Off the Grid, On the Groove: Paradise City’s Barefoot Stage Is a Sensory Reboot

What if the key to connection was as simple as taking your shoes off?  At Paradise City 2025, one of Europe’s most forward-thinking music festivals, a new kind of stage invites you to ground yourself—literally. The Barefoot Stage, debuting this June in the lush gardens of Belgium’s Castle Ribaucourt, is not just another tent in the woods. It’s a sanctuary for the senses. Before stepping in, guests remove their shoes and surrender to the feel of soft earth and vintage rugs underfoot. Shoes are stowed away like bowling alley tokens, and in return, you get presence.

This isn’t just a gimmick. It’s a curated, intimate experience, where grooves flow from soul to funk, from R&B to jazz-infused house. Think Young Marco, CC:DISCO!, Kikelomo, Shonky, Nosedrip and Bibi Seck—not in their usual peak-hour club mode, but dialed into deeper, softer frequencies. Every artist has been invited to reveal a different side, to dig into their most soulful, emotional selections.

Surrounded by flowing fabrics, filtered sunlight, and wild greenery, the stage was imagined in collaboration with Jazz Middelheim, Antwerp’s iconic festival now under the creative wing of Paradise City and Brosella. This unique exchange between festivals is what makes the Barefoot Stage feel so special: it’s not about going harder, it’s about going deeper.

In a world of overstimulation, the Barefoot Stage offers a rare kind of luxury—slowness, texture, a groove that breathes. It’s where the cosmopolitan meets the elemental, where your next favorite track might come with a side of grass between your toes.

Let go. Tune in. And this time, leave your sneakers at the door.

www.paradisecity.be
Castle Ribaucourt, Perk (Belgium)
 27–29 June 2025