Day Zero Tulum Review + Survival Guide – Epic Mexican Jungle Festival

Day Zero Festival is a beautiful and unique gathering in the middle of the remote jungle outside Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Lasting for 18 straight hours over a warm January night, Day Zero Tulum is full of deep sounds, amazing performances, jungle vibes, and a passionate crowd.

Day Zero Festival is an event that should be on EVERY techno lover’s list. Tulum really channels the energy of Burning Man down into the Yucatan Peninsula around the New Year, and Day Zero really is the culmination of all the incredible production, music, creativity, and even arts, crafts, and food that make Tulum into such a popular winter destination.

The atmosphere and vibe that is created in the deep jungle for Day Zero is unlike anything I have experienced; it’s one of the standout techno events in the world hosted by Crosstown Rebels and Get Lost.

Tulum has grown a lot in popularity over the last few years, and Day Zero, now in its 15th+ year, has grown along with it. This event usually comes in around the second week of January.

This means that it takes place after two straight weeks of different Tulum parties – but that doesn’t make it any less desirable. These days, with more parties going on, it’s actually right in the middle of the season! It’s widely known that Day Zero brings out the best in the Tulum music scene, and the event sells out regularly and VERY early.

This Day Zero Festival Review + Guide will go into 18 categories detailing each and every aspect of the festival that I would have wanted to know about before I went, to help you prepare for your visit!

Make sure to also save my top festival quotes and captions for Instagram for your pics afterwards, or if you have more beachy Tulum vibe photos, you will love this list of Tulum quotes & captions for IG.

Or, check our my review-guide to Day Zero Bali, too!

Planning a Trip to Day Zero Tulum

Before I get into it, I want to share some more Tulum resources. I have lived in Tulum for a total of about 6 months and have PLENTY of advice to share. It’s an amazing destination if you stay safe and know your rights.

First, make sure to check out Tulum Safety Tips + Our Brutally Honest Story. Before you roll your eyes at me, know that Tulum has quite a few darker parts to it, and reading this will help you be prepared! Make sure to have travel insurance.

I worked 2 seasons as a photographer at Zamna festival in Tulum, which you are likely also considering if you’re going to Day Zero. Read my Zamna Tulum Survival Guide here – updated for 2024!

If you haven’t booked accommodation yet, you might want to read my guide to which areas to stay in Tulum – the 4 main Tulum neighborhoods and the pros and cons of each.

Next, I obsessed over unique + boutique Tulum accommodation while living here and would love to share the most amazing places to stay with you. Make sure to book EARLY for this time of year!

• Unique Places to Stay in Tulum
• Kan Tulum Review (my FAVE Tulum hotel, its amazing)
• Tulum Beachfront Airbnbs for those who need sand at their feet
• Tulum Treehouse Accommodation – all kinds of treehouses you can stay in

Okay now back to EVERYTHING you need to know about Day Zero.

Day Zero Festival Venue

Day Zero Festival is held at a ’secret’ jungle location about 30 minutes to the Northeast of Tulum City. Although it’s not announced until close to the day, the event was held in the same location for the last few years at Cenote Dos Ojos. This cenote is generally one of the coolest things to see in Tulum, and transforms into a venue for the festival.

Cenote Dos Ojos is about a 10-minute drive from the main road down dirt roads into the jungle. The area is home to a few caves, a cenote you can swim in, and lots of areas of trees.

This venue really is perfect for a jungle party, with a thick forest of trees creating a natural amphitheater for the main stage, and lasers perfectly shooting through leaves and branches to create a real deep jungle feel. It’s truly one of the most incredible parties I have ever been to; it’s really something else to look out over a sea of thousands of people in the middle of a dense hilly jungle, moving to the tribal beat as the sun comes up and shines through the trees.

The area is quite hilly, which works to the festival’s advantage to create lots of different areas, viewpoints, and chill spaces. The entire venue is very well-covered with trees, so even as the sun comes up in the morning it’s very well-shaded and remains cool.

Main Stage

The main stage is situated in the middle of a natural amphitheater with hills on all sides. Day Zero Festival takes advantage of this by using this hill to place different levels of VIP tables, platforms, and stairways to create multiple vantage points of the main stage. The sound quality is absolutely incredible, as is the lighting and general production of this stage area.

The main stage has lots of different performance spaces as well, with platforms in front of the dj booth and at various levels above it. They made use of the space by having fire spinners, dancers, and even color bombs going out into the crowd at the early hours of the morning.

The Club Stage

In the last couple years, Day Zero has held a second stage with the idea to feel something like a club, but still in the open air. They did amazingly well with creating this at The Club Stage, which was greatly improved upon in 2022. It is really a sight to behold, adorned with lanterns and tree branches woven into amazing patterns above the dance floor.

Some of the heavier techno artists play at this stage, which is truly an impressive vibe with fantastic lighting/production and lots of trees. Unlike the main stage, though, this area is mostly flat.

Cenote/Cave

At Cenote Dos Ojos, there are indeed some little cenotes as well! At the back edge of the main dance floor, there is a beautiful cenote with crisp and refreshing water. It’s perfect for swimming when the dance floor gets a little bit hot, or when the sun comes up and brings the heat of a new day. There is also a cave to explore that is beautifully lit up with lanterns and swirling lights.

The cenotes may look small from the dance floor, but in reality, these cenotes are some of the best diving sites in the Yucatan! They are part of some of the largest underwater cave systems around – so you may have to return for scuba diving one day. We did some dives at Cenote Dos Ojos and LOVED IT, but obviously at another time during the day!

Other than the main stages, there is a theater, lots of food vendors and market stalls, quite a few chill spaces, and more. More on these later!

How to Get to Day Zero Festival

Because of the remoteness of the venue, Day Zero organizes transportation to the venue via charter busses from a more easily reachable location.

Busses USED to pick up at Chemuyil baseball field, but in a very necessary change for the last edition, they are actually picking up from the Tulum ruins (Tulum Mágico on Google Maps) instead.

This is HUGE for festival access because rather than having to get expensive taxis to and from the pickup point, people can access it easily from town less than 2km away – a cheap taxi or even a collectivo bus.

The pickup point is about 20 minutes from Cenote Dos Ojos and has more space for festival check-in.

Day Zero Tulum Crowd

The crowd at Day Zero is very aligned with a certain crowd of Burning Man; many burners come to Tulum in the offseason to get their dose of playa vibes. That being said, however, it seems that the people at Day Zero are from the more rich and entitled end of the Burner spectrum or more like people who go to Vegas.

An observation I made was that Day Zero was kind of like if Burning Man sold VIP tables… and sold them for up to 50kUSD. This is obviously against the ethos of Burning Man, which keeps certain people at bay there, but VIP tables are indeed PART of the ethos of Tulum.

There are dozens and dozens of VIP tables here at Day Zero (and Tulum in general), and the people at them really act like you would expect – entitled and better-than-you. But, then again, I only had to come in contact with the people/tables because I was running around taking photos.

I would say the majority of people were wearing outfits that may have cost hundreds of dollars. People looked great, and it’s definitely not a bad thing, but the privilege is definitely apparent here.

Apart from a few unfortunate interactions with people giving off a bad/uninclusive vibe, I would say that most people were still friendly and happy. I met some amazing people, as well as some not-as-much so, but that’s something you can really expect at any festival. Day Zero Festival is like Burning Man in the Mexican jungle, but with a lot of the type of burners who go to plug-and-play camps and Vegas.

As far as the Number of people at Day Zero, it’s important to note is that this festival is CROWDED. It’s difficult to move at the main stage, and I didn’t even chance it with my photography gear. The venue honestly seemed WAY too busy for the amount of space and it was often hard to move around and VERY sweaty even in the middle of the night.

Day Zero Vibe

Day Zero Festival prides itself on having an inclusive ethos with a leave-no-trace policy. This is printed up all over the venue and they commit a valiant effort at making sure everyone knows this. However, I must say that this effort was quite lost on many of the people at this festival, who had paid a certain amount to be there and felt that it was okay to throw trash on the ground because of it.

I also must note that quite a few people have their phones stolen at Day Zero Festival. I don’t know much about who or what kind of people were doing this, but it was definitely an issue in very dense crowds when I went. There seemed to be a decent amount of security, but theft was still rampant.

This all being said, there is still generally a really magical vibe in the jungle. It is one of the most incredible venues I’ve ever been to, and they left no stone unturned creating an amazing space that seemed like a fairytale wonderland. Most of the people here upheld and helped to create this vibe as well.

There are lanterns, beads, and dreamcatchers in every corner, and tons of attention to every little detail that could really light a space up. There were people dressed up in Mayan clothing and face paint who performed traditional dances, which also helped create a really cool mystical vibe about the place.

Atmosphere/Decorations/Production

As I just mentioned, the atmosphere at Day Zero Festival is absolutely incredible. There is SO much attention to detail throughout the venue, from covering the entire club stage with amazing patterns of woven branches, to elegant lanterns and decorations hanging from nearly every tree, to fairy lights along pathways and traditionally painted rocks. It truly is impressive.

Even the little cenotes are lit up with lanterns and lights, and the chill areas are all adorned with paint, lights, and branches. I was really blown away by the magical jungle atmosphere that was created at Day Zero Festival; I’ve truly never seen anything like it and it and along with amazing production it set the tone for an absolutely unforgettable party.

The production is just as impressive as the decor. Not only are the speakers, lights, and lasers top-of-the-line, but they regularly have performers of many different kinds at the main stage. From fire spinners to dancers to massive costumed characters, you never know what to expect next here.

One of my favorite parts of the party was around 8-9am when an entire parade of costumed characters went into the crowd handing out colorful flowers to everyone. It was such a cool vibe with hundreds of people dancing to the beat with flowers in their hands, with magical creatures weaving their way around the dance floor.

Day Zero Lineup/Music/Artists

The Day Zero Lineup is always impressive – VERY impressive in the house + techno realm. A lot of the artists are also regulars at the big techno events around the world, which sets the stage for why so many burners and festival-goers come here.

Headliners can vary from a bit harder Ellen Allien, Ae:ther, and Dubfire to more melodic Bedouin, Black Coffee, Goldcap, Serge Devant, and &ME. For 2024, they have huge names like Acid Pauli, WhoMadeWho, Seth Troxler, Dennis Cruz, and Patrick Mason, as well as some returning names.

Between the two stages, crowds are spoilt for choice on which amazing music to see at what time – I know I could never decide and was constantly going back and forth.

The festival is curated by melodic techno extraordinaire Damian Lazarus, who plays from sunrise until the festival’s closing at noon. Adorned in his famous long kimono and sultan hat, he takes over the decks at sunrise to take the crowd on an incredible and melodic journey into the new day. It’s pretty incredible how the vibe changes from the night to the daytime, and it’s a beautiful journey no matter which stage you are at.

The Day Zero Lineup will ALWAYS be stacked and carefully curated, so no matter which year you want to go, you can depend on the lineup being top-notch.

Where to Stay for Day Zero Festival: Hotels/Camping

As it’s only one day, Day Zero Festival has no camping of any kind or nearby accommodation. This festival pretty much closes out two weeks of nonstop techno parties all over Tulum, so most people just stay in the town or in the hotel zone on the beach to attend parties from there.

The closest place to stay from Day Zero would be in Tulum town. Tulum is split between a long strip of hotels on the beach, and a main city center a few kilometers away. The cheapest place to stay is in town, and the best/only way to get around is by taxi (public transport is fairly nonexistent).

There are LOTS of different hotels in Tulum – from cheaper hostels to incredibly trendy beachfront resorts. I linked a bunch of my Tulum accommodation guides above, but the best place to start is Where to Stay in Tulum: An Areas Guide or just see my top recommendations below:

Budget Option: LUM Hostel (for a hostel in town) or UJO Condo Boutique (a cute and more affordable hotel/studio in Town)

Mid-Range Option: Hotelito Azul for a cheaper beach option or 16 Tulum for a modern villa vibe

Luxe Splurge Option: Azulik Tulum is not only one of the most unique stays in Tulum, but the world! A stay here is a real treat.

Best For Couples: KAN Tulum – an amazing sustainable boutique hotel on the new beach road (see my KAN Tulum review)

Best Place to Stay for Spiritual/Yogis: Holistika Tulum in La Veleta or Nomade Tulum on the beach

Day Zero Festival Amenities – Other Stuff to Do

Day Zero Tulum has quite a few other fun activities to do and places to explore. Here are the best:

Theater

Away from most of the music, there is a small little theater for people to rest, recharge, and check out some videos.

Chakra Zone

There’s also a really cute little ‘chakra zone’ with a wooden sculpture denoting all the different chakras, and a maze around the outside to wander through.

Markets

Day Zero Festival has some amazing vendors selling fun festival clothing, jewelry, and more. Many of the traditionally dressed Mayan performers were selling handmade crafts, and the stalls had all kinds of beautiful items.

Swimming

It got quite hot with all the crowds at the festival, and many people took this opportunity to have a swim in the cenote!

Day Zero Tulum Transportation/Parking

As I mentioned above, getting to Day Zero Festival was a bit of a struggle but should be easier this year with the pickup point at the Tulum Mágico ruins parking lot rather than 20 minutes on the other side of the venue.

Again, as the venue is quite far removed in a remote jungle, the festival organizes charter busses to transport people there from a different and larger site.

The Tulum Mágico ruins are where the ticket checks and security will take place, at which point everyone boards charter buses to go 20 minutes outside of town and then deep down a dirt road into a jungle cenote.

After the festival, you will get back on the busses and return to the same Tulum ruins parking lot, which is an amazing change rather than going to the Chemuyil baseball field in the opposite direction (where cabs would extort you out of $100 USD to get back to town). Cabs still might overcharge, but they can only charge so much for 2km.

Driving to Day Zero Tulum

Driving to Day Zero would be a good option if you want to have your car waiting when the busses arrive to drop you back at the pickup point. You can park your car near the Tulum Mágico parking lot easily. Locals may try to charge money for this – I am not sure as it’s a new pickup point so just be aware.

Taking a Taxi to Day Zero

I think most people will end up taking a taxi to the bus pickup point. You cannot take a taxi to the venue itself as the check-in is at the pickup point at the ruins.

Taxi companies really ‘have you by the balls’ for this event and can overcharge like crazy to get back to town/hotels after the event. But as it’s only 2km away I am unsure how much they can possibly charge. Make sure to try and haggle and split the taxi costs with others too.

Food/Drink at Day Zero Festival

FOOD at Day Zero

There are plenty of food and drink options to go around at Day Zero. From pizza and falafel to crepes and fruit and all the Mexican food your heart could desire, you are well taken care of when it comes to food. There’s a whole row of vendors near the main entrance selling different types of food.

Food prices are decent for the festival. You can look to pay about $150-$300 pesos (8-$16ish USD) depending on what kind of meal you want (but this may go up this year).

DRINKS at Day Zero

I must say I was completely ASTONISHED at the drink prices at Day Zero. After already being shocked by Zamna cocktail prices of 300 pesos (15ish USD), my jaw hit the floor when I saw that Day Zero had ‘premium mixed drinks’ (which are not premium but rather completely normal mixed drinks like vodka soda) for 350 pesos (18ish USD) and ‘Day Zero Cocktails’ for a whopping 400 pesos (over 20 USD). When I saw this, I knew that I was either not drinking or having only a couple of beers throughout the night.

These drink prices really are reflective of the type of crowd that is present at Day Zero, who wouldn’t have an issue spending more than they paid for their ticket on drinks throughout the night (or simply buying a table). The price may even be going up this year – let me know if it does!!

I believe beer was 150 pesos ($7-8USD) as was water. There was a water refill station at the beginning of the night, but by the end there was no free water and people were left paying $8 for many small water boxes. In my opinion, not cool.

Day Zero Tickets/Price

Day Zero tickets have a few different tiers. If you agree to enter before 7pm (sunset ticket), you can get your tix for $120-$150. First release will be about $160 and go up to $260 for 6th release. You can also get an XXTRA ticket for $280-$340 which includes some VIP bathrooms and areas and express entry. Honestly, the nicer bathrooms might be worth a bit more cash if you have it.

However, as it does sell out, people in Tulum end up milking it for all it’s worth and selling tickets for MUCH more – I saw some going for as much as $350 just for general admission and up to $700-$800 for VIP. My best advice is to get tickets when they first go on sale!

This year to prevent issues they are requiring each person to enter with a picture of the ID matching the name of the person who bought the ticket. So if you want to buy or sell tickets second-hand, you will NEED an ID copy.

As far as the prices of food and drink, see above. Make sure to budget extra if you’ll want to be eating and drinking a lot.

Day Zero Festival Security

The Day Zero security checks were actually some of the most intense I have ever experienced at a festival, even after going to festivals on 6 continents. You can expect to be checked and patted down multiple times.

The last time I went, there were two separate security checks at the baseball field – one pat-down and one bag search with a metal detector – and then they had ANOTHER pretty thorough bag check and pat down (the woman actually lifted up my bra) at the entrance after the bus ride.

Not sure why it was so intense (or maybe I have some idea), but it was. Prepare for 3-4 checkpoints before getting in, a search of the main bag compartments, and pat-downs.

Bathrooms at Day Zero

The bathroom situation at Day Zero was porta potties in a few different spots throughout the venue. They got very disgusting a few times throughout the night, but it was usually possible to find one with toilet paper that wasn’t a total write-off.

The bathrooms are a big benefit of at least some form of VIP ticket. In the VIP area up behind the main stage, they have air-conditioned nice bathrooms which are worlds better than the porta-potties. Sometimes when you’re tired and need to pee, it’s just so much better in a nicer bathroom.

Weather at Day Zero Tulum

In January in Tulum, it is HOT. Expect humidity and sweat – especially with the very high number of people in attendance. I found myself getting a tiny bit cold at night on other nights in Tulum, but not at Day Zero.

It was swelteringly hot for pretty much the whole night, especially in any crowds, so I highly recommend less clothes (haha) and a hand fan if you have one. I love the big ones like this – I bring mine everywhere. It got pretty humid too with tons of people dancing and moving, and it can get stuffy too.

In January in Tulum, you can also expect RAIN. There’s a high chance that there will be a downpour or two during the night, so a rain poncho or a least a plastic bag to protect valuables is advisable.

Fashion at Day Zero Festival

Day Zero Fashion is basically Burning Man on steroids in the jungle. The people here all seem to be exceptionally good-looking and to be wearing exceptionally expensive clothes, hats, feathers, face jewels, flowy skirts, kimonos and… well, you get it.

If you have an outfit that you think might be a little bit too much, wear it with twice as much jewelry, face paint, and crazy boho techno burner clothes and you’ll fit right in. Day Zero is honestly a fashion show and people go ALL out here with the fashion – the deep beautiful jungle is a great place to do it.

Timings at Day Zero

Day Zero is a 20 hour party. It begins at 4pm on one day and ends at noon the next day. It’s up to you to decide how you want to spend these 20 hours! Many people arrive later in the night or leave a bit early, but some push through the whole thing.

But of course, to make the most of it, you have to stay the whole time and accomplish a proper Tulum all-night party and dance your way to the next afternoon. It’s what you do here!

Money at Day Zero Tulum

Day Zero Festival is cashless. You get a wristband with a little plastic bit that you can load up with money. There are 4-5 different places that you can top up this cashless wristband so you can but food and drinks.

The issue here is that there are SO many people at the festival and not enough people working at the cashless top up points. My friends and I waited for 30 minutes to top up our band as there was only one person taking card and one taking cash at each top-up point – each one was overflowing with people – not very happy people at that.

I advise you to top up your wristband as soon as you can and put plenty of money on there so you won’t have to wait in line to top up again.

Volunteering at Day Zero

You can actually work an 8-hour shift at Day Zero Tulum in exchange for a ticket. I don’t know how many positions are available, but you can check the ‘participate’ section on the website to apply.

You can also run a food stall or a market vendor stall. There were people working these stalls both from the local neighborhoods and internationally, serving and selling all kinds of different things.

Final Tips for Day Zero Tulum

• Do what you can to make it past sunrise. Damian Lazarus during sunset is magical, and some really cool performances take place after the sun comes up.
• Explore as many places in the venue as you can – you may be surprised at the attention to detail and small spaces you can discover.
• Spend some time at each stage
• Don’t drink unless you want to spend a few hundred dollars to maintain a buzz over 20 hours
• Bring a rain poncho or plastic bag. It will probably rain
• Bring a change of clothes if you can – maybe a swimsuit if you want to swim in the cenote if you are brave
• Pay attention to your surroundings and the attention to detail as much as possible. It’s truly incredible what they did with the venue.

Well, that’s it for my Day Zero Tulum Review + Survival Guide! Did I miss anything? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments and message me on Instagram if you have any questions.