The wait is over - the 7th edition of Ultra Europe officially begins on Friday at Park Mladeži in Split. The organizers announced on Thursday that everything is ready for the most important international event in Croatia, and this year, there are even new records! 

Namely, Ultra Europe boasts the biggest stage and production ever seen in the region, the largest number of visitors, the biggest music stars of today and an even more spectacular fireworks show, which the organizers promise will promote Split in the best light. 

Park Mladeži opens its doors every day at 7 pm, and on Monday, the musical journey continues to the islands of Brač, Hvar and Vis.

So, what do you need to know before coming to the festival? The main entrance for visitors is located along Ul. Hrvatske Mornarice, and the new location, due to its width and spaciousness, allows for a faster flow, which means it should be less crowded and offer a better experience with security measures that are at the highest possible level. Park Mladeži is said to be much larger than the previous location, and in its central area, which is the size of three football fields, an additional 20,000 people can be accommodated. This location will be the heart of the festival itself, linking all three stages and offering entertainment by many festival partners and a variety of food and drink. A better experience will also be had by the VIP guests who can expect a special entrance and entry to the lodges located on three floors.

The organizers are especially proud of the main stage, which is 16 meters tall and 80 meters wide, with over 150 square feet of LED display, to make it the greatest stage ever set in the region. And we must not forget that one of the trademarks of the festival is undoubtedly the 360 fireworks that will be even more vibrant this year!

On Friday, festival goers can enjoy the main stage acts Lucky Z, Plastik Funk, David Guetta, Gud Vibrations, Nicky Romero, The Chainsmokers and Armin van Buuren. On Saturday, the lineup reveals Justin Oh, Kryoman, Lost King, DJ Snake, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, No Redemption, Afrojack and Alesso, while Moe, Vanillaz, Cheat Codes, Rezz, Above & Beyond, Jeffrey Sotorius and megastars Swedish House Mafia will be in charge of closing the seventh edition of the festival on Sunday, July 14, 2019.

Most festival goers are eagerly awaiting the performance of DJ-trio Swedish House Mafia, which includes Split on the map of concerts as part of their comeback tour. The gigantic main stage will be completely redone for their performance, and the announced production and special effects will be a special surprise for all visitors. It will be a show the entire world will talk about and a music treat that should not be missed.

No less exciting is the ever spectacular RESISTANCE stage whose industrial designs look like Brodosplit cranes, linking the past and the future for the largest and most modern production underground stage in the world. On Friday, the stage will welcome Rory Lynam, Steve Fidelak, Patrice Baumel, Sasha b2b Nic Fanciulli, Maceo Plex, and Adam Beyer, DanceElecricPhilipe will open Saturday with I Elio Riso, Art Department, Jamie Jones, Richie Hawtin, and Marco Carola, while Sunday is booked for Sk! Y, Peru Fullhouse, Jon Rundell, Dubfire, Joseph Capriati, and Carl Cox.

The UMF Stage will host numerous new faces of the international electronic scene. Electro House, main room house, deep underground, and progressive house styles will be played by Richard Lowe, Miss Faith, Kosta Radman, Mike & Me, Iris Santo, Lorenzo, Drumelody, while local pop-rock group Vatra will debut at the festival.

On the official website you can find a detailed overview of all permitted and unauthorized items. To enter the stadium as simply and quickly as possible, and to keep the safety of all visitors at the highest level, follow the rules for the prescribed size and the type of bag for entry. Although the organizers advise not bringing a bag to the festival, if it is necessary, it must be plastic and transparent and not larger than 33x43 cm. Small clutch bags and fanny packs will be allowed. Professional photos and video cameras are banned, but can be taken with GoPro and other action cameras. Any kind of flammable substances, sprays, alcoholic drinks and foods, lasers, large chains, water pistols, face masks, and any other kind of illegal substances are strictly prohibited on the festival grounds.

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In the first half of the year, just like in June, Split has achieved record results in tourist traffic and confirmed that it would once again be a hit destination in 2019.

Namely, in the first six months of this year, Split welcomed 325,456 arrivals, which is 11 percent more than last year, and 848,235 overnight stays, which is 14 percent better than last year, reports Dalmatinski Portal on July 8, 2019.

According to the data from the eVisitor system, Split was at the very top of Croatia for growth in tourist traffic in this year’s pre-season. It is particularly important to note that Split was a hotspot for winter and spring breaks this year, which saw a 17 percent increase in visitors from the United States. In second place are British tourists, who achieved an increase of 7 percent, followed by the Germans, French, Australians, Canadians, and others. Most impressive is that in the first six months of the year, there was a 53 percent increase in Chinese tourists.

“In June, Split welcomed a 10 percent increase in tourist arrivals, and the city was visited by 130,391 guests last month, which generated 363,516 overnight stays or an increase of 13 percent. The biggest contribution to this record result in June is thanks to foreign guests, which saw a growth of 11 percent compared to last year. Americans made up the most of the foreign tourists, with 18,705 arrivals and an increase of 11 percent, followed by the British with 16,755 arrivals (an increase of 9 percent), the Germans with 8,062 arrivals (an increase of 26 percent), and French tourists who achieved an increase of 35 percent. Such a structure of guests has confirmed that Split has found its place in the plans of the most selective guests,” said Alijana Vukšić, director of the Split Tourist Board

This year, Split is directly connected by plane to more than one hundred destinations in Europe, and more than 50 airlines fly to Split Airport. 

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Over the weekend, the Split Airport and Ferry Port will see the arrivals and departures of about 100,000 passengers, which is the largest turnover since the beginning of this year’s tourist season, reports Splitski Dnevnik on July 6, 2019.

“On Saturday, until midnight, Split Airport will welcome about 29,000 passengers, and on Sunday there will be about 24,000 passengers, totaling to 53,000 passengers for a record in this year's weekend traffic at the airport," said Head of the Reception and Dispatching at Split Airport, Mate Melvan.

Passenger traffic during the first weekend of July at Split Airport is about five to six percent higher compared to the first weekend of July last year, and will increase every coming weekend until mid-August, Melvan added.

During the day, 109 aircraft will fly to Split Airport, with passengers from all around the world, while 105 aircraft will fly on Sunday.

"The Split Ferry Port this weekend will welcome 47,530 passengers and 8,790 vehicles, which is the largest of this year's weekend traffic at that Ferry Port," said Jelena Ivulić, head of Jadrolinija in Split.

According to the registration plates of the vehicles, most of the tourists traveling to the Central Dalmatian islands are coming from Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic while mostly English tourists are going to Croatia by plane. 

Recall, last weekend, 212 aircraft flew to Split, which brought 52,000 passengers from more than a hundred world destinations, and from last Friday to Sunday, more than 70,000 passengers and more than 13,000 vehicles traveled through the Split Ferry Port. 

The weekend before that, when we formally welcomed the new season, Split estimated 112,000 travelers from Croatia, around Europe and the world thanks to airplanes, ships, ferries, and catamarans.

And the weekend before that, on June 15th, which officially marks the start of the tourist season, figures revealed that 140,000 passengers traveled through the Split Airport and Ferry Port.

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June 30, 2019 - Here we are - the last weekend of June, the second official weekend of summer, and already deep into the Split tourist season. 

You might recall that last weekend as we formally welcomed the new season, Split estimated 112,000 travelers from Croatia, around Europe and the world thanks to airplanes, ships, ferries, and catamarans.

And the weekend before that, on June 15th, which officially marks the start of the tourist season, figures revealed that 140,000 passengers would travel through the Split Airport and ferry port that weekend. 

The interest was even so great that extra ferry lines for Supetar on the island Brač were introduced. 

It should come as no surprise then that one day away from July, the figures are only growing bigger. 

Namely, this weekend, 212 aircraft are expected to fly to Split, which will bring 52,000 passengers from more than a hundred world destinations, reports Splitski Dnevnik.

Mate Melvan from Split Airport said that on Saturday, 110 planes would take off and land in Split, bringing 28,000 passengers, and on Sunday, 102 aircraft would transport 24,000 passengers.

From Friday to Sunday, more than 70,000 passengers and more than 13,000 vehicles are expected at the Split Ferry Port, announced Jelena Ivuljić from Jadrolinija.

It was also rumored that 21,500 passengers and 4,058 vehicles passed through the port on Friday and that Saturday’s numbers were somewhat higher, with more than 26,000 passengers and 4,800 vehicles expected, while the number of passengers on Sunday is 22,500 and 4,200 vehicles. 

We also announced back on June 14th that the new terminal at Split Airport was slated to open in “approximately two weeks” as technical checks were underway and they only needed the Croatian Ministry for Construction and Spatial Planning to issue an operating permit. We are still waiting for news about the opening date today. 

Fortunately, the new one-way traffic regulation at the Split Ferry Port seems to be significantly reducing crowds, as you can see in the video posted on Saturday.

To say that summer is well and truly here would be an understatement. 

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June 21st officially marked the start of the summer season, which could certainly be felt in Split thanks to the crowds. 

Namely, an estimated 112,000 travelers from Croatia, around Europe and the world will visit Split this weekend thanks to airplanes, ships, ferries, and catamarans, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on June 22, 2019.

As reported by Mate Melvan from Split Airport, 110 planes with 27,000 passengers took off and landed on Saturday, and on Sunday, 88 aircraft and 20,000 passengers are expected. This means that a total of 47,000 passengers on 198 aircraft are expected at Split Airport during the weekend -and the new terminal hasn't even opened yet.

Passengers from almost every part of the world are traveling through Split Airport, and sometime next week, it will welcome its millionth passengers this year, thanks to the fact that a half a million passengers traveled through the airport in June. As far as percentages are concerned, Split Airport this year, especially in the season, recorded an increase of almost nine percent, Melvan confirmed.

Jelena Ivuljić from Jadrolinija said that from Friday to Sunday, around 65,000 passengers and about 12,000 vehicles would travel through the Split Ferry Port. The most significant interest among travelers is Brač and Hvar.

“We have 12 regular lines for Brač, though on Friday we added one extra line and on Saturday two extra lines. We are learning from our experience so far, and on Sunday, we will have two extra lines. Apart from Brač, there is also pressure going to the island of Hvar, the Split-Starigrad line, as well as the catamaran line towards the town of Hvar,” Ivuljić said.

The crowds should only grow larger as we move into July and August, though there is one reason we can let out a sigh of relief - the new traffic regulation at the Split Ferry Port seems to be more effective than last year, reports Dalmacija Danas.

Recall, on June 17, the new one-way traffic regulation was kicked into gear at the Split Ferry Port. Unlike last year, when we could see no significant difference before and after the traffic regulation was implemented, this year, it seems to be mostly running without major problems. The first summer weekend brought a significant increase in traffic through the city harbor, but the crowds were minimal on the roads, if not non-existent at times. As expected, the problem arises at the Bačvice bridge, where all the traffic flows, though no crowds have been recorded through Zvonimirova or the ferry port.

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The new traffic regulation at the Split Ferry Port came into effect at 4 am on Tuesday morning, reports Splitski Dnevnik on June 18, 2019.

The biggest announcement is an entirely one-way Zvonimirova Street, completely one-way traffic through the City Port, with no turn to Zagrebačka Street from the direction of the Port. 

Thus, Zvonimirova street, just like last year, will be one-way, and four lanes will continue toward the city harbor. However, exiting the port will take place in only one direction, via the Bačvice bridge. The lanes at the bus station are now turned the opposite direction, considering all buses will travel to Jadranska Street.

Furthermore, there will be a big bus stop at Gat Svetog Duje instead of the current roundabout and four new disabled parking places, and a new bus stop at Bijankinijeva Street. The flow of traffic will also change below the Koteks skyscraper. You can watch the video detailing it all below. 

The traffic lights at the intersection of Zvonimirova and Zagrebačka Street next to the Bishop’s Palace are being programmed for the new traffic regulation and will provide a better flow of pedestrians at this intersection with a better flow of vehicles. It is important to note the changes in traffic flow in the lower part of Tolstojeva Street, where it is no longer possible to enter Tolstojeva Street from Zagrebačka, but only from Zagrebačka to Tolstojeva to the intersection with Ul. kneza Višeslava and further to Držićeva. The traffic flow has also changed at Ul. Sv. Petra Starog where vehicles can travel from the intersection next to the police station one-way to the Bishop's Palace.

With this solution, the Split Ferry Port is more open to public transport and has joined forces with Promet to coordinate their lines with a new timetable. Promet buses will be adapted to the new traffic regulations and will increase their number of operations from the Port from 160 to 509.

The project was carried out by a number of experts including Trivium and the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy Split, according to the joint request of the City of Split, Croatian Roads and the Port Authority, to achieve a better flow of vehicles and thus solve the problems of congestion at the Ferry Port in the summer months.

"The traffic analyzes of this project have shown an enormous capacity with the new solution and with its implementation, we do not expect any significant traffic approaching the City Port. The City of Split, in cooperation with the relevant Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure and the state-owned companies (Croatian Roads, Croatian Railways and the Port of Split), operates a one-way traffic regulation in the center of the city and strengthens public transport, and especially the railways,” said deputy mayor of Split Nino Vela and added:

"We have introduced one-way traffic flow through Zvonimirova Street and the City Port, which improves the flow by more than two times, and introduces three times as many public bus lines through the City Port, which will increase the number of passengers in the City Port by three times (from the current 15,000 to 45 000). We also include the metro as public transport on the line from the City Port to Kopilica, which runs every 20 minutes for the fastest and most comfortable entry and exit of passengers to the City Port.“

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June 16, 2019 - Split Mayor Andro Krstulović Opara sent a message to Split's guests this year, accompanied by a poster clearly displaying what guests should not do while visiting the city.

Here's this year's message via Opara's official Facebook page:

“Welcome to our dear guests,

Turn off your everyday life, take a deep breath, and immerse yourself in the magical world this ancient city offers. Relax and let the spirit of Split take you in because it will be an unforgettable experience of an open Mediterranean town. To ensure you can talk about Split as an experience you’ll want to repeat after you get home, I will help you with 10 golden rules on navigating the Split mentality and Split landmarks:

1. ‘Pomalo’ is a word that you will hear often. This is a town where no one hurries, so there is no need to be anxious if it is not right now. Pomalo, it’ll be, and when it is, it will be great. After all, you are on holiday. 

2. I reminded our dear guests of ‘pižolot’ last year, and I don’t want you to forget. What a siesta is to Spain, pižolot is to us, an afternoon break from 2 pm to 5 pm. The sun is too strong, the temperature is too high and it's time to relax to get the strength for an evening out. 

3. Along with ‘pomalo’ and ‘pižolot’ is ‘fjaka’. With great satisfaction, people here interpret it as 'a state of mind with a strong will to do nothing'. As the sun sets, the fjaka sets in, and the energy awakens.

4. On hot days, run to the beach. A clean sea in the very center of the city is something big cities can rarely boast. Can you recall the last time you swam in the sea in the heart of a big city?

5. Picigin is played throughout the year, only in Split and only at one beach. Bačvice. We even have a World Championship in picigin. To ensure you don’t regret this later, put a towel under your arm, slip on your sandals, go to Bačvice, and find a spot in the sand where you can watch the tireless effort of players as they insist on not dropping the ball in the sea. If you are fit and good at acrobatics, try a game of picigin yourself. 

6. The fan spirit of Split is the opposite of the state described by the terms “pomalo” and "fjaka". The people of Split are extraordinary fans, there is always an atmosphere, and in every sport, we play for all or nothing. Of course, the most attractive fans are at the Hajduk football games, but do not miss any sporting event. Become a part of Split.

7. I mentioned the football club whose features you will find in many public areas around Split. Do not mess with them because Hajduk is a saint. Full stop.

8. Split also has other saints: the Cathedral of St. Duje, Marjan hill, Diocletian's Palace. We are reviving them and want to preserve them for the future generations of Split citizens and their guests. With your help, help us and support us in that purpose. Let's protect our heritage and world heritage together. This year, we will mark 40 years since Diocletian's Palace and its historic city core was listed in UNESCO. 

9. Like all Mediterranean people, we are loud, but we do not like noise when we are resting. Especially at night and especially below our windows. We know that you are on holiday and you want to celebrate, but don’t do it by blasting loud music in your apartment, because people around you need a break to make sure they can be at your service and the service of other guests tomorrow.

10. At our beaches, you wear swimsuits, and everywhere else the appropriate clothes for this time of year. Walking around the city without clothes or a piece of clothing, or just in a swimsuit will see you pay a fine of 500 kuna right away or 1,000 kuna after the misdemeanor procedure has been carried out. Why would you give up a dozen pizzas or 20 beers when you have some 30 kilometers of beaches in Split where you can show off your figure?

Dear guests,

Our tourism professionals will do everything to make sure you have an enjoyable and memorable holiday. The people of Split are extraordinary hosts, will give you their soul and take your heart, and all that they seek in return is respect for their wellbeing and our heritage, inheritance, and customs. I conclude with a short formula for a great vacation, getaway, and experience: enjoy and respect us. And it will be great.” 

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After the weird weather in May dimmed our hopes of summer making it to Split this year at all, we can officially say that the sun is out, we’re sweating, and summer is here. And boy, is it busy. 

June 15th officially marks the start to the season, and it was welcomed in Croatia this year no differently than most others - with crowds. Recall, the Croatian Tourist Board flocked to the busiest border crossings in Croatia on Saturday to distribute 50,000 water bottles to tourists, as a “welcome to Croatia” gesture. Though 50,000 water bottles barely made a dent.

Back on the coast, the tourist season is heating up, too, and the figures revealed that 140,000 passengers would travel through the Split airport and ferry port this weekend, reports Splitski Dnevnik on June 15, 2019. 

Namely, this weekend, a total of 184 aircraft will take off and land at Split Airport, which translates into 45,000 passengers.

Mate Melvan of the Split Airport told Hina that only 104 aircraft with 25,000 passengers in both directions were announced on Saturday, while 80 aircraft and 20,000 passengers are expected on Sunday.

"In the first five months of this year, 588,012 passengers passed through our airport, which is an increase of eight percent over the same period last year," Melvan said.

But traffic is no less impressive at the Split ferry port, where 95,000 passengers and more than 7,000 vehicles will travel from Friday to Sunday. The interest for travel is so great, that on Saturday they introduced an extra line for Supetar on the island Brač.

“There are still no ‘big’ crowds and all of our lines have sailed on schedule since Friday; this is usual for this time of the year,” said Jelena Ivuljić of Jadrolinija.

Recall, the new one-way traffic regulation will be implemented at the ferry port from Monday, June 17, and the new city 'metro' from Kopilica to the ferry port is in full swing. 

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From Tuesday, June 11, the new city metro, connecting the Split ferry port and Kopilica, will begin operations. The first metro trip will depart at 10:11 am, reports Dalmatinski Portal on June 7, 2019. 

From Saturday morning, Hercegovačka street is open for traffic. The asphalting is completed, horizontal signaling is up, and before dawn, the first cars were able to pass through this roadway where the works have been ongoing for quite a while. 

During the works on Hercegovačka street, a gas pipeline was installed, the storm drainage was adjusted, they renovated the installation channels and pavement, the sidewalk from the south side of the road was reconstructed, and a new sidewalk was built on the north side.

Recall, Deputy Mayor Neno Vela originally announced the new metro to begin on June 9.  This new traffic measure will unload and load tour bus passengers at the new Kopilica station and facilitate travel into the city center. Namely, passengers can travel for 11 kuna via public city transport (the metro) from the Municipal Rail Station in Kopilica to the Split Ferry Port. 

The new measure also encourages buses outside of the congested city center to relieve summer traffic. We announced last month that if tour buses did want to load and unload their passengers at the terminals at the Tourist Palace in the city center, they are limited to 15 minutes and will walk out with empty pockets. Namely, the buses who wish to bring their tourists to the Riva will have to pay 800 kuna (400 for unloading passengers, 400 for loading). Until now, they've paid 50 kuna. Kopilica, on the other hand, will boast a parking lot for 48 tour buses, and the daily parking fee for buses will cost 120 kuna (the same parking fee as Dračevac). 

"The organization of the Main Railway Station in Kopilica and the introduction of the city metro in the service of public transport is expected to reduce the pressure of vehicles, especially tourist buses at the center of the city. Passengers can get to the center in just four minutes with the new metro and by using a single ticket that is valid for the train and bus, issued by the hour. City trains on the route from Kopilica - Ferry Port and vice versa will travel every 20 minutes,” reads the correspondence sent to the travel agencies, which is signed by Deputy Mayor Nino Vela.

The announcement added that these measures are being introduced so that the “arrival of tourists in the destination is as pleasant as possible, and so that they do not waste time standing in queues, but also to make sure that the local population feels less pressure of tourist flows."

This new traffic measure if just part of it, as one-way traffic will also be introduced at the Split Ferry Port.

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If you don’t already feel like somebody’s watching you in Split (cue Rockwell song here), you will now. 

Namely, Slobodna Dalmacija reports on June 5, 2019, that the city has announced a tender to purchase video surveillance systems for 13 public areas, and the estimated value of the equipment and its installation is 1.87 million kuna. The areas to be carefully watched include Trumbićeva obala (West Coast), Matejuška, Sv. Frane Church, Marmontova, towards Tončićeva, and Trg Gaje Bulata in front of the theater.

Ulica kralja Tomislava will be supervised at three locations - in front of the pharmacy, at the "Semafor" cafe and in front of the Art Gallery. The Golden Gate of Diocletian’s Palace will be monitored, as will the monument to Grgur Ninski, and there will be a camera at Hrvojeva to overlook Đardin. Peristyle, as expected, will also be filmed.

But that’s not all.

On the Riva, there will be video surveillance at the entrance to the Podrum, and next to the monument to Dr. Franjo Tudjman. The cameras will not escape Pjaca, either.

The surveillance equipment will be located in sensitive areas featuring precious cultural heritage, especially at the Golden Gate of Diocletian's Palace and Meštrović's prized work of Grgur Ninski. In this area, the tender calls for a pillar six meters high to fit the camera, so it will be interesting to see exactly where it would be placed.

The tender also requires columns for Ulica kralja Tomislava, Hrvojeva, and the Dr. Franjo Tudjman monument. In the tender from the City, the equipment and supporting works are said to have conservatory approval.

However, video surveillance around Split’s center is no new idea. Recall, it first came to the table in 2014 by Ivo Baldasar. The first attempt was at Peristyle, where in July 2016, cameras were placed at the Šegvić house, when it was the branch office of Splitska banka.

The Elaborate Safety Survey of Public Road Areas was also developed, and the entry and exit at Ulica Domovinskog rata and Poljička have also been approved for the video surveillance system. The main system will be located in Banovina (City Administration), and the remote monitoring that will be possible from the city administration will be performed by the selected security company, but also by the police.

As one of the conditions, it is stipulated that "the provided cameras must have the ability to mask certain parts of the cadres, to prevent the surveillance of individuals and objects."

Namely, public authorities may collect data for security when the law allows them, but they must ensure that the data they collect is protected. The person in charge of access to information should be named, the data must be kept locked, they must determine who has the entry codes in this area, and the act prescribes how the recordings are processed. Technical and organizational measures for the protection of personal data must be taken, as this video is personal information. It can be kept for six months, unless a special regulation imposes a longer deadline, said lawyer Dijanu Kladar, a legal consultant for personal data protection.

Kladar claims that you can record the public areas and the people in them, but cannot exclude certain people.

“The Personal Data Protection Agency's opinion is that they can be filmed in public surfaces, but one person cannot be picked out of the mass and put it in a newspaper without their consent,” explains Kladar.

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