Hundreds of artists have arrived at Georgia's Anaklia seaside resort, set to host tens of thousands of visitors for a month-long GEM Fest, the world's longest music festival launching today.
Led by acts including GusGus, Martin Garrix, Worakls and Paul Kalkbrenner, the star-filled roster will entertain festival-goers in over 3,000 performances at different stages set up on the Black Sea coast.
Today's festival-opening shows will feature nearly a dozen artists including Thomas Melchior, Gio Shengelia and Carlo Lio. They will take to three different stages set up for the event.
Following over the remaining 31 days of the festival, some of the biggest names of the popular electronic music scene will take their spots in front of the audiences.
Highlighting the scope and profile of GEM Fest, a preview by leading electronic music website Resident Advisor called the event "a stand-out summer party" with "some of the world's biggest house, techno and trance DJs".
Visitors will also be introduced to shows by local performers, with celebrated Georgian acts on this year's roster including Autumn Tree, Gacha Bakradze and Tete Noise.
Apart from musical performances, the festival area will also host activities including sports competitions, yoga and cosplay shows.
In addition, organisers have invited visitors to showcase their talents and creations in artistic fields including choreography, lighting design and photography during the event.
Organisers expect tens of thousands of visitors to flock to festival grounds this year. Photo: GEM Fest.
Launched just two years ago, GEM Fest has already made Anaklia a familiar name for music enthusiasts worldwide.
The festival is held near the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) separating Georgia from its north-western breakaway region of Abkhazia. Its 2016 edition attracted over 30,000 locals and travellers.
The location is also notable for the longest pedestrian bridge in Europe, connecting it with the village of Ganmukhuri with a 550 metre-long walkway across the Enguri river.
Running through August 14, the 2017 edition of GEM Fest is held within Check in Georgia, a governmental initiative bringing together dozens of festivals, concerts and exhibitions across the country throughout the year.
See a preview of artists set to perform at one of the festival's eight stages below:
www.agenda.ge