23 Sep – 4 Oct 2026 · Locked In

Aaron's
Bux
Party.

It's official — the send is booked. Greece into Defected Malta. Four nights in Athens, three in a Cretan villa, then five nights of house music on a Mediterranean island. Twelve days. Now lock in your flights.

See the plan What's Defected? The damage
Wheels up in
—Days
:
—Hrs
:
—Mins
:
—Secs
23 Sep 2026
Melbourne ✈ Athens
Locked dates
23 Sep
→ 4 Oct 2026
On the ground
12
nights · Athens · Chania · Malta
The main event
4 Days
Defected · 1–4 Oct, Malta
All-in pp
$8.2k
flights + accom + spending
Chapter III · The Story

Degenerates
assemble.

The Buxovers III · Maltese Mayhem.

Lads — Azalas is finally getting married. We've done this a few times already, you know the drill. His last chance to bury what's left of his single life. Leigh and I have put in the hard yards and it's locked in: Greece into Malta, 12 days. Bigger. Further. DEFECTED.

Starring
The groomAaron "Azalas"
Best manLeigh
The crewIgor · Chris Le · Chrissy G · Deano
The routeAthens → Chania → Malta
SoundtrackDefected Records
Runtime12 nights
The Route · Locked In

Three legs, one send.

Athens to warm up, Chania to level up, Malta to send it. All three legs are laid out below — accommodation, day-by-day and the damage. Tap a leg to jump straight to it, or just keep scrolling. Everything is booked or being booked — the only thing outstanding is your flights.

Leg 01 · Athens, Greece

Koukaki Apartment

Sep 23 – 26, 2026 · 4 nights. An apartment in Koukaki — one of Athens' best neighbourhoods for nightlife and food, right at the foot of the Acropolis. Walking distance to bars, restaurants and rooftops, right near Banana Club. AC, WiFi, balcony, washing machine — basic shared rooms, bunk up with a lad. This is the warm-up. Cheap, cheerful, chaos.

$233 pp
4 nights · split across 6
✓ Booked
📍 Koukaki · foot of the Acropolis
The Acropolis in Athens at dusk
The Acropolis — a short walk away
Taverna-lined street in Plaka, Athens
Plaka tavernas & bars on the doorstep
What's in it
Nights
4
Heads
6 (Deano in)
Big night
Parra for Cuva
Day trip
Hydra Island
Base
Koukaki · Acropolis
Status
Booked ✓
Wed23Sep

Athens arrival

Aaron flies Emirates in via Dubai; the crew lands from Melbourne. Drop the bags at the Koukaki apartment, then a huge lads dinner in Athens' BBQ district. Eat well — we're going to need all the energy we can get.

Arrival
Thu24Sep

Parra for Cuva ⭐

EDEN LIVE presents Parra for Cuva — and we're watching him in an ancient open-air amphitheatre. Rooftop bars beforehand, then let the venue do the talking. (Banana Club — saving that for Friday.) Press play for the vibe check.

Huge
Fri25Sep

Hydra day trip

Ferry across to Hydra (Idra) island — no cars, just donkeys, swimming and seafood. Back to Athens for Banana Club — bouzoukia on the cards.

Huge
Sat26Sep

Athens send

Last Athens night — rinse and repeat your favourite bits. Rooftop club, Banana Club, all the other clubs, you know what's up. Don't worry, you can rest in Crete.

Huge
Leg 02 · Chania, Crete

Villa Artemisia

Sep 27 – 29, 2026 · 3 nights. This is where we level up. 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 300+ sqm of luxury villa overlooking Souda Bay with mountain and sea views. Heated pool, BBQ, outdoor dining under a pergola, 10 sunbeds, ping pong, and a massive landscaped lawn. 65" TV and a fireplace for when we need to debrief. 15 min from Chania Old Town, 10 from the beach.

$700 pp
3 nights · split across 5
Levels above the $500 option
Infinity pool at Villa Artemisia overlooking Souda Bay and the mountains
Villa Artemisia · infinity pool over Souda Bay
📍 15 min from Chania Old Town
Bars and crowds along Chania's Old Venetian harbour at night
Old Town harbour after dark — our kind of hours
What's in it
Bedrooms
5 bed · 5 bath
Pool
Heated ✓
Size
300+ sqm
View
Souda Bay
Extras
BBQ · ping pong
Old Town
15 min
Sun27Sep

Athens → Chania

Aegean flight Athens → Chania (~1 hr, ~$200 pp). Check into Villa Artemisia, heated pool, BBQ on the pergola, settle in.

Transfer
Mon28Sep

Chania tour

Day out — beaches, boozeries, monastery clubs (yes, you read that right), then Chania Old Town for dinner and drinks.

Tour
Tue29Sep

Villa day

Souda Bay views, sunbeds, ping pong tournament, BBQ. Last Crete night — recharge before Malta.

Recovery
Chania after dark
The Monastery of Karolos — a former monastery in Chania Old Town, now one of Crete's wildest clubs. Yes, a monastery that revs. This is where the island gets loose.
View on Instagram →
Leg 03 · St Julian's, Malta

The Pender LUX HUB

Sep 30 – Oct 4, 2026 · 5 nights. Defected Festival HQ. A 4-bedroom villa right in the centre of St Julian's — private pool, sun terrace, BBQ, AC and WiFi. Short walk to St George's Bay and Portomaso Marina, right on the main party strip. We eat, sleep, prep, repeat — and head out to wherever the festival takes us.

$660 pp
5 nights · split across 5
+ ~$500 pp Defected pass
Private pool and sun terrace at The Pender LUX HUB, St Julian's
The Pender LUX HUB · private pool & terrace
📍 Centre of St Julian's
Spinola Bay bars and restaurants in St Julian's, Malta
Spinola Bay — bars & the party strip
What's in it
Nights
5
Bedrooms
4 · private pool
Defected
✓ 1–4 Oct
Location
Centre of St Julian's
Walk to
St George's Bay
Vibe
Festival HQ
Wed30Sep

Chania → Malta

Ryanair flight to Malta (~1.5 hrs, ~$200 pp). Check into The Pender LUX HUB, beach reset at St George's Bay, pre-festival calm.

Transfer
Thu01Oct

Defected Day 1

The main event begins. House music all life long — opening night on the island.

Defected
Fri02Oct

Defected Day 2

Beach session by day, super-hub by night. Pace it — three more to go.

Defected
Sat03Oct

Defected Day 3

Fort St. Elmo — a 500-year-old fortress turned dancefloor. The big one.

Defected
Sun04Oct

Defected closing

Boat party finale around the Maltese coast. The perfect end to the send.

Finale

The line-up, day by day.

Defected drops the official day splits closer to October — the moment they land, names get slotted into days here. For now: the shape of each day, and the confirmed bill below.

Thu 01 Oct
Opening night
UNO super-hub

The festival kicks off across the multi-room mega-venue in Attard. Multiple stages, one opening statement.

Day split TBA
Fri 02 Oct
Beach + club
Café Del Mar · UNO

Sunset session on the water at Café Del Mar, then back to the super-hub for the night shift.

Day split TBA
Sat 03 Oct
The big one
Fort St. Elmo · The Ditch

Sunset-to-late in a 500-year-old fortress and the UNESCO ditch. The weekend's centrepiece.

Day split TBA
Sun 04 Oct
Boats + closing
Boat parties · UNO

Sunset boat parties around the coast, then the closing party runs into Monday's early hours.

Day split TBA

Confirmed for the weekend.

50+ artists on the 2026 bill — the headline end of it:

Hot Since 82Green VelvetDavid MoralesSkreamJayda GTodd TerryEats Everything Kevin SaundersonDennis FerrerLil' LouisLow SteppaSam DivineEliza RoseShermanologyAline RochaThe Ritual with Anané & Louie VegaDanny HowardAndrea OlivaNic FanciulliCatz 'n DogzDarius SyrossianDan ShakeDavid PennFerreck DawnHarry RomeroHoneyLuvThe ShapeshiftersSandy RiveraChez DamierSidney CharlesOden & FatzoSyreeta+ heaps more
The Main Event

Defected Malta.

Sunset boat parties. UNESCO forts turned dancefloors. 5,500 house heads on a Mediterranean island. Defected's flagship festival — sold out every edition. This is why the whole trip points here. Press play below.

1 – 4 October 2026 · 5th Edition

House Music
All Life Long.

"From the music to the venues, the production to the togetherness — Malta has quickly become the cornerstone of our summer. The end of European summer." — Wez Saunders, CEO Defected Records

Attendees
5,500+
Stages / venues
4
Boat parties
Yes
Festival pass
~$500 pp
01
Super-hub

UNO Malta

Multi-room mega-venue in Attard. The festival's main HQ — multiple stages running in parallel. Opening and closing nights centre here.

02
UNESCO site

The Ditch

UNESCO World Heritage site in Valletta. Ancient fortifications turned open-air rave. One of the most iconic settings in European dance music.

03
Historic fort

Fort St. Elmo

16th-century star fort overlooking Valletta harbour. Saturday is the big one here — sunset to sunrise sets in a 500-year-old fortress.

04
On the water

Boat Parties

Intimate sunset boat parties around the Maltese coast. Limited capacity, the most-fought-over tickets of the weekend. Worth every euro.

2026 Lineup Highlights
Hot Since 82 · Green Velvet · David Morales · Skream · Jayda G · Lil' Louis · Todd Terry · Kevin Saunderson · Dennis Ferrer · Eliza Rose · Sam Divine · Eats Everything · Low Steppa · Danny Howard · Andrea Oliva · Aline Rocha · The Shapeshifters · Oden & Fatzo · Shermanology · Chez Damier · Syreeta · Sidney Charles · The Ritual with Anané & Louie Vega

Press play.

Two sets from Defected Malta 2025 — two different venues, same energy. Vibe check for what's coming.

Café Del Mar · Sunset

Todd Terry — Classic Vocal House

House music legend closing out the weekend at Café Del Mar, Defected Malta 2025.

The Ditch · Peak hour

Eats Everything — High Energy Vocal House

UNESCO fortress turned open-air rave. The set that explains why Defected Malta is the move.

The Damage

What it costs.

Per person, based on the current crew. Athens splits across 6; Chania and Malta across 5, so those legs run a touch higher. Return flights and spending money are on you individually.

Accom pp
$1,593
Tickets + internal
$1,050
Return flights
$1,800
All-in pp
$8,243
ItemDetailCost pp
Athens apartmentKoukaki · 4 nights · split across 6$233
Villa ArtemisiaChania · 3 nights · split across 5$700
The Pender LUX HUBMalta · 5 nights · split across 5$660
Internal flightsAthens → Chania → Malta$400
Defected tickets4-day festival pass (~$125/day)$500
Ferry + Athens showHydra ferry + Parra for Cuva$150
Return Euro flightsMelbourne ⇄ Europe$1,800
Subtotal — lockedFlights + accom + tickets$4,443
Spending moneyApprox — food, drinks, chaos$3,800
All inThe full 12-day damage$8,243

All figures AUD, per person. Accom is booked or being booked; internal + return flight numbers are estimates and firm up when you book. Prices shift if more or fewer heads join each leg.

FAQ

Quick answers.

The questions people keep asking before they commit. Tap to open.

Are the dates actually locked?

Yes. It's booked: Athens 23–26 Sep, Chania 27–29 Sep, Malta 30 Sep–4 Oct. Defected runs 1–4 October — that's the anchor everything's built around. The only moving part is your flights.

How do I get there — Dubai or Melbourne?

Aaron's in Dubai from 17–23 Sep and flies Emirates into Athens on the 23rd. Want to route through Dubai and fly in with him? Just let Aaron know. Otherwise link up with Leigh to sort flights from Melbourne — Igor, Chris Le and Chrissy G, that means you. Book sooner rather than later.

Can I just do part of the trip?

Yeah — Deano's proof, he's most likely on for the Athens leg only. Just let Leigh know which legs you can make. Half a send still counts. Note the per-person price shifts a bit depending on who's in for what.

When do I pay, and how?

We're all booking flights individually — do that now. Accommodation is booked or being booked; Leigh runs the group-pay side and will chase villa balances as they fall due (Malta and Chania land in August). Give Leigh a shout so we've got firm numbers.

What's the all-in cost again?

Roughly $7,000–$8,000 all in for the 12 days — around $4,443 locked (flights, accom, Defected + internal), plus ~$3,800 spending money. Full breakdown is in The Damage. Depends how many lap dances you're paying for.

Can my partner come along?

Fuck no.

Crew survival

Non-negotiables.

The boring logistics that quietly hold the best trips together. Bookmark it — this is the difference between a perfect send and a Saturday morning at the immigration office.

01
Docs

Passports + entry

  • Greece and Malta are both Schengen — Aussie passports get visa-free entry, 90 days in any 180
  • Passport must be valid 6+ months past your return date
  • Check if ETIAS is live by Sept 2026 — a quick, cheap online authorisation for Aus passports into Schengen
  • Aaron's routing via Dubai — a UAE stopover is visa-free for Aussies

Renew now if it's borderline — DFAT queues are not your friend.

02
Insurance

Travel cover

  • Get it BEFORE you book flights so trip cancellation kicks in
  • Read the alcohol clauses — most policies won't pay out if you're shitfaced

You will be TPD after this one.

03
Money

Cards + cash

  • Wise or Revolut multi-currency card = best FX rate, lowest fees
  • Everything's euros: $1 AUD ≈ €0.60. Cards work everywhere, even Greek tavernas
  • Keep some cash for ferries, tavernas and the Chania markets
  • Tell your bank you're travelling or watch the card lock right before the boat party

Budget ~$3,800 spending across 12 days. Or don't, and eat bread.

04
Connectivity

eSIM + data

  • Saily or Airalo EU eSIM covers Greece and Malta on one plan — plug in on landing
  • Europe multi-country plan ~$20–25 USD for the trip
  • Turn roaming OFF before you take off

I'm not spotting ya data.

05
Tickets

Locked-in bookings

  • Defected Malta passes — sold out in 2025, don't sleep on them
  • Parra for Cuva (24 Sep, Athens) — grab tickets for the EDEN LIVE show
  • Return flights are on you — book now, prices only climb
  • Villa balances (Malta, Chania) land ~August — Leigh will chase

The best tickets and flights are gone by the time you "get around to it".

06
Health

Body prep

  • No required vaccines for Greece or Malta — you're right to go
  • Pack electrolytes and Paracetamol — 12 days is a marathon, not a sprint
  • Sunscreen + swimmers — heated pool in Crete, beaches in Malta
  • Pace the Defected run: four days back-to-back will find your limit

Hydrate or DIE-drate. Buy electrolytes at the airport, not your funeral.

Final word

Fkn geeee up.

Greece into Defected in Malta for the bucks. This is genuinely going to be unreal. Get keen and lock it in boys.

Back to the plan