Summer Festival Guide: Croatia
The Croatian coastline has become the go-to spot for festival- goers who want a glimpse of sun that’ll last longer than 30 seconds. From Zrce Beach on the Island of Pag to The Garden in Tisno and beyond, 2018 is set to be another winning year for events on the Adriatic...
HIDEOUT
VARIETY is the spice of life at Hideout, with everything from grime and UK hip-hop to solid techno represented in the line-up; Paul Woolford, B.Traits, Charlie Sloth, Bicep, Bugzy Malone, AJ Tracey, DJ Sneak, Skream and Horse Meat Disco make this one very hard to turn down.
LOCATION: Zrce Beach, Island of Pag, Croatia
DATE: 25th - 29th June
PRICE: £159 - £229
STAFF PICK: George Fitzgerald — that superb recent LP proves he’s back on top.
LOVE INTERNATIONAL
NOW in its third year, Love International means intimacy and expert curation, luring some of the most forward-thinking electronic heads to Croatia’s most picturesque dancing destination. Avalon Emerson, Ben UFO, Craig Richards, Daniele Baldelli, Jane Fitz, Optimo, Prosumer, Shanti Celeste, infamous all-night spot Barbarella’s, boats and beaches.
LOCATION: The Garden Resort, Tisno, Croatia
DATE: 27th June - 4th July
PRICE: £135
STAFF PICK: Call Super — this Brit’s versatility knows no bounds, so prioritise his set.
loveinternationalfestival.com
FRESH ISLAND
NOT just a clever name, urban sounds dominate all seven days at Fresh Island. This time round, attendees can catch Canadian R&B hitmaker, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Californian show-stopper Vince Staples, J Hus, Tim Westwood and Wiz Khalifa, who’ll be keeping heads bobbing across dance oors, decks and golden sands.
LOCATION: Zcre Beach, Island of Pag, Croatia
DATE: 7th - 9th July (pre parties); 10th - 12th July (festival); 13th July (after party)
PRICE: £139
STAFF PICK: Ty Dolla $ign — keep it fun with his club pop/hip-hop.
fresh-island.org
HOSPITALITY ON THE BEACH
ONE of the UK’s most prominent drum & bass brands heads to beautiful Tisno for the first time this year. Andy C, Calibre, dBridge, DJ Marky, High Contrast, Ivy Lab and many more are confirmed, with stages hosted by the likes of Med School, Blu Mar Ten, Sunandbass and Critical.
LOCATION: The Garden Resort, Tisno, Croatia
DATE: 12th - 16th July
PRICE: £159
STAFF PICK: Calibre b2b dBridge — three hours from two of d&b’s nest.
hospitalityonthebeach.com
SUNCÉBEAT
SEVEN days of soul-tinged sets from the crew behind Southport Weekender, 2018’s instalment of this Croatian institution looks set to pack plenty of jack — Kerri Chandler, Motor City Drum Ensemble, DJ Spen, Mike Dunn, Jamie 3:26 and a showcase celebrating 15 years of Parisian house club Djoon.
LOCATION: The Garden, Tisno, Croatia
DATE: 18th - 25th July
PRICE: £155 - £185
STAFF PICK: Osunlade — drum-driven, world music-in ected house and disco.
suncebeat.com
SOUNDWAVE
MARKING a decade of decadence, 2018 will be the last ever Soundwave. Talk about going out with a bang: soulful rapper Loyle Carner, hip-hop jazzist Jordan Rakei, the genre-defying Submotion Orchestra, nu-soul duo Children of Zeus, Rinse FM’s Josey Rebelle, Romare live and Egloo don Alexander Nut are here.
LOCATION: The Garden Resort, Tisno, Croatia
DATE: 26th - 30th July
PRICE: £119
STAFF PICK: Mica Millar — one of modern soul’s brightest new stars.
soundwavecroatia.com
BLACK SHEEP FESTIVAL
ONE for EDM, future house and trap fans, Black Sheep takes over four incredible venues at Zrce Beach — Papaya, Club Aquarius, Kalypso and Noa. Making the most of the incredible production those addresses offer will be KSHMR, Nervo, Tchami, Yellow Claw, Quintino and Will Sparks, to name but a handful.
LOCATION: Zrce Beach, Island of Pag, Croatia
DATE: 30th July - 2nd August
PRICE: £62.27 - £102.30
STAFF PICK: Chocolate Puma — Dutchmen who’ve been making house anthems since 1991.
blacksheepfestival.com
DEFECTED CROATIA
HOUSE music all night and all day long, sun- soaked rhythms, upfront fours and disco edits abound. Big hitters like Basement Jaxx, Masters At Work, Dennis Ferrer, Derrick Carter, Dimitri From Paris, Honey Dijon and Nightmares On Wax join rising stars such as Dan Shake, Camelphat and DJ Boring.
LOCATION: The Garden Resort, Tisno, Croatia
DATE: 9th - 14th August
PRICE: £199 - £225
STAFF PICK: Black Motion — this South African duo’s live tribal rhythms are unmissable.
defected.com/croatia
BARRAKUD
A marathon of all things tech-y, the tagline #ravetheworld tells you pretty much everything there is to know about the attitude of those behind Barrakud. At the time of writing line-up details are scarce, although German mainstays like Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann, and house don Claptone are locked in.
LOCATION: Zrce Beach, Island of Pag, Croatia
DATE: 12th - 16th August
PRICE: £61.38+
STAFF PICK: Paul Kalkbrenner — his commanding headline sets rarely disappoint.
barrakud.com
SONUS
ARGUABLY the most essential ticket in Croatia for those in need of proper techno, the sixth edition of Sonus looks as heavy as ever. Legends like Sven Väth, Ricardo Villalobos and Adam Beyer share sweat and honours with new school talent such as Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens and Nastia. Big in the game.
LOCATION: Zrce Beach, Island of Pag, Croatia
DATE: 19th - 23rd August
PRICE: €179
STAFF PICK: Praslesh — Raresh and Praslea bring minimalism with energy.
sonus-festival.com
DEKMANTEL SELECTORS
AN offshoot of the larger and longer-running Dekmantel Festival in Amsterdam, Selectors is about proven crate-diggers packing long sets with whatever feels right. This year’s bill includes Antal, DJ Harvey, Donato Dozzy, I-F, Lena Willikens, Donna Leake, San Proper, Orpheu The Wizard, Debonair and Vladimir Ivkovic.
LOCATION: The Garden Resort, Tisno, Croatia
DATE: 23rd - 27th August
PRICE: €165
STAFF PICK: Sadar Bahar — boasting rarities and all-night stamina, this DJ epitomises Selectors.
dekmantelselectors.com
DIMENSIONS
ONE of Europe’s most musically progressive festivals, Dimensions returns to its home — an abandoned fortress — with another incredible bill. From electro heroes DMX Krew and DJ Stingray to house standard-bearer Moodymann, downtempo don Bambooman, DJ Mag one-to- watch Anastasia Kristensen, and a full Hessle Audio squad, it’s unarguably impressive.
LOCATION: Fort Punta Christo, Croatia
DATE: 29th August - 2nd September
PRICE: £100
STAFF PICK: Kraftwerk — the pioneering outfit in a Roman amphitheatre = insanely special.
dimensionsfestival.com
