October 25, 2022 - This year's Sea Star festival in Umag, the first festival held in Croatia since 2019, brought a new 54 million kuna in profit for the Croatian economy. From 2017 to today, the total exceeded 225 million kuna, the festival organisers reported.

As Index writes, on May 27 and 28, more than 40,000 visitors came to the fourth edition of the Sea Star Festival, according to research by the consulting firm Hotelis, which specialises in tourism and hotel management, and the independent agency TIM Centar. The visitors brought a new 54 million in profit for the Croatian economy.

The total realised contribution from 2017 to today has exceeded HRK 225 million or almost EUR 30 million, and only direct consumption caused by the Sea Star event was included in the analysis.

Visitors from more than 40 countries and four continents

In addition to this amount, the total value of the marketing promotion of the festival and the destination, specifically Umag, the Stella Maris lagoon, Istria, and Croatia, has been estimated at more than HRK 128 million, or EUR 17 million. In 2022 alone, the value of the marketing campaign carried out in more than 20 countries exceeded five million euros.

In two evenings, visitors from more than 40 countries and four continents entered through the festival gates of this year's Sea Star. Fans from Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, BiH, and Serbia prevailed, and some came to Umag from the USA, Australia, Israel, and Kuwait.

Regarding audience size, Sea Star in 2022 was the most visited music event in Istria and Primorje and one of the three most visited in Croatia. According to the data of the Umag Tourist Board, about 15,000 tourists and almost 50,000 overnight stays were recorded at the destination from May 26 to 29.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

April 7, 2020 - At a time when it's usually actively promoting its music festival, Sea Star in Umag has instead turned its efforts to volunteering, and is asking festival-goers to lend a hand to their neighbor instead. 

"Times are not so miserable when the Super Neighbor knocks," reads the opening remark of a video created by the EXIT and Sea Star festivals to encourage young people to become actively involved in helping their fellow citizens, reports Glas Istre.

During the current coronavirus pandemic, and after the Zagreb area suffered from a series of earthquakes, volunteering, the festival organizers say, has once again proven to be one of the most urgent human needs and traits.

Instead of promoting the festival, which is usually the most intense at this moment, EXIT and Sea Star have decided to focus their efforts on the "Super Neighbor" campaign to help volunteer associations and initiatives, both locally and nationally in Croatia.

The Super Neighbor campaign will gather information on volunteering in one place, where and how to apply, and keep track of all the worthy volunteer actions and suggestions.

For many of our fellow citizens, helping to meet basic living needs has become crucial, and many volunteers are needed in Croatia to help older citizens go shopping, get medicines, or walk their pets and take out their trash. In Zagreb, the situation is even more difficult because the earthquake has permanently or temporarily damaged houses and apartments.

All volunteer posts that feature the hashtag #SuperNeighborhood in the description will be promoted through the social networks of the Sea Star Festival and through the Super Neighbor profile on social networks, which will always have more information and positive examples.

Everyone is invited to submit photos of their actions in order to involve as many citizens as possible to help those who need it most. Also, experiences from the field can be exchanged in this way to make it easier for others involved in this action to cope with social distancing, disinfecting and operational functioning.

According to the organizers, Exit Festival as a social project has been promoting sincere human values ​​for 20 years, announcing positive social changes and acting to convey love and freedom worldwide through various humanitarian, educational and cultural events, while the Sea Star Festival in Umag, as Exit's sister festival, has been following the same path for the fourth year in a row.

“Super Neighbour” is the sister of the same campaign that has been successfully operating in the territory of Serbia for the second week and is delivering good results, with a great response from young people to help older citizens.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

First-tier single day passes will be available at a discounted price - for 24 hours only

Are you ready for 2018's Sea Star Festival in Umag?

Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike are the first DJ duo to ever rank no.1 on DJ Mag's Top 100 list

The European Festival Awards is a competition of over 350 festivals from 35 countries of the European continent