Croatia’s Music Scene

Croatia’s Music Scene

Croatia is world-renowned for its music scene. Whether you’re looking for a beachfront, electronic music party or classical music in a historic theater, Croatia has it all. These are our tips for navigating Croatia’s always-expanding music scene.

Croatia’s music festival season expands several months and genres, so it can be difficult for our travelers to navigate. Some people want to party, others want to avoid the festival crowds. For those who want to party, we recommend booking as early as possible. Festivals like ULTRA (July 6-8, Split), Love International (June 27-July 4, Tisno), INMusic (June 25-27, Zagreb), and Soundwave (July 26-30, Tisno) are extremely popular, and tickets and hotels sell out pretty quickly. Party-goers from around the world visit Croatia to see the world’s top DJs in a gorgeous setting.

Booking with Adventures Croatia will help you navigate the madness! If you’re looking to party, we’ll let you know how to get there and how the locals do it. If you want to avoid the partygoers, your Travel Specialist will create an itinerary that will get you away from the crowds while still ensuring you can tick off every item on your bucket list. Google doesn’t tell you how to avoid the crowds – only an experienced, travel specialist can do that for you!

Festival Season: Dos and Don’ts

Do: Book early! Hotels and excursions near popular music festivals sell out quickly. We recommend booking at least six months in advance for the best options.

Don’t: Expect discounts. Because of the high-demand, hotels raise their rates. Be prepared to spend extra money if you’re going to be in town during major festivals.

Do: Enjoy local artists! Electronic music festivals usually have big-name DJs as the main act, but the festivals’ early acts are usually up-and-coming local artists. It’s a great way to dive into the local music scene and get a great spot for headliners.

Don’t: Complain about the crowds. Music festivals are full of a variety of people from all over the world, and there’s a good chance that restaurants, cafes, and hotels will be full of people.

Do: Drink lots of water and remember to eat! Wear sunscreen, sunglasses, and appropriate shoes too. You’ll spend up to 15 hours at the festivals each day – you don’t want to spend your vacation in the medical tent.

Don’t: Bring only credit cards – make sure you have cash with you too! Some vendors only accept cash and you wouldn’t want to miss out.

Music Scene Outside of the Festivals

If you aren’t interested in the electronic festival scene, there’s still great music all over Croatia! Our favorites are Split Summer Festival (July 14-August 14, Split), Dubrovnik Summer Festival (July 10-August 25, Dubrovnik), and International Folklore Festival (late July, Zagreb). These are great ways to experience classical music, live performances, and cultural celebrations in a much calmer setting.

These festivals celebrate the vast cultural history of Croatia and are perfect for our history-junkie travelers. The regional orchestras, live theater performances, and pop-up art exhibitions are some of the most interesting and creative in Europe, and we highly recommend attending any one of these enthralling shows if you’re in town. The historic theaters and venues make for unforgettable memories that will stay with you long after you depart Croatia.

Whether you’re looking to party, experience culture, or simply relax on the beach, your Adventures Croatia Travel Specialist can help plan the perfect itinerary! Because we focus exclusively on Croatia and the region, we have the inside secrets to plan your itinerary to get you into the heart of the action or avoid the traffic. If you’re looking for more fun events while you’re in Croatia, check out our Summer Festival blog!