Sea Star Festival, set in the beautiful seaside town of Umag, Croatia is about to host it’s third edition. To celebrate, we spoke to the Festivals director, Sanjin ?uki? to get the low-down on why you should choose this festival over the others in Croatia this summer.
What makes Sea Star Festival unique?
It all starts with Sea Star ? it’s the first festival of the summer season, ideally located in a charming lagoon right next to the seaside.
The Festival location is unique on its own, but the surroundings are also eye catching and breathtaking. The region of Istria where Umag is situated has many interesting things for to discover ? from fantastic Istrian wines and food, bike routes and other local attractions. It’s a place where you can feel both relaxed and entertained, the best of both worlds!
Also, for foreign visitors, the convenient part is that Umag is very close to Slovenia and Italia, so it’s very easily accessible.
Which acts are you most excited to bring to the festival this year?
Definitely Wu-Tang Clan, since we managed to turn around their European tour for even 2000km ? Sea Star will be their only show for Central, Southern and Eastern Europe so we’re basically expecting a great number of fans from those parts of Europe.
We’re also excited to bring the techno father Sven Vath and charismatic techno queen Nina Kraviz ? they’re great techno magnets for the electronic-orientated crowd, but we’re also happy to host IAMDDB, the new rising star in the trap/urban jazz genre.
How did you find the site for the festival & what can attendees expect from Sea Star 2019?
We wanted to choose a place that screams “summer is coming”, so the beautiful Stella Maris lagoon sounded like the perfect pick.
It has a lot of space for the Main stage, but also has a stadium which we use for the other stage called ‘Nautilus Arena’. So, two great stages that aren’t really far away from each other, but aren’t colliding in any way.
The other smaller stages are perfectly staggered around the lagoon so you can mingle from one to another in no time. We also created good relations with the city of Umag and their people who recognised the potential in organising this type of festival.
The region of Istria has always been open about this type of tourism development. Attendees can expect an even bigger and better Sea Star, the best so far; great artists in a very audience-friendly environment. It’s also great to have a location which comes with a fantastic campsite nearby, not to mention that the other accommodation sites, varying from hotels, apartments, bungalows and other, all very close to the festival site.
The line-up has a strong local feel to it. Who are your favourite Croatian artists at the moment?
I have to say Vojko V, who exploded with his debut solo album in the whole region due to his perfect combination of modern hip-hop production and well crafted, satirical lyrics. He’s one of the biggest domestic stars at the moment.
Also, the duo Kranksvester ? they’re basically born in the underground and for the past few years have risen to be stars with millions on Youtube and with a devoted fan base. In the electronic genre, I have to mention DJ Jock and Petar Dundov, great hardworking talents who have proven to both domestic and international audience that they’re up amongst the best of the artists out there. Without exaggeration, they have the capacity to make fantastic, memorable shows anywhere in the world.
Are there any artists on this years line-up that you feel especially proud of booking?
Of course, like I mentioned before, Wu-Tang Clan are our proudest moment for this year’s booking.
Having the greatest rap group of all time is a dream come true. We’re extremely happy to be the hosts of their only appearance for most of the Central, Southern and Eastern Europe. It’s their second ever show in Croatia, so people are really excited to be part of this ‘Rap of Gods’ tour which celebrates 25 years of release of their iconic album ‘Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’. It’ll be historical moment to happen in this area!
Top places to eat and drink whilst visiting UMAG?
This is tough one!
There’re many great restaurants in the area, but if I have to choose I’d choose Pergola, Toni, Da Lorenzo or Konoba Bu??ina.
For drinks I’d definitely go for beach bars Destino and Buoni Amici, bar Spritz or American Bar.
Make sure you check out Sea Star Festival 2019. Full details below.
When: 24-25th May, 2019.
Where: Umag, Croatia.
Who’s Playing: WU-TANG CLAN | Sven V?th | Nina Kraviz | Enrico Sangiuliano | Petar Dundov (live) | – DJ JOCK | Lawrence Klein & more.
