First edition of Social Nation held in Mumbai

EE News Desk Oct 25, 2019

An initiative by One Digital Entertainment and Event Capital, presented by Viu, Social Nation brought the thriving digital universe on ground, with over 100+ digital content creators across various genres like music, comedy, dance, poetry and more.
Social Nation, a festival for creators and their fans, launched and made waves in Mumbai on 19th and 20th October at Jio Garden, BKC. Beating the untimely Mumbai rains, people turned up in big numbers to watch their favorite creators perform live on stage. The festival was nothing short of unadulterated extravagance with heavyweight performances from 100+ artists like Bhuvan Bam, Prajakta Koli, CarryMinati, Raftaar, Armaan Malik, Badshah, KaamBhari, Darshan Raval and many more.

Deepak Choudhary, Founder and Director of Event Capital said “Having created multiple event IPs that target the cross section of consumers, we identified huge potential in the fast-growing digital space in India. India is witnessing tremendous growth in the digital space, both on the demand and supply sides. Social Nation was created to bring fans and creators together on one platform. The IP has been custom designed for millennials, who live and breathe in the digital ecosystem. Given the overwhelming response by both fans and partner brands we plan on taking this IP to other cities in India and across the globe”.

Commenting on this Gurpreet Singh, COO and Co-Founder of One Digital Entertainment said “The huge audience turnout & spectacular performances by creators at Social Nation, further boosted the digital community through this offline celebration. The humongous response of 20,000 fans at the festival and a reach of 100 mn+ digital reach just within a few days post the festival clearly defined the power of this community and further strengthens our belief. With around 500 million internet users that is growing on a fast pace, India is seeing a surge in variety of digital creators across different cities who are building pockets of niche fan bases for them. With the success of its debut edition, Social Nation has truly become what we intended it to be- A Festival for Fans and Creators. “

Over and above this spectacular line-up, what set Social Nation apart from other entertainment events was the addition of various interactive activities designed with the millennials in mind. Social Nation offered fun and informative workshops for budding creators or those looking to work within the digital content space. Topics included “The art of making short films”, “Artist management 101”, “Stand out on Instagram”, “Say it with music”, “Want to be a web show wiz?” etc.

There were several booths which used virtual reality and augmented reality (AR/VR) technology for interactive games and activities like gif and meme generators. An initiative called The Big Break even gave participants the chance to showcase their talent on stage. Each and every feature was meticulously planned, including special volunteers called Fan of Fans, who were trained to provide assistance to all the attendees.
The two day festival had an exciting line-up of stand-up, dance acts, sketches, slam poetry, inspirational talks, open mics, rap performances and more, all set across 2 stages. Social Nation was co-powered by Fastrack, with MTV and other partnering brands are Nissin, Facebook, Instagram and Engage.

Day 1 began with a sudden change in the weather. But despite the rains, the crowd was eagerly waiting as the gates opened. Host Sahil Khattar entertained the crowd through the lineup. The day began with acts from Bhadipa, Shreeja Chaturvedi, Rueben Kaduskar, Aishwarya Mohanraj, and Anirban Dasgupta. Rappers like Spitfire, SlowCheeta, Kaambhaari and the Kalamkaar guys took the stage with powerful and inspiring lyrics. The youngest Indian Electronic-Pop Duo, Zephyrtone made the crowd dance with their energetic performance. For music lovers there were singers Nikhita Gandhi, band Maadhyam and musician Nikhil D' Souza who played popular Bollywood numbers. Dance performances were graced by artists like Rahul Shetty and MJ5 who are known for their unique dance styles. Heartthrob Darshan Raval regaled the audience with his superhit songs. The final act came from Bhuvan Bam, known for his famous YouTube channel, BB Ki Vines. He thrilled eager fans with his raw energy and ended his act with a moving patriotic number.
Day 2 was packed with even more and the rain continued as well. The line-up had artistes like Supriya Joshi, Aadar Malik, Leeza Mangaldas, Asees Kaur, Brodha V, Mumbiker Nikhil etc. Ted The Stoner of Instagram fame also made his debut on stage and spoke on why he 'memes' what he does.

Indian stand-up comedian and YouTuber, Abish Mathew kept the audience entertained as he hosted the evening set. MTV Hustle famed rapper Shloka set the stage on fire. Fans sang and danced along with musicians Jasleen Royal, Mickey Singh and Jonita Gandhi. A major highlight of the evening was the surprise appearance by Jacqueline Fernandez, as she accompanied her friend Shaan Muttathil on stage.
As the sunset, Armaan Malik sent people into a tizzy with his melodious voice. Just when we thought that the day could not get any better, Raftaar and Badshah lit the stage with their respective acts.

The last set of performances at the festival was the most special. The crowd went wild whenBe YouNick, CarryMinati and MostlySane came on stage. Just as MostlySane, aka Prajakta Koli, was closing the festival with a song, she was joined by not one or two but three unbelievable surprises in the form of BhuvanBam, Raftaar, and Badshah. They put on a splendid finale, joined by all the other artists and with this, the festival ended on a high.
On both days of the festival, there were many opportunities for fans to connect with the creators and vice versa, through the Red Carpet arena and scheduled meet-and-greets.
The first edition of Social Nation was truly a platform that not only showcased but also celebrated the power of Internet content creators and their fan communities. This festival will undoubtedly be repeated in various cities across India and internationally too.