The Garden Festival
Date: 30.08.2011.
On the other side of the Balkans coin is Croatia’s Garden festival. A little more chilled out than Exit, but no less filled with music. It’s also situated in a 900-year old fishing village on Croatia’s gorgeous Dalmatian coast; think Captain Corelli’s Mandolin with significantly cheaper drinks (and perhaps fewer overflying WWII fighter planes). The festival itself is based around two weekends of partying for 2000 people. With a line-up entirely of DJs and dance acts (including Crazy P, Tensnake, Metro Area, Terry Callier and Tristan da Cunha) across several stages, the vibe is friendly and relaxed, as you’d expect of a festival by the seaside with several terraces. Sitewise, the Garden itself is a peninsular, giving you wonderful panoramic views across the sea and spectacular sunsets. Further joy is to be had on the boat parties, which sail out to sea where you can make as much noise as you like and still drink your weight in cocktails. Evening entertainment comes in the form of the gloriously camply named in-house club venue Barbarella’s Discotheque which is a masterpiece of 1970s kitsch with music to match. Garden is one of those festivals with the added bonus that between the weekends is a week of bliss chillout on one of the most gorgeous (and unspoilt) coastlines in Europe.
