Tbilisi Open Air Festival spotlights local talent with all-Georgian lineup
Since its inception in 2009, Tbilisi Open Air festival has gathered tens of thousands under a shared love for music and expression. The 2025 edition, held a month earlier than usual, aligns with the eve of Georgia’s Independence Day on May 26 —a meaningful choice that celebrates national pride and cultural resilience.
Tbilisi Open Air broke from tradition this year, returning to Lisi Wonderland with an all-Georgian lineup—blending generational voices and unexpected musical collaborations. Iconic performers like Nani Bregvadze, Paata Burchuladze, Giuli Chokheli, Merab Sepashvili, and Giorgi Ushikishvili shared the stage with rising newcomers and established contemporary acts, creating unique, genre-defying sets. These cross-generational performances aimed to bridge past and present, uniting styles and sensibilities in the name of shared cultural memory.
“Tbilisi Open Air has always been a festival for the public, so it defies strict frames—it’s a platform for a diverse set of voices, on which everyone can find their musical voice,” says Public Relations Manager for Altervision—the festival’s organizer—Sopho Ebralidze. “This year’s festival is a gesture of solidarity—toward Georgian musicians and artists, toward independent media, and toward people who refuse to accept injustice,” Ebralidze adds.
From dance to dialogue
For the first time, a full theatrical and dance performance was integrated into the festival’s main program: the Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet performed, and director David Khorbaladze presented the production LOUDER—marking both of their Tbilisi Open Air debuts.
Beyond the main stage, Lisi Wonderland buzzed with energy across its two night stages: the UNITY STAGE and the ALTER STAGE. The UNITY STAGE featured collaborative DJ sets like SEVDA B2B GIO SHENGELIA and ELENE B2B ALEXANDRA, while the ALTER STAGE offered late-night beats with performances from NIKKI SLOW vs. GROTASK, N ICE, KMC, CAS, BXNNY, and others.
Tbilisi Open Air has long been more than just a music festival—it’s a cultural ecosystem. “Our festival has never had an exclusively musical format, and this year, this cultural variety was present in a more diverse form,” Ebralidze shares.
A festival of ideas and values
The festival featured the Natural Wine Festival, offering chilled pét-nat and showcasing natural wines, alongside the Tbilisi Book Fair’s Freedom Library, which invited visitors to browse a curated collection of books celebrating freedom, Georgia’s independence struggle, and its rich history.
A new addition this year was Open Frequencies, a hub for music labels, podcasts, and platforms that provided a space for discovery and connection with emerging and established voices. Meanwhile, Mechanical Waves hosted its Tbilisi Open Air debut workshop Searching for the Poetic Me—in collaboration with the Danish Culture Institute— offering participants a space to explore identity and artistry within the festival’s broader themes of self-expression and cultural dialogue.
The Freedom Village returned as a vital space for dialogue, hosting lectures and discussions on a wide range of topics aligned with contemporary challenges and values. “It’s very important for a festival such as this to create space to exchange ideas and values,” said Nino Apakidze of iFact, an investigative media outlet. iFact’s space allowed visitors to engage with their team, suggest investigative topics, and learn more about their work.
Over two days, thousands of visitors filled Lisi Wonderland, with the festival ultimately receiving positive feedback despite initial doubts over this year’s local focus. In a meaningful gesture, a portion of ticket sales will be donated to the Contemporary Art and Culture Foundation and the Georgian Musicians’ Union, with visitors also able to make additional contributions in support of these organizations.