Shishi Tayar: Planting seeds of transformation on the global dancefloor
Interview
In a world where electronic music often gravitates toward the hedonistic and the hyper-commercial, Shishi Tayar has cultivated something entirely different—a sanctuary. Since founding The Gardens of Babylon in 2016, the Amsterdam-based visionary has redefined what it means to gather on the dancefloor. Her events are not just parties—they’re portals: immersive, intentional, and deeply human.
Shishi Tayar’s journey is rooted in a desire for deeper connection. Shaped by years in Amsterdam’s nightlife and inspired by the radical openness of transformational festivals like Burning Man, she sought to build a space where music, spirituality, and community could co-exist. Today, The Gardens of Babylon spans continents and cultures, bringing together artists, dancers, seekers, and creators for events that blend meditation with movement, basslines with breathwork.
But this is more than just a spiritualized rave. With initiatives like The Temple of Babylon, retreats in nature, and global collaborations that support refugees and local creators alike, Shishi Tayar is proving that a dancefloor can be both a playground and a platform. Diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords here—they’re baked into the DNA of each lineup, each ritual, each gathering.
Now, The Gardens of Babylon is set to bloom in Berlin. On April 26, 2025, the global community touches down at the iconic Sage Beach, transforming the riverside venue into a springtime sanctuary of sound, spirit, and celebration. As the first warm rays of sun return to the city, Shishi Tayar and her ever-growing Babylon family invite Berliners to dance, connect, and awaken.
We caught up with the founder to talk about the roots of the project, the power of co-creation, and how her team of “badass women” is shaping a more conscious future for global club culture.
What inspired you to establish The Gardens of Babylon in 2016, and how did your time in Amsterdam’s nightlife shape that vision?
The inspiration for creating The Gardens of Babylon came from a deep longing for a gentler way of going out and connecting with people. I was missing the warmth, kindness, and openness at most events in Amsterdam. You would go out with your friends, raving in dark halls, meeting perhaps one or two people on the same wavelength, but you would rarely meet many new people, let alone make a new friend. For me, meeting new people is the essence of going out. Where do you go to find places where people are at ease, open and curious about one another?
I was inspired by festivals like Burning Man, where this openness really comes out, and you meet new people non-stop. I was amazed by the sense of belonging visitors felt—how people called themselves "Burners" and returned "Home" every year. Everyone contributed to the success of the event. There was a strong sense of community that I hadn't seen before.
I wanted to explore the idea that we’re all part of something bigger, a place where you feel supported to be free from limiting beliefs and the endless conditioning in life.
At The Gardens of Babylon each person plays an important role—whether through offering their music, contributing physically (for example, to set up and decorate), or bringing the energy they offer to the dancefloor. This is how the Babylon Family emerged: we all come together for incredible events around the world. In return? You will always have a place where you can plant your seed and watch it grow. The love is unconditional, and support is easy to find.
It has become a global community where we bring people together, regardless of their backgrounds and beliefs, to find love and kindness in a world that is as beautiful as it is harsh and full of pain.
Your events uniquely blend electronic music with practices like meditation and yoga. How does this fusion enhance the experience for your audience?
We start each event with an opening meditation. This gives our audience the space to arrive—to leave whatever is going on outside, outside, and step into a place where they’re surrounded by wonderful beings, all coming for one simple goal: to have the best event ever. Whether you’ve meditated before or not, and even if you don’t want to meditate, the Opening Meditation is something remarkable and powerful. We began back in 2016 with maybe 20 people, and now we’ve hosted Opening Ceremonies with over 1,000 attendees.
It’s just about being silent for a little while. That’s all.
This simple act brings a softness to each person that is hard to describe. The worries and concerns drift away as the minutes pass, and everyone who joined us from the start has this warm smile and soft glow.
We offer more practices that people can explore during the event. Workshops and sessions that everyone can join, like breathwork, yoga, tantra, and more. Additionally, we offer one-on-one sessions where people can pay an extra fee for personal attention, whether it’s reiki, massage, or astrology—things that they may not usually come across.
Of course, this approach has been adapted by many other events over the years. However, because of the global nature of The Gardens of Babylon, we have a vast network of facilitators who join us from all over the world. It’s truly mind-blowing what some workshops bring to the table.
The Gardens of Babylon emphasizes co-creation and community involvement. How has this shaped your events and the relationships within your global family?
It works both ways. As a large global platform, we have the ability to support our family members—whether they aspire to be musicians, create festival wear, or launch a new project. We support them wherever possible.
For our events, we offer the opportunity for people to volunteer and help with setting up the decoration in detail for example. I think it's one of the most beautiful gestures from our community when someone signs up for a volunteer shift. Volunteers are rewarded with free entrance and the chance to experience the event as part of our team. They meet other members of the family, and of course, they can take pride in knowing that without their help, we couldn’t go into as much detail.
We also engage in social work with the family. We’ve teamed up with Amnesty International multiple times, work with a foundation that help people on the run and more. Apart from the great benefits of helping each other, we also hope to inspire others to do the same. It’s the little things that make a great difference.
How do you approach building diverse and inclusive lineups, and what steps have you taken to ensure broader representation?
As a woman in the music industry, I feel the need to diversify. Of course, my events do not consist solely of musical lineups. I also curate the spiritual program and performances, which together make up the full festival experience.
The Gardens of Babylon represents unity—we are all one. We don’t follow divisive programs, and with that, we take on the responsibility of bringing people together and inspiring change from within. Our lineups strongly support women, queer, and simply every nationality you can imagine. If I feel that any group isn’t represented as it should be, I make sure that we have strong representation elsewhere in the program.
With The Gardens of Babylon coming to Berlin this April, how do you approach new cultural settings? What has helped you connect authentically with audiences in the 22+ countries you’ve reached?
First, I look at the musicians I love and admire from the city to team up with. What represents The Gardens of Babylon in Berlin? Musicians from Berlin are among the most strongly represented on every single Babylon lineup. We work with names like Mira, Britta Arnold, Oliver Koletzki a few times a year. For our debut show, we booked Heimlich Knüller, an all-time Babylon favorite, three women that ooze the Babylon sound Mona Pirzad, Lemonella, Aggy Lou, and Bar25 legend Sese.
In addition to the locals we love, I’m bringing musicians that represent our sound from all over the world. In the end we want people to feel what Babylon stands for.
We booked Mita Gami, a producer whose tracks dominate every set at the moment. Socko, with a live set that blows my mind every single time. Old City, who completely turned our dancefloor upside down last year. Oceanvs Orientalis, a great friend and talented musician. Beard2Beard, a bearded act that reminds many of ZZ Top but that plays this melodic uptempo oriental sound—their energy is hard to describe. I guess this is all my personal experience. You have to experience it for yourself to see if you agree! Last but not least, we have our Babylon frontman Omer Tayar and Babü from Mexico joining us. This lineup is diverse in terms of the roots of each musician, but we were missing the queer element. That’s where our performers come in for this edition.
To further connect with the local community, we team up with every single person we can. We’ve got incredible beings at the door, karaoke with Sunny, a festival market where people can lose their minds a bit, we have local spiritual facilitators and our entire production is run by Leonie Gerner, a powerhouse woman who works in the Berlin music industry.
I’m getting excited just talking about this!
Beyond the dancefloor, you organize spiritual retreats like the one at New Eden. How do these experiences complement your musical events?
We have our beautiful events that combine music and spirituality. In the past, we felt the need to separate music events from spiritual retreats. We’ve organized a few retreats where we gather with our favorite teachers and enter a space of stillness. Retreats can be tough and transformative, but it feels like a warm embrace to go through this process with a community you feel at ease in.
However, these events are no longer limited to offline experiences.
We now offer The Big Reset, our 31-day free spiritual program online, which we organize with all our facilitators. It takes place in January and provides people with the opportunity to start the year with the community, but from the comfort of their own home—and, of course, without spending money. :-)
As both a creative and a business leader, how do you navigate the balance between artistic freedom and operational demands?
When I started in 2016, I was 100% a creative bubblehead. I had great ideas, but I always needed help to execute them the way I envisioned. After quickly running through my personal investment, I realized I needed support to scale this concept globally. I found that support in partners who believed in me and my vision. They contributed in terms of production and finance, but never interfered with my creative direction. I’ve had opportunities along the way, but I was never pushed in any direction that didn’t align with my vision.
What are your aspirations for the project in the coming years, and where do you see the brand evolving?
After traveling the world for many years, I want to focus on Europe. I’d love to see how The Gardens of Babylon and Berlin fit together. The production so far, especially working with our producer Leonie, Sage Berlin, and everyone involved, has been amazing. On top of that, I have an urge to explore Iberia—I live in Ibiza, after all—to see what Lisbon and perhaps Spain have to offer. However, I’ll always keep a strong focus on Amsterdam.
I work with a team of badass women, which leads to incredible ideas. We’ll be launching a podcast series, heading to Lesbos to help refugees, working on exciting partnerships, and putting in the effort to host our first big festival.
Let’s see what happens! We’re all in, and the year has only just started.
