Inside SXM Festival: Julian Prince on Building a Global Destination Festival, DJ Culture, Ibiza Alternatives & Caribbean Nightlife

Welcome to the very first episode of our brand new series, Inside SXM Festival — taking you behind the scenes of one of the world’s most unique destination music experiences. Recorded live in the Caribbean on the island of Saint Martin, this episode features Alex Jukes and Grego O’Halloran, sat down with SXM Festival founder Julian Prince, sharing the real story behind how a small island idea turned into a globally recognised electronic music and DJ culture event.

From early days partying in Saint Martin to launching a festival that now attracts thousands of music lovers from around the world, Julian breaks down the journey of building SXM Festival from scratch — without shortcuts, without huge budgets, and with a relentless focus on experience, community and culture.

The conversation explores how the rise of destination festivals like Burning Man, Coachella and BPM Festival helped shape the vision for SXM, and why creating something truly immersive — not just another “festival” — became the mission.

Julian also opens up on the realities of building a festival in the Caribbean: from logistics, shipping equipment and infrastructure challenges, to navigating hurricanes, pandemics and the pressure of delivering a world-class event on a remote island.

Alongside the challenges, this episode captures what makes SXM Festival special — the energy, the people, the sunrise parties at Happy Bay, and the philosophy that the island itself is the true headliner.

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Key Moments: 00:00 – Welcome to SXM Festival in St Martin - Trailer 00:45 – What Makes St Martin Unique: French & Dutch Island History 02:27 – Julian’s First Trip to St Martin and Falling in Love with the Island 04:31 – Montreal Rave Culture and Julian’s DJ Roots 05:32 – The Original Idea: Dreaming of a Destination Music Festival 07:35 – Burning Man & Coachella: The Rise of Travel for Music Festivals 10:52 – From Idea to Action: Founding SXM Festival in 2015 11:54 – Building the Team: Alex Fish, PR, and Key Partners 16:17 – Surviving Stress: Early Years, Burnout, and Learning to Cope 18:34 – Hurricane & Family Crisis: The Emotional Cost Behind the Festival 20:23 – Why Island Festivals Are So Hard: Logistics, Costs, and Tickets 22:04 – What Is SXM Festival Really About? Experience vs ‘Just a Festival’ 23:56 – Integrating Local Community, Talent, and Businesses 25:17 – Politics, Economics, and SXM as a Labour of Love 27:17 – Why Julian Still Has the Most Fun at His Own Festival 29:08 – Signature Moments: Sunrise Parties at Happy Bay with Lee Burridge 33:21 – Booking Legends: Carl Cox’s First-Ever Gig in the Caribbean 36:03 – Why Travel to SXM Festival? Three Reasons to Come to St Martin 37:08 – Enter the Legend: Julian’s Father on the ‘Magic’ of SXM 40:17 – Croissants at Sunrise: A Family-Run Festival Spirit 38:53 / 39:43 – Building Happy Bay from Empty Beach to Festival Village 40:44 – Closing Reflections: Culture, Family, and the Spirit of SXM Festival