction, combined with Lucas’ expertise and José’s passion, elevated the show to a new standard of excellence for the region.
Looking Ahead
The EMF 2025 closing show was A celebration of a decade that also set the tone for the next. For Grand Finale, it was a privilege to help write this chapter in EMF’s story, and to honor the festival’s role as a cultural landmark where music, art, and technology converge in Central America.
Tracklist El Gran Final - EMF 2025:
01. Grand Finale - El Portal
02. Daft Punk - One More Time (360 x 3AM Show Remix)
03. Hugel, Topic, Arash ft. Daelcom - I Adore You (Artbat Remix)
04. Alle Farben, LUM!X & Noel Holler - Gonna Dance With Somebody
05. Push, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike & Armin van Buuren - Universal Nation
06. Bad Bunny & El Alfa - La Romana
07. Gordo & Junkie Kid ft. Eladio Carrion - Outside
08. Rüfüs du Sol - Innerbloom (edit)
If you’re inspired by the magic we created for Empire Music Festival and want to bring this level of creativity and emotion to your festival, let’s make it happen together. At Grand Finale, we specialize in crafting unforgettable moments that resonate deeply with your audience. Reach out to us, and let’s start creating magic for your next show!
Thank you!
