Croatia
Now one of Europe’s prime festival hotspots, Croatia is the place to go to combine sun, sea and music. From its beautiful beaches to scenic backdrops, it has everything you could want out of a summer holiday.
Croatia’s music festivals don’t disappoint either. At the front of the pack you have the dance trio of Ultra Europe, Hideout and Sonus, who keep bringing huge lineups of house, techno and EDM to the country each summer.
Take a look at Novalja’s Zrce beach, and you’ll find not just Hideout and Sonus, but a whole host of Croatian music festivals – including the hip-hop sensation Fresh Island, reggaeton festival Isla Loca, and the techno-infused Barrakud – each guaranteeing days of pure hedonism inside some of the area’s most popular clubs, including Papaya, Kalypso, Aquarius and Noa, as well as boat parties on the lush Adriatic sea.
Away from Zrće beach, and north up to Pula, you’ll find Outlook and Dimensions. The former is a bass head’s dream, while the latter is an underground electronic and urban delight. Both take place in the incredible Fort Punta Christo, offering one of the most unique backdrops to a music festival going.
Inland there’s INmusic Festival, which is Croatia’s biggest open-air music festival, bringing artists such as Queens of the Stone Age, Arcade Fire and Kasabian to Zagreb’s Lake Jarun each June.
Or over in Tisno you have The Garden Resort, which plays host to a number of Croatia’s music festivals, including Defected and Hospitality’s Croatian jaunts, as well as the groovy SuncéBeat.