About Flash

The journey so far...

We're passionate about Flash, so much so that we could talk about it for hours like true Italians. We'll keep it rapido, though…

Dreamt up by Benedetta Venturini and Karl Schussig (that's us), Flash began in 2017 as Bene's 30th Birthday party with a beautifully simple vision: introduce a small group of music lovers from across the globe to the authentic Tuscan experience we fell in love with ourselves.

Our festival's first edition was pure magic – a handful of friends and famiglia dancing together from dawn until dusk (and dawn again) under Mediterranean sun, starlit skies, and the occasional celebratory shower of Aperol Spritz. After a year of meticulous planning and dreaming, Flash returned in 2019 as a slightly bigger summer gathering with a few hundred kindred spirits; some familiar faces, others beautifully new, all united by their love for exceptional music, incredible food, and fine wine – minus the pretentiousness, extravagance, or flashiness that often comes uninvited to such experiences.

We were elated to bring legendary artists like Dan Shake, CC:DISCO!, Chaos in the CBD, and Laurence Guy to Tuscany, alongside intimate sets from local DJs spinning retro Italo grooves in their spiritual birthplace. The global pandemic forced a two-year pause, but it made Flash 2022 all the sweeter. We returned to our miniature paradise with euphoric performances from salute, Bradley Zero, I.Jordan, Eclair Fifi, Laurence Guy, MYD, and DJ BORING, plus an expanded collection of authentic Tuscan experiences that made it our best year yet.

The Flash Famiglia seemed to agree – we sold out quickly and cultivated a devoted following that spans continents. 2023 brought our finest lineup yet, featuring Eliza Rose, DJ BORING, HAAi, MYD, Barry Can't Swim, Dan Shake, Inside Moves, Tai Lokun, and Manami. 

Our 2024 farewell became the stuff of legend – soundtracked by Dan Shake b2b MYD, Surusinghe, Pretty Girl, Elkka, DJ BORING, Narciss, salute, Swoose and Krystal Klear. A perfect crescendo that we thought would be our final bow.

But here's the beautiful truth: 

Some magic, it turns out, is too powerful to stay dormant. So we came home to Podere Sant'Apollonia in 2026, sun-soaked as ever, to find close to a thousand of you waiting - old friends, new faces, and rather too much local wine. Mr Scruff, Swim, Midland, Moxie, CC:DISCO!, Dan Shake, MYD and ATRIP kept the dancefloor honest until sunrise, while the rest of the campo slowed right down - pasta rolled by hand with the nonne, wine masterclasses that ran long because nobody wanted to leave the table, morning yoga among the fields for those brave enough to be upright before noon, and a long table stretching further than we'd ever managed before. 

Which brings us to now - and to something we still can't quite believe. In May 2027, we gather for the 10th year of Flash Festival. 

19–22 May 2027. Same field. Same Famiglia, plus whoever we haven't met yet.

A presto - see you in Tuscany.