Words by Patrick Staveley.

Photography by Julian Smith.

It was a night of nights in Sydney as the Palm Tree Music Festival kicked off the opening shows of a big weekend at The Dome, Sydney Showground.

Thousands of people were in attendance, getting in line hours before the event as they prepared for a long night of good vibes and good tunes. 

Frank Walker, who later performed at the Palm Tree Music Festival after party in Parramatta, opened the show with a 30-minute set, warming the crowd up as it continued to grow. 

Show me Love producer Sam Feldt then followed on stage for the second stellar performance of the night. 

By the time Lost Frequencies entered the stage, the venue was well and truly bouncing. The Dome continued to pile in more people by the second. The crowd had been warmed up, but now it was red-hot as the Belgian played the sing-along hits such as Are You With Me and Where Are You Now.

Kygo entered the fray at 9pm, which had quickly turned into a cauldron. One of the greatest modern DJs, it can be so easily forgotten that the Norwegian became the fastest artist to reach one billion streams on Spotify in late 2015. The cauldron was breathing fire towards the end of Kygo’s set when he brought out Australian singer Conrad Sewell to perform their duet Firestone. It really set the crowd alight, with the show hitting its peak at this point so far. Starting slowly with Kygo on the keys and Conrad hitting every note beautifully, it rises to a powerful and emphatic crescendo - the crowning moment of the set. 

While it was time for the last artist to hit the stage, by no means was it close to the end of an amazing night. It was time to get down to business as legendary DJ Tiesto was up to close proceedings but it felt like the party was just getting started. The 54-year-old launched into an almost two-hour long set, playing all the bangers the crowd was pining for. The Dutch producer also incorporated a number of fun singalongs into his set, with Oliver Tree’s Miss You, Miley Cyrus’ Flowers, Harry Styles As It Was, and Snow Patrol’s classic Chasing Cars, all making cameos. He also played some of his most recent hits such as Lay Low and the Tate McRae collaboration, 10:35. 

No one wanted to leave, but it was time to reluctantly head for the exits at the end of the set as the Festival geared up for shows in Brisbane and Melbourne to round out the weekend. 

Having some of the world’s top DJs visit Australia over three incredible days is an experience anyone in attendance won’t forget. I know I certainly won’t.