Electronic music parties and festivals are often known to take place in magnificent locations such as Ibiza, Malta as well as castle, fortresses or tropical locations such as BPM Festival in Playa Del Carmen (which is now taking place in Portugal) or SXM Festival in the Caribbean.
In the past few years the new hotspot has been Croatia with Cosmopop, Defected, Ultra, Dekmantel, and even Paxahau all playing host to music festivals in the small country of less than 5 million people. Amongst these popular Croatian festival destinations is Dimensions, an award-winning escape located in one of the most unique settings of this beautiful country facing the Adriatic Sea.
Set on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in the Balkans South of Slovenia and Hungary and West of Venice with the border encompassing Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia is made up of more than a thousand islands with 16th century architecture and ancient Roman ruins that date back to over 2000 years ago when the Romans conquered the Istrian peninsula.
Although there were almost 20 festivals to choose from in Croatia this year, Dimensions Festival in the ancient city of Pula is one that stands out not only because of the incredible line-up but also because of the extraordinary setting. Evidence of human life has been found in Pula from 1 million years ago long before the Romans conquered the small city of less than 50,000 people.
From 27 BC to 68 AD, the great amphitheatre, Pula Arena was constructed and plays host to the opening concert at Dimensions with none other than Kraftwerk performing their live 3D show along with Nils Frahn, Moodymann, and more!
The opening concert takes place on Wednesday, August 29th and in order to get to The Pula Arena, one must take a boat taxi from the Festival Harbour. The Pula Arena is only going to be accessible on the opening day and be followed by 10 stages of music at Dimensions Festival across 4 days.
On Thursday, August 30th Nina Kraviz will be seen at The Clearing and The Mote, an actual mote with 100 foot walls. Resident Advisor will host The Void stage with John Talabot while Dimensions Soundsystem and Special Guest TBA will be at The Beach. The Stables will see Josh Cheon of Dark Entries and Alessandro Adriani while Mala will present the line-up at The Subclub Arena and Moodymann will be joined by Marcellus Pittman and Amp Fidler live at The Garden. The Courtyard will be lit up like a stained glass cathedral and be hosted by Love Muscle and The Ballroom, an underground fort with a capacity of less than 100 will be presented by Stamp The Wax and Dimensions Festival and feature Secret Guest. Last but not least there will be The Arija Stage with an eclectic mix of artists. This is just Thursday.
Friday, August 31st will see a line-up that consists of Jon Hopkins, James Holden & The Animal Spirits, Avalon Emerson, Helena Hauff, Maurice Fulton, Peggy Gou, and plenty more. Saturday, September 1st will see the likes of Hunee, Joe Claussell, Umfang, DJ Stingray, Palms Trax, Sonja Moonear, Margaret Dygas, and lots more. On the closing day, Sunday, September 2nd Dimensions Festival will witness an all night long set by Bonobo at The Clearing Stage as well as Ben UFO and Pearson Sound at The Moat, Palms Trax at The Void, Hunee and Fatima live at The Beach, Peanut Butter Wolf at The Stables, Craig Richards, Nicolas Lutz, and Leo Leal at The Garden, Joachim at The Courtyard, and many many more.
Stage takeovers will include Hessle Audio, Zeezout, Resident Advisor, Stamp The Wax, Make Me, Electrix, Exit Records, JAW Family bringing along over 100 acts. Not to mention all the boat parties that will also take place…
Tribe Records, Stamp The Wax, Journey of Sound, Dimensions Soundsystem, and Bassiani will play host to the boat parties on Thursday with artists such as Helena Hauff, Avalon Emerson, Marcellus Pittman, and Saoirse on the decks.
Friday boat parties will be hosted by none other than Pickle Factory, Abandon Silence, Patterns & Flux, and Dure Vie and will see line-ups that consist of Peggy Gou, Underground Resistance, Jon K, and plenty of others. Saturday’s boat parties will be taken over by Fuse & We Bring You, J.A.W., Eglo Records, Total Refreshment Centre, and The Move. Sunday’s boat parties will be hosted by Hessle Audio, 15 Years of Phonica, Make Me, Exit Records, Electrix Records, and Butter Side Up featuring artists such as Craig Richards, DJ Stingray, Palms Trax, Ben UFO, and Pearson Sound and Batu.
If that isn’t enough already, Resident Advisor is opening up Pula’s underground forgotten tunnels that were built during WWI for shelter from air raids. Both parties are sold out already unfortunately but just the idea of a rave in an underground tunnel in Croatia is stellar.
Dimensions Festival will also introduce The Sound Studio, an education and workshop space during the day and a discussion panel for artist talks and Q&As during the evenings. Aspiring artists and producers will also be able to hone their skills with personalized courses.
With breathtaking backdrops and gorgeous beaches as well as an incredible line-up of music across 5 days and 10 stages, Dimensions is one of the most unique and extraordinary festivals in Croatia if not the planet. Where else can you party in a fort, a ruined amphitheatre, a moat, at the beach, on a boat, and in abandoned underground tunnels?
For tickets and more info please head to https://dimensionsfestival.com
