Global Gemz

"Zrce beach provides a breath taking location to host Hideout, with mountain view backdrops from the numerous clubs that line the beach."

Croatia has long been established as one of the countries that could make a rightful claim to be king of the summer music festivals. Fresh Island, Soundwave, Sonus, Dimensions and Outlook are five of the better-known amongst many others to be held across the summer months, each showcasing varying genres of music! With this in mind we finally made it my mission to get out there and see what it is about Croatia that makes it the chosen destination for so many of us festival lovers!

Our festival of choice was determined by a friends birthday celebrations and so destiny led us to the island of Pag for the prestigious Hideout Festival. Hideout is predominately seen as a ‘house music’ festival but also incorporates some drum and bass as well as a few DJ’s who like to just switch it up across different genres. However, before talking about the festival itself we will tell you a little about our journey to get there, which involved a good old-fashioned road trip.

Setting off from Zurich we first crossed the Italian border via Milan and Venice before travelling through Slovenia and into Croatia. The highlight of the journey had to be seeing the sunrise over the Adriatic Sea as we made our way down the coastal roads of Croatia, before the ferry crossing to Pag. For this alone I would 100 percent recommend bringing your own, or hiring a car, so you can take your time to appreciate the spectacular views on show. As a bit of advice, flights to pretty much all of the Croatian airports appeared to be surprisingly expensive, and so our friends travelling from the UK found a cheap return flight to Venice and then hired a car from there… so be sure to check this as a potential option.

 WATCH the Video Log of the GlobalGemz team's experience in Croatia Hideout Fest..

The festival site is held at Zrce beach so the majority of people stay in the nearby town of Novalja, only a 5-minute drive away (or 40-minute walk for those who have the energy). There are also buses that run throughout the day and night from here, but as you can probably imagine you must be prepared to be jammed in like a tin of sardines. We rented a basic apartment through Airbnb which more than did the job, and we were within an easy walking distance of the main supermarket and restaurants that line the seafront area. We must mention the only real downside to the whole experience was some of the very poor services we received in the restaurants here but on the plus side, there were a couple that made us feel very welcome and served great food.

Getting back to the actual festival, Zrce beach provides a breathtaking location to host Hideout, with mountain view backdrops from the numerous clubs that line the beach. The clubs are open air as you might imagine, each with a great individual layout, and it is very easy to move from one to another so missing your favourite DJ’s due to logistical reasons shouldn’t be an issue. In the scorching daytime heat when the raving might be coming a bit too much, taking a dip in the Adriatic Sea to relax and cool off literally feels like heaven and leaves you feeling ready to go skanking again in no time…and for those that take their music seriously will also be pleased to hear that the sound systems were definitely on point so no complaints there!

When you take into account the great weather, the amazing locations, and the tight organisation, it is easy to see why so many people flock to summer festivals out in Croatia. We for one will definitely be returning next year for some hip-hop delights at Fresh Island festival and would recommend checking out at least one of the many festivals taking place in this beautiful part of the world. It’s not cheap, particularly where alcohol is involved, however, I think I could confidently say that most people would return feeling as though it was money well spent!

  
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