Selected Festival Announces First Edition In Croatia and Drops Line Up
April 24, 2022 - The first edition of the sun-kissed and stunning Selected Festival will take place at the oldest club on Croatia's world-famous Zrće beach this June, featuring crossover dance music acts such as Flashmob, Endor, and many more.
Namely, Club Euphoria has recently had a complete renovation and will open its doors for the first time from June 16th - 19th 2022, when Flashmob, Endor, Reblok, Dea Tosh, Groove Masters, Yakka, Full Ferry, Mony, and more will all play.
Euphoria has been completely overhauled and will open its all-new doors in the summer of 2022. It will offer the most modern open-air dance floor on Zrće beach and will allow you to dance without stopping for three full days with internationally known headliners, right by the Adriatic sea. Next to the world-class music, you can enjoy plenty of local culture and cuisines and enjoy relaxing days on the beach, exploring water sports, jet skiing or all-day partying at one of the most famous party destinations in Croatia.
The warm-up for the evening program is set every day from 4 pm - 10 pm at the official after beach location of Burra Beach House. Mingle with a cocktail in hand at a place that has become synonymous with good times while the finest house music is played to you by international DJs in a gorgeous setting. Selected Croatia comes to you from a young group of music lovers and promoters who have been creating unforgettable and unique experiences for some time, including the legendary Zadar Sunset Festival 2021.
They host in beautiful locations along the Adriatic coast, and Selected Festival is the latest event waiting for you on the stunning island of Pag. Sun, sea, and good vibes are all included, so move fast to lock down one of the limited tickets from: https://www.entrio.com/event/selected-festival-2022-10827
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Croatian Music Festivals: Hidden Gems to Visit in 2022
April 9th, 2022 - As the summer approaches we can already hear different music genres playing on the sunny Croatian beaches, so it is a perfect time to check out some of the lesser-known Croatian music festivals that are scattered around the country.
Croatian music festivals have been piling up in the last decade and this is certainly a sign that Croats love music and are very passionate about it. The last two years have been a headache for the event industry and hopefully, we will not go back to that. There are many music festivals in Croatia, and those that are well known are quite easy to stumble upon. In this article, I will focus on those niche or boutique festivals that are hidden below the surface.
Source: Facebook/Goulash Disko
Goulash Disko is a global underground music festival that takes place in the city of Komiža, on the island Vis, one of the sunniest spots in Europe. The festival first started in 2013, and as they stress on their crowdfunding website, it is the first-ever crowdfunded festival in the world. From 14th to 18th of September 2022, Komiža will be the center for world-infused and electric music styles such as tropical grooves, oriental house, and Gypsydelic among many others. The festival is super small and limited to just 1000 visitors, so there is no time to hesitate if you want to become a Goulashian.
Source: Facebook/Moondance Festival
Moondance festival was established in 2013 by one of the pioneers of the Croatian electronic music scene Pero Fullhouse aka Skeptik. The festival is located in the middle age fortress Kamerlengo in the city of Trogir. This year they are preparing for their 9th edition which takes place from 29th to 31st of July and will include 2 festival nights, 2 boat parties, an afterparty, and workshops. Moondance is characterized by underground techno with international and regional artists. This year’s lineup is not yet released but some well know artists that have already performed on Moondance are Jeff Mills, Kink, Mr. C, Octave One, Silicon Soul, Rødhåd, and Dj Jock, Petar Dundov among many others.
Source: Facebook/Velvet Festival
Velvet is a festival of alternative music located on the beautiful island of Krk in the city of Punat. This year it will hold its 6th edition from 30th June to July 2nd. This festival combines concerts, parties, boat parties, design, architecture, and the spirit of the Mediterranean. This is a small festival, organized by a group of free-minded artists from the island of Krk and the region. With the upcoming 32 artists that are announced for this year, it is surely a place worth visiting.
Source:https://modemfestival.com/photo2021/
Memento Demento or by short MoDem is a festival that combines music, arts, architecture, and stunning visuals. It is located in Donje Primišlje between Slunj and Ogulin. The ambient of the festival is defined by the untouched forest and the river Mrežnica. There are three main stages called Hive, Swamp, and Seed each with its unique art sculptures, 3d video mapping, and stage designs. If you like psychedelic trance this is your place to visit.
Source: https://projectvojarna.com/photo/
Project Vojarna is a project organized by Šibenik music organization ECHO and Decoded Records that began in 2016 with their debut as part of the aforementioned Moondance festival. From there they moved into their current home in ex-military barracks (vojarna is Croatian for military barracks) in Šibenik. There is still no official announcement of this year’s events but since they managed to organize events in 2020 and 2021 when circumstances were quite harder there is no reason to doubt this year will be any different. Some astonishing artists from the techno and house genre that visited Vojarna are Fat Boy Slim, Boris Brejcha, and Monika Kruse among others. If you would like to experience the old-school warehouse party vibe be sure to keep an eye on their website for future updates.
There are many more small niche festivals and most of them have not yet made any announcements for the upcoming season of the music festivals which is understandable considering all that was going on in the last two years. Nevertheless, I will attach some of them with embedded links and locations so you can check them out.
Ferragosto Jam - Orahovačko jezero (Lake Orahovica)
Ego Free Festival - Split
SuperUho Festival – Primošten
Fibra Festival – Split
Gljevstock – Gljev near Sinj
Thrill Blues Festival – Trilj (1-3 July)
Split Blues Festival – Split
Korkyra Barouqe Festival – Korčula
Špancirfest – Varaždin ( 19-28 August)
Noise test festival – Ćiovo (11-24 August)
Martinska Šibenik is a summer festival season that takes place in Martinska bay near Šibenik and that combines 6 different festivals: Seasplash Festival (14-17 July), Slurp! Festival, Regius Festival, Kanal Fest, Membrain fest (4-7 August), and Blast fest.
STREET ART, SPORTS, AND MUSIC
In this section, I will take a moment to give tribute to three important festivals Xstatic, Graffiti na gradele, and Panonian Challenge.
Panonian Challenge is the largest extreme sports and urban culture festival in Southeast Europe. It is one of the most important events in Osijek with 20 years of tradition. It combines extreme sports competitions including scooter, BMX, skate, and inline disciplines with breakdance, graffiti art, and music concerts. This year it takes place from 15th to 19th of June.
Xstatic is a Split based festival that takes place in October. This festival combines street graffiti art music, breakdance, skateboarding, street basketball, and stand-up comedy. It is a perfect place to experience the urban culture of Split.
GNG is a festival that takes place in Bol on the island of Brač usually in the summer. It is an international graffiti art festival that gathers graffiti artists, designers, and musicians. For the last two years, the festival was not able to appear in its full form for obvious reasons. Hopefully this year we will see their comeback stronger than ever, but for now, no official statements are made. They are currently involved in many graffiti art projects around Croatia.
A wide variety of Croatian music festivals that span across the country and cover different genres certainly offer something for everyone. This season we have an opportunity to pay the tribute to all the artists, organizers, designers, and other stakeholders that make up this industry and consequently helping it get back on its feet.
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PHOTOS: Pula Amphitheatre and Zagreb Arena Lit Red for Events Industry
September 3, 2020 - Three of Croatia's most internationally famous venues in the events industry were lit in spectacular red on Monday. Pula amphitheatre, Zagreb Arena and Fort Punta Christo were bathed in light from sunset until after dark
Three of Croatia's most internationally famous venues used by the events industry were lit in spectacular red on Monday. Pula amphitheatre, Zagreb Arena and Fort Punta Christo, also in Pula were bathed in light from sunset until after dark.
Though the change in appearance was enjoyable and visually impressive, the action was undertaken to send a strong message. It was part of a worldwide campaign to highlight the effects of Coronavirus on the events industry and those who work within it.
Some of the most famous historical buildings, concert venues and event halls in the world joined the Red Alert campaign and were similarly lit on the same night.
Large public events have been put on hold over most of the world under epidemiological guidelines. Seating arrangements in theatres, conference halls, sports and music halls are simply not compatible with social distancing regulations – many such venues could not make a profit by holding events at 50% capacity.
This has affected millions around the world who work in the events industry, from musicians and performers to technicians, bookers, agents, the media, PR representatives, venue management and general staff. Freelancers operating within the events industry are some of the hardest hit and have had all of their income sources removed completely. Many who operate in the events industry are highly trained and skilled, so diversifying into other industries can be problematic.
Pula amphitheatre (also known as Pula Arena) is a massively popular open-air venue in warmer months. It holds spectacular opera, ballet and classical music events as well as hosting a film festival. Like Zagreb Arena, it attracts some of the biggest names in pop and rock music. Fort Punta Christo has become famous all over Europe and further over the last decade, thanks to the internationally renowned Outlook and Dimensions festivals. Those events were supposed to take place in Tisno, at The Garden festival site. But, along with seven further festivals due to be held there this year, they chose to cancel in order to safeguard the health of their attendees and locals.
Fort Punta Christo in Pula is widely known as a host site for international music festivals
The Croatian events industry alone is comprised of 2000 business entities, has more than 12,000 employees, and annually generates HRK 4.5 billion. Autumn/winter 2021 is the soonest estimated point at which large scale events could return to normal. The Red Alert campaign has been undertaken to highlight the plight of the events industry as many sections within it face total collapse if deprived of work until then. 
All photos © Red Alert
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Will Ultra Europe Go On? Latest News and How Concerts Might Look in Croatia After Corona
April 29, 2020 - How will concerts look after corona? And will Ultra Europe go on? A closer look at the entertainment industry in Croatia.
"The government of the Republic of Croatia could and should show goodwill for the controlled but urgent return of music to both terraces and concert venues," Croatian musicians said.
Slobodna Dalmacija writes that for this reason, the Croatian Music Association 'Unison' sent a letter to the Government, the Civil Protection Headquarters, and the Croatian Institute of Public Health, with five proposed models for the return of live music performances.
"Opening music studios for recording and production, concerts on terraces and open spaces such as squares and waterfronts, drive-in concerts, indoor and open-air concerts," is a list of proposals by Unison. This umbrella band brings together associations of composers, performers and their services for the collective exercise of copyright and performing rights. With the implementation of the proposed models, 17,000 people - music creatives and their families - would again be able to return to pre-pandemic coronavirus status.
At present, there are approximately 5,000 writers, 10,000 performers, and approximately 2,000 supporting musicians and technical staff involved in the concert and performing activities in Croatia. Live music, Unison points out, has seen a huge drop in business, but also a drop in revenue by one hundred percent over normal conditions. Therefore, musicians must return to performing as quickly as possible and in customized operating conditions for the following weeks and months.
Music creatives and all those whose jobs are related to the industry are calling to join the first wave of relaxation measures, Unison said, as restrictive public gathering measures have hit the music and cultural community first and foremost in the past six weeks. At first, for security reasons, as live performances on terraces, concerts and stadiums were canceled and banned, followed by measures for all other branches of the economy.
What will the live performances look like in the life that follows the coronavirus pandemic?
First of all, they believe that music and film studios for recording and production should be open, since recording at home and semi-professional or amateur quality cannot permanently replace the professional mode and the required studio quality of production.
"The current mode may meet the market's need for new works in the short term, but it will soon be saturated with such products because this mode has no economic or financial impact for participants," Unison said, noting that it could immediately start recording with 2-3 people in the studio, from May 11, and those with multiple members (up to 10 people), and from May 18, with orchestras and choirs.
According to the instructions of the Civil Protection Headquarters, which stated the possibility of opening terraces at hotels and catering facilities for the needs of domestic and possibly foreign tourists, the possibility of holding concert performances of bands should be approved from May 11 (or from the moment of their opening) and DJs (for simpler technical needs for music production) in such venues. Musicians, they believe, could also perform concerts in squares or waterfronts in tourist sites, with mandatory adherence to space, defined by the positions in front of the stage, and epidemiological measures.
Similar to the principle of religious services, musicians have been demanding, from May 4, that concerts be held indoors during which it is possible to ensure mutual physical distance while respecting epidemiological guidelines.
They suggest the ability to hold concerts with a limited number of visitors up to 150 (separated by space tags - flags, stickers on the floor, ribbons ...) or by seating, which would be held in substantially larger spaces, with a usual capacity of 300 visitors upwards. They propose the same for larger spaces, which can accommodate 200 to 2000 people under standard conditions, and now the maximum number of visitors would be 150 per event.
Starting May 18, they would also like to have the opportunity to host major concert events (for more than 150 visitors) in large concert venues such as gyms and similar venues that otherwise have a capacity of 2000 people upwards.
For the summer of 2020 (from June onwards), it is proposed to return to open-air concerts such as Ultra Europe in Split, where audiences would attend concerts in groups of five or ten people in large and open areas. Service and hygiene activities could be conducted on a line-by-trade basis, respecting all epidemiological measures.
The official website of the Ultra Europe Festival, scheduled for July 10, 11, and 12 at the Split Park Mladezi, is just 73 days away, which has brought party-goers from all over the world to Split in recent years. This is a type of music event associated with large sponsors because of production costs, but also because of larger audiences. Few believe that it will take place.
However, the organizers of Ultra are reluctant to make an official announcement yet - and have not canceled its July release, as have most other summer festivals. Everyone is off to a slow start, waiting for when and to what extent restrictions will be eased. Some European countries have already given new guidelines. For example, in Norway, until September 2, the ban on all public events with more than 500 spectators has been extended.
This uncertainty also plagues the director of the Split Festival, Tomislav Mrduljaš, who is preparing the jubilee, 60th edition of the Split Festival. It is scheduled to take place July 2-4 at Prokurative.
"I am waiting for what will happen with the new measures ... I have not canceled anything yet, the competition for songs is ongoing, we will decide in early May. As far as I'm concerned, I have the whole structure and organization of the festival set up, so it won't be a problem to hold it," Mrduljaš said. "The new, looser measures would be one light at the end of the tunnel. For the sake of cheering people up a little... The festival is held in the open, I think something could be done here," said Mrduljaš.
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Croatia as a Music Festival Destination to Feature at Paris Electronic Week
Croatia's music festival potential will have the spotlight for the first time in Paris.
