Conferences and festivals are very important forms of diffusion of knowledge, music, culture and art, since they give us insights into regional and global achievements in one period of time. Thus, this pocket-guide provides a list of 5 of the best under-the-radar music festivals in the Balkans.
LOVEFEST
Lovefest is one of the most up-and-coming music festivals in the region of SEE. It boasts more than affordable prices compared to other music festivals around Europe, as well as a very forward- thinking music selection. Imagine a four-day, non-stop party, with a line-up that includes artists such as Blawan, Butch, Emanuel Satie, Gerd Janson, Optimo, Len Faki, Loco Dice, Sven Vath, Dubfire and many others.
Festival takes place in the summer, in Vrnjacka Banja (Serbia) near the lake and has several dance floors perfect for exploring different electronic music genres.
Facts
Date: to be announced
Venue: Lake, Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia
Festival tickets available from 30e
LOVE INTERNATIONAL
The end of the Garden festival era gave birth to the first edition of Love International. Brand new festival located in a magnificent natural amphitheatre with gently rolling hills leading down to a private bay, a shimmering sandy beach and crystal clear waters. The site of an undiscovered, secluded paradise just a short walk from the beautiful town of Tisno has a true festival feel, yet maintaining the intimacy all visitors crave. From boat parties to a secret island and open air Barbarellas club, this festival offers a unique liminal experience. Crowd is aged +25 and in the mood for taking advantage of everything this secluded paradise has to offer. This year’s line-up consists of artists such as: Antal back2back Hunee back2back Palms Trax, Ben Ufo back2back Craig Richards and many other artists.
Facts
Date: 15-21 July 2020
Venue: Garden Tisno, Croatia
Festival tickets available from 155 euros
PLISSKEN FESTIVAL
Going back to the cradle of civilization we came across a cutting-edge music festival called Plissken. With its eclectic line-up consisting of a mix of different music styles and the Lab- annual workshop for event management, it has rapidly become a must visit event in Athens. Greece’s most ambitious and forward-thinking musical gathering usually lasts for 2 consecutive nights and hosts over 40 international and local artists performing across 3 venues. Festival surrounding area includes a food court, cocktail bar and lounge area, creating a unique street festival atmosphere for the crowd to enjoy. Since its debut back in 2010, past line-ups have included the likes of Perfume Genius, Savages, Mogwai, King Krule, Black Lips, Death Grips, Wild Beasts, Ariel Pink, Brodinski, Âme, Wooden Shjips, SWANS, Fuck Buttons, Mount Kimbie, Vitalic, Simian Mobile Disco and Peaches….
Facts
Date: 13-14 June 2020
Venue: to be announced, Athens, Greece
Festival tickets available from 50 e
OZORA FESTIVAL
This unique festival is held near the town of Dádpuszta in Hungary. It is also known as the PSYCHEDELIC TRIBAL GATHERING, and promotes various genres of trance music, in addition to camping, life in the nature, yoga and many types of body art. Along with trance stages, there are also find chill out zones and techno music. Every year at the end of July, people from all over the world gather here and enjoy various daytime workshops in cooking, yoga, meditation and martial arts, as well as all-night trance sets and live acts.
Facts:
Date: 20-26 July 2020
Venue: Dádpuszta in Hungary
Festival ticket from 150 euro
ARSENAL FEST
This emerging festival is held in Kragujevac, 120 km south from the Serbian capital Belgrade. It stands out for its fantastic outdoor space within the historic “Duke’s arsenal”, a 19th century ammunition factory (Main Stage), rustic building for cartridge production (Explosive DJ Stage) and beautiful tree-covered Zastava’s Stage. So far line up included bands from the former Yugoslav region, but also world famous starts such as Texas, Thievery Corporation, and this year’s edition will feature dream pop wonder Still corners and many DJs.
Facts:
Date: 25-27 June 2020
Venue: Knezev Arsenal in Kragujevac
Festival ticket from 20 euro
Writer. Blogger. Traveler. Researcher. Electronic Music Lover.
