BlockDown: World's First NFT-Enabled Web3 Festival Coming to Šibenik
April 13, 2022 - BlockDown is returning this May for its first in-person festival in the coastal city of Šibenik for the world’s first gamified NFT-enabled festival.
This year, the event will focus on the exploding phenomenon of Web3 — widely seen as the next evolutionary phase of the internet — with a particular focus on the metaverse, NFTs, Gaming, and how DAO’s will play an increasingly large role in our lives: how we work, play and socialize.
NFTs will function as tickets for the festival, and will unlock an array of experiences among the event's many “realms” — areas of the festival with their own look and feel, whether futuristic and cyberpunk-esque or a mystical “fairy forest”. Dotted around the BlockDown site will be pop-up experiences, performances, and art installations to bring the potential of the metaverse into the real world.
“We have been inspired to host a 3-day festival celebrating all things Web3 culture as we believe there is a need for a different type of event in our industry,” says Erhan Kohallier, the founder of BlockDown Festival. “Unlike existing industry events, our plan is to take our attendees on a three-day trip into another universe, where the excitement and energy of the Web3, NFT, and metaverse worlds collide in a feast for the senses.”
“Getting involved in an event like this was an obvious choice due to the legendary nature of being the first-ever NFT enabled Blockchain conference,” says V Ray, the creative mind behind much of the festival's experiences. “BlockDown gives me the opportunity to offer people a taste of the real-life metaverse, and what a world that integrates digital and physical experiences could look and feel like. Imagine a real-life video game where the physical and digital weave together seamlessly.”
The event will bring together over 3000 attendees from more than 50 countries, 45 speakers, 10 keynote sessions, presentations, panels, exhibitions, prizes, and networking sessions hosted by selected industry leaders. BlockDown Festival promises to be a packed 3 days of innovative discussions and networking, bringing together a wide network of professionals, entrepreneurs, regulators, major industry executives, and investors.
There are 3 ticket categories available for the event.
Ultra ticket holders will be rewarded with pop-up experiences, NFT galleries, project showcases, performances, exhibitions, and informative panels and workshops by high-profile Web3 experts.
Ultimate ticket holders will also have access to the much anticipated high-profile music performances from famous music artists.
Universal ticket holders will wine and dine in the unique ‘Mystical Forest’ VIP Lounge whilst having a ticket for the hottest ticket in town, a live concert at St. Michael’s Fortress, a historic medieval castle at the heart of the city of Šibenik with a breathtaking view of the Croatian coast.
All tickets are available here.
For more, check out our lifestyle section.
Dimensions Festival Announces Lineup for 10-Year Anniversary
April 13, 2022 - Dimensions Festival marked a stunning start to the new chapter at The Garden Resort of Tisno last year, and in 2022 the acclaimed underground festival builds on that legacy with a 10th-anniversary edition from September 1-5, 2022.
It has a tastefully curated list of headliners, back-to-back exclusives, label parties, UKG celebrations, Detroit specials, debut sets, and much more. For full information and tickets, head to https://www.dimensionsfestival.com.
Croatia’s Garden Resort is nestled in a natural paradise on the Dalmatian coastline with glistening seas, a sweeping beach, and pine forests forming the backdrop. During the festival weekend, it comes alive with an array of hugely popular boat parties, baking sunshine and beach-side sessions by day, and starlit skies for open-air dancing at the cult Barbarella's Discotheque by night – a famous site with views over the bay, which will host a rich array of afterparties, for which line-ups will be revealed soon and passes are already on sale.
Since 2012, Dimensions has been famed for its attention to production details like light and sound and its hard-earned musical heritage, seriously music-loving crowd, and diverse, community-minded spirit. All of which will return this summer with another musical programme covering all shades of bass, house, techno, electro, garage, disco, and plenty in between.
Amongst many highlights, Detroit lands in Croatia this summer with Detroit In Effect, Marcellus Pittman, and DJ Stingray 313 making appearances from the Motor City. There are plenty of exciting partnerships lined up this year with revered party crew Trommel and tasteful minimal associates such as Raresh, Sonja Moonear, Quest, Vlada, Anthea, and Unai Trottil, while ISAbella’s MARICAS party is also returning, and Electronic maestros Steevio & Suzybee host a special Freerotation presentation. D. Tiffany and Roza Terenzi go head to head alongside a Planet Euphorique partnership, Dutch crew VBX join forces with Slapfunk for a special takeover, while cult crew Dr Banana is back with friends Eliza Rose, Helena Star, Jeremy Sylvester and T Dunn for a special celebration of UKG and beyond.
Meanwhile, Karenn, Sansibar, Sweely, Soichi Terada all present special live performances, Bradley Zero returns with his diverse, multi-genre sounds, and long-standing party-starters Butter Side Up are back alongside pals The Ghost, Gene On Earth, Youandewan, Huerta, Sugar Free, Truly Madly and more. Mala is back with his much loved bass-heavy selections, and after being postponed from 2021 Francesco Del Garda, LSDXOXO, Peach, Zakia, DVS1, and Malika will finally join the party.
In terms of debuts, Eris Drew & Octa Octa present a T4T LUV NRG takeover, Jossy Mitsu, Sherelle, and LCY all play for the first time, Slow Life make an appearance with founders Laurine and Cecilio, and on top of that Paula Tape, Adam Pitts, Azu Tiwaline, Russel E.L Butler, Club Fitness, Jamie Tiller, Jeremy Sylvester, Marie Montexier, Quest, and Vlada all arrive at Dimensions for the first time.
You can also expect thrilling sets of drum & bass from Calibre, Djrum, and DJ Storm, slick minimal from scene-leaders Raresh, Sonja Moonear, Quest, Vlada, Anthea, and Unai Trotti, carefully curated eclecticism from BeatPete, Jamie Tiller, Zakia, Nabihah Iqbal, OKO DJ, Jaye Ward and Ruf Dug.
On top of this are plenty of mouth-watering back to backs that have come to define Dimensions with Helena Hauff b2b DJ Stingray 313, Dr Banana b2b Alec Falconer, and Gene On Earth b2b The Ghost and there will be live electro from The Exaltics, Radioactive Man, DMX Krew and plenty of standout sets from the likes of Peach, Nabihah Iqbal, Saoirse, ISAbella and LCY.
The countdown is on to what promises to be a historic 10th edition of this most cultured underground music celebration. Festival tickets are on sale now from £140, After Party passes from £35 or customers can choose to spread the cost with their payment plan option, securing their space at this year’s event from £25 + fees. Details via www.dimensionsfestival.com
Artists A-Z:
ADAB, Adam Pits, AhZ & Annita, Alec Falconer, Aletha, Anatolian Weapons, Andy Luff, Anthea, Azu Tiwaline, Batu, BeatPete, Binh, Blawan, Borut Cvajner, Bradley Zero, Bugs Groove, Christian AB, Ciel, Cleymoore, Club Fitness, David Martin, D. Tiffany b2b Roza Terenzi, Detroit In Effect, DJ Evan, DJ Storm, Djrum, DMX Krew Live, Doudou MD, Dr Banana, Driss Bennis aka OCB, DVS1, Eliza Rose, Eris Drew b2b Octa Octa, Francesco Del Garda, Freakenstein, Gene On Earth b2b The Ghost, Hamish & Toby, Harri Pepper, Heels & Souls, Helena Hauff b2b DJ Stingray 313, Heléna Star, Huerta, Ikonal, ISAbella, Jamie Tiller, Jan Kincl, Jaye Ward, Jeremy Sylvester, Joe Delon, Joe Gill, Josh Bayat, Josh Tweek, Jossy Mitsu, Junior, Junki Inoue, k means, Karenn Live, Kiara Scuro, Kira Robin, Kirsti, KRN, Laurine & Cecilio (Slow Life), LCY, Liquid Earth, LSDXOXO, Maja Pa, Mala, Malika, Marcellus Pittman, Marie Montexi, Matthew Neequaye, Midge Thompson, Minus Kendal, MLE, Mor Elian, Move D, Nabihah Iqbal, Nastik, NikNak, OKO DJ, Pariah, Paula Tape, Peach, Quest, Radioactive Man Live, Raresh, Rey Colino, re:ni, Reiss, Rubi, Ruf Dug, Russell E.L Butler, Samuel Deep, Sansibar Live, Saoirse, Sean OD, Selfhood, Sherelle, Simon Scott, Soichi Terada Live, Sonja Moonear, Soraya & Villella, Steevio & Suzybee Live, Sugar Free, Sweely, T Dunn, Tama Sumo, The Exaltics Live, Tho & Loren, Tony Neptune, Truly Madly, Unai Trotti, Vlada, Wes Baggaley, Youandewan, Zakia
For more, check out our lifestyle section.
Croatia Learns Opponents for 2022 World Water Polo Championships in Hungary
April 13, 2022 - The Croatia men's water polo team will play in Group B at the 2022 World Water Polo Championships in Hungary (June 18-July 3) against Greece, Germany, and Japan, according to last night's draw in Budapest.
"We got a group in which we are big favorites along with Greece, of course, not underestimating Japan and Germany. I followed Germany this year through the World League games, where they did not impress. However, they have a very good Montenegrin coach, and we will have to be well prepared for them.
We don't have a lot of information about Japan, but it is a team that is always very tough and plays with its own specific pressure," commented coach Ivica Tucak, adding:
"Our wishes are always the same: to go to the end and win a medal. There is time to prepare everything well, and I hope that we will be completely ready to welcome the start of the World Champs."
In addition to the coach, the President of the Croatian Water Polo Federation, Perica Bukić, and a member of the Management Board, Ratko Rudić, attended the draw in Budapest.
"I would say that this is a medium-strong group. We know that Greece is an Olympic finalist, while Germany and Japan are teams of somewhat lower quality, but who know how to play with everyone. Therefore, they need to be one hundred percent ready to beat them. The Croatia-Greece match will mean a lot because the first place brings an easier opponent in the quarterfinals, and, of course, the round of 16 is avoided. The team who will be second in the group, apart from appearing in the round of 16, can also expect Serbia in the quarterfinals, which is one of the strongest national teams in the championship," said Perica Bukić.
Namely, the competition system is the same as always. So, first place goes directly to the quarterfinals, while the second and third-place teams from each group play the round of 16. Croatia's group crosses over with Group A, while the first-place finishers from Group B will play in the quarterfinals against the C3 - D2 match-winner.
"We have a good experience in Budapest, we took the title of world champion there in 2017, and we hope that the games and results after this World Champs will also be good for our national team," concluded Bukić.
2022 World Water Polo Championships - Group Stage
GROUP A (Budapest): Hungary, Brazil, Montenegro, Georgia
GROUP B (Debrecen): CROATIA, Greece, Japan, Germany
GROUP C (Sopron): Italy, Spain, Canada, South Africa
GROUP D (Szeged): Serbia, Australia, USA, Kazakhstan
Match schedule:
21.6. 19:30 Greece - Croatia
23.6. 18:00 Croatia - Germany
25.6. 18:00 Japan - Croatia
The men's water polo tournament starts on June 21 in Debrecen, the second-largest city in Hungary (220,000 inhabitants), to the far east, very close to the border with Romania. The finals are held in Budapest and end on July 3.
Source: HVS
To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
First Croatian Biological Swimming Pool to Open in Čazma in July
ZAGREB, 12 April 2022 - Croatia's first biological swimming pool is being built in Čazma, 60 kilometres east of Zagreb, and Mayor Dinko Pirak visited the construction site with his associates on Tuesday, announcing the beginning of the bathing season for July this year.
"Construction and other works have to be completed by 30 May, which will be followed by a technical inspection in June, so I expect the bathing season will start in July," said Mayor Pirak.
The pool with environmentally friendly water purification will measure 1,500 square metres in area. It will have a deep and a shallow area, and will be able to accommodate 500 swimmers.
The pool is being built as part of the Čazma Natura project, worth HRK 26 million (€3.5m), and the educational theme trail Medjama, which leads through the valley of the river Česma, is also under construction.
"All interventions in the space are designed to respect the natural environment and do not have an aggressive effect on nature, flora and fauna," project manager Dajana Petrina said.
Russia Announces Response Measures Against Croatia Over Expulsion of Diplomats
ZAGREB, 12 April 2022 - The Russian Federation has expressed a strong protest to Croatia over the expulsion of 24 Russian Embassy staff, threatening "response measures", TASS news agency said on Tuesday.
"On April 11, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs notified about the decision to reduce the staff of the Russian embassy in Zagreb and expel 24 employees of the Russian diplomatic mission. We express our strong protest against this deliberately unfriendly and absolutely ungrounded step, which has a destructive impact on the entire spectrum of Russian-Croatian relations," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website.
According to TASS, Zakharova slammed the expulsion of the diplomats as an "anti-Russian step" and stressed that responsibility for its consequences would "rest entirely on the Croatian side."
"Response measures will follow," she warned.
Croatia announced on Monday it would expel 18 Russian diplomats and six members of the administrative-technical staff, thus joining a number of other European countries that had done the same "due to the brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine," the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said.
The expelled Russian diplomats have been given until 25 April to leave Croatia, Ambassador Andrey Nesterenko told Rossiya-24 television. "That is a serious blow to our bilateral relations because the expelled diplomats are upstanding people," he said according to TASS.
Rijeka Shares Experience With European Capital of Culture Project With Bad Ischl
ZAGREB, 12 April 2022 - Rijeka is a good example of how the European Capitals of Culture project contributes to the development of cities in the European Union, Austrian member of the European Parliament Hannes Heide said during a visit to the northern Croatian Adriatic city on Tuesday.
Heide is the former mayor of Bad Ischl, which will assume the title of European Capital of Culture in 2024. He met with Rijeka mayor Marko Filipović to discuss the European Capitals of Culture project.
Speaking to the press after the meeting, Heide said that they had exchanged experience with the organisation of such a project. A positive contribution from the European Capital of Culture project can be felt in Rijeka, he noted.
As mayor of Bad Ischl from 2007 to 2020, Heide had promoted the development of the city and the Salzkammergut region through culture. "We applied for the European Capital of Culture title, but we did not believe that such a small city of 40,000 and a region with a population of 100,000 could become a European Capital of Culture," he said.
Filipović said that despite the COVID-19 pandemic the European Capital of Culture project remained the biggest culture project in Croatia and that it had brought many visitors to Rijeka. Performing arts were hit hardest by the crisis, but two-thirds of the planned programmes were implemented, he noted.
ZSE Indices Drop
ZAGREB, 12 April 2022 - The main Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) indices fell on Tuesday, the Crobex by 0.69% to 2,130 points and the Crobex10 by 0.48% to 1,276 points.
The Crobex indices thus followed the trend of European stock indices, which are under pressure due to the war in Ukraine, the slowdown in economic growth and high inflation.
Today's regular turnover on the ZSE was HRK 8.4 million, or HRK 6.2 million less than on Monday.
The highest turnover, of HRK 2.3 million, was generated by the Maistra stock, which closed at HRK 302 per share, up 2.58%.
The Zagrebačka Banka stock turned over HRK 1.66 million, closing at HRK 71 per share, down 1.39%.
The stock of Valamar Riviera generated a turnover of HRK 1.34 million, closing at HRK 33 per share, down 1.79%.
A total of 32 stock traded on the ZSE today, with 11 gaining and 20 losing in price, while 11 were stable.
(€1 = HRK 7.553594)
US Embassy Names its Media Production Studio After Film Producer Branko Lustig
ZAGREB, 12 April 2022 - The fight against distortion of facts about the Holocaust is more important than ever at the time when Russia is attacking Ukraine under the pretext of "denazification", Sara Lustig said on Tuesday at a ceremony marking the opening of a media production studio dedicated to her father, film producer Branko Lustig.
The ceremony took place at the US Embassy, which decided to name its new media production studio after Branko Lustig and dedicated a permanent exhibition to him.
Sara Lustig, a special adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Holocaust issues, said that her father, who had been interned in concentration camps during the Second World War, had decided to build "an intimate monument" to the Holocaust victims through his films.
"His most important message throughout his life was forgive, but don't forget," she said.
Lustig said that the fight against distortion of facts about the Holocaust was more important than ever at the time of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, based on the false pretext of denazification. She warned against indifference towards this conflict and the Russian war crimes, stressing that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shows what it means to be Jewish - to fight for a larger than life cause instead of spreading hatred, seek justice instead of revenge, be modest and show how to be a leader rather than just talk about it.
Ellen Germain, US Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, stressed the need for staying vigilant against the abuse and distortion of the Holocaust for other ends, as shown by Russian President Vladimir Putin's false claims that Ukraine needs denazification.
Branko Lustig was born in Osijek in 1932 and died in Zagreb in 2019. As a boy, he was interned in the Auschwitz concentration camp and later in the Mittelbau-Dora and Bergen-Belsen camps.
He won US Academy Awards for the production of the films Schindler's List and Gladiator. All his life he was active in spreading the truth and promoting education about the Holocaust.
4 Young Researchers Given Scholarships Under "For Women in Science" Scheme
ZAGREB, 12 April 2022 - Under the Croatian national scholarship programme called "For Women in Science", four recipients were formally awarded scholarships for 2022 at a ceremony held in Zagreb on Tuesday.
The scholarships under this scheme are awarded to up-and-coming researchers in natural sciences and interdisciplinary areas, and this year those are Natalija Ivanjko, a molecular biotechnologist, Katarina Mužina, a chemical engineer, Ana Novačić, a molecular biologist, and Marsela Polić, a scientist at the Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology.
Until 2021, this scholarship programme, supported by the Croatian Ministry of Culture and L'Oreal Adria, had covered 58 young women researchers who did projects and studies for their doctoral degrees.
Primamed Hospital Launches Humanitarian Fundraiser for Ukraine
ZAGREB, 12 April 2022 - A total of HRK 550,000 (€73,300) has been raised for Ukraine as part of a campaign launched by the special hospital Primamed, a press conference was told in Zagreb on Tuesday.
The campaign was launched at the beginning of this month and the idea was for doctors and nurses working at Primamed to donate 10 per cent of their monthly salaries and the management to donate 10 per cent of revenues generated between 12 and 24 April. In the meantime, it has been joined by about 20 companies.
The donations will be paid into the account opened for this purpose by the Ukrainian Embassy, the hospital's director Gzim Redžepi said.
The presentation of the campaign was attended by Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Kyrylych.
