Zamna turns 10: from a Tulum jungle party to a global platform shaping the next generation

In 2017, Zamna was just a party nestled in the middle of the Tulum jungle. Today, in 2026, it is a brand with a presence in Barcelona, Madrid, Ibiza, Miami, New York, São Paulo, Dubai, Malta, and from the beaches of Mykonos to Montenegro. It boasts 500,000 registered users and 1.6 million followers.

To celebrate its tenth anniversary, it could have announced a lineup packed with 20 headliners. Instead, it did something much more interesting: it announced a global contest to find the next breakthrough DJ/producer and book them to play at Zamna Tulum 2027.

It’s called BE THE NEXT DJ/PRODUCER, and it’s being launched in partnership with elBedroom DJ Academy.

The festival that no longer wants to be just a festival

Zamna’s move is symptomatic of where the festival industry is heading. Bringing in Tale Of Us and Artbat every year is no longer enough. Festival saturation in Tulum is a reality. The difference now lies in who creates culture and who merely consumes it.

Through Universal Xperience (UX), Zamna is betting on the former.

The partnership with elBedroom is no coincidence. elBedroom, founded in 2014 in Roma Norte, Mexico City, is one of the few academies in Latin America with a teaching methodology focused on original music and real stage experience, rather than just beatmatching. Over the past decade, it has trained more than 10,000 artists and collaborated with EDC Mexico.

Zamna brings the international platform—the jungle stage in front of thousands of people and direct connections to managers and agents—while elBedroom provides the educational curation and the technological evaluation platform.

It is a bridge between music education and the professional circuit that almost no one is building in Mexico.

It's not a DJ contest; it's a producer contest

This is what makes it relevant to Anticlub. The rules are clear:

The winner isn't the person with the best transitions. The winner is the one who demonstrates a distinct musical identity, a solid foundation in original production, and a creative vision.

Applicants must submit a 25-minute set that is evaluated on original composition, track selection, and direction. In an era where anyone can go viral on TikTok with a mashup, Zamna and elBedroom are asking for the exact opposite: original music and long-term vision.

The 10 finalists will be chosen on December 1, 2026, based on accumulated listening time on the platform—meaning the community also votes by listening—and the 3 winners will be selected by a jury on December 10.

The 3 winners will perform at ZAMNA Tulum 2027. The remaining 7 finalists will also receive festival access and direct industry networking opportunities.

10 years later, the spirit of Tulum remains the same

Zamna was born by bringing a tiny piece of the Mexican Caribbean to every destination it touched. Ten years later, with editions across 3 continents and its Zamna on the Beach format, it returns to Tulum anchored in its original concept: the jungle as a breeding ground for talent.

Registration for the contest closes on November 30, 2026. All information is available at https://elbedroom.zamnafestival.com/

In a scene obsessed with the headliner of the moment, Zamna is betting on the headliner of 2030. And in 2026, that feels almost revolutionary.