When Svanapaper got invited to Unknown Festival, the latest newcomer to the Croatia summer festival circuit and a collaboration between the producers of the well established and commercially successful Warehouse Project, Field Day, and Hideout Festivals, we knew we were in for a polished production. Impeccable publicity, great credentials and the option to have every aspect of the trip taken care of. Beka Hawkins hitchhiked from Holland investigate…

Drawing the same crowd as and combining the successful formulas of Manchester’s Warehouse Project, London’s Field Day, and Hideout Festival also in Croatia, Unknown was bound to be a commercial and popular success. A world-class line-up, though perhaps favoring appeal to a UK market over diversity of sound and genre, striking a good balance of DJs with live acts. Featuring internationally acclaimed DJs interspersed with ones less established on the scene, a formula used to great commercial success by the Warehouse Project, it also combined the indie and dance acts popular with the hipster Field Day crowd from London. With the exotic location, themed stages and art installations that have made Hideout Festival a must on the European festival calendar, there was little to fault with the organization bar the odd debutante hiccup. Professional presentation, excellent facilities making the £12/night camping ticket almost worth it, and the opportunity to dance the night away to world-class acts against a backdrop of the Dalmatian/Atlantic coast.

One crucial element was missing though; initially there was a sense that a genuine festival vibe was lacking. The atmosphere during the day was not what you would expect from a music festival; no wandering friend-makers weaving their way through the campsite, no groups sitting around playing or listening to their own music, no sense of the camaraderie and free flowing vibes that generally characterise the more relaxed hours of a festival day – the camping area was pretty much dead.

On the first day I made my way down to the beach to check out the various stages lining the coast, and found out why. The image-conscious, butane-inhaling party kids from Manchester and London were soaking up the last of the Croatian Summer by tanning on the beach or partying by the pool, Spring Break style.

A DJ played chilled out tunes on the terrace bar overlooking the pool stage, which by day was the social hub of the festival. The onsite restaurant, street food vendors and outdoor seating in close proximity to the large, resort-style pool looking out on the ocean made this the place to be. The main stage a short walk past the merchandise tent and the jetty where the boat parties would leave each day, and the layout of the site meant easy access between stages.

The art installations surrounding the stages lent an organic look to the festival by day and at night lit up in a mesmerizing, every-changing array of colours that heightened the atmosphere created by the music at each stage.

This effect was slightly diminished when all hell broke loose on the second day in the form of a giant storm, wrecking much of the site and disrupting Jessie Ware’s otherwise powerful and crowd-pleasing set. Yet at that point Unknown began to look and feel like a real festival. Mud everywhere, tents collapsed and a sense of having gone through something together.

And as the sun went down over the Adriatic each subsequent night, a chill would settle over the festival site, leaving only one thing to do; dance. Dance with wild abandon wherever there was music, in front of the stages, on the beach, on the paths between stages as sounds from all directions blurred into one all-consuming, pulsating rhythm.

Some sets did stand out from this flurry of similar sounding electro and indie beats: The world first exclusive Boiler Room Island featuring Craig Richards and a Jackmaster Optimo B2B on the last day was a personal favourite, while John Talabot’s Forest Stage set later that night was popular with the crowd. Whether it was the quality of music, the effects of the storm or just a desire to let loose one last time before heading back to the cold North, it was one hell of a party.

Boat parties and sunset cruises were also on offer to punters looking get even more out of the dying embers of the Croatian summer, while the town of Rovinj itself provided a pleasant diversion by day for those staying in offsite accommodation.

There could have been greater diversity of sound, improvements on the technical side with the smaller stages, and more to do during the day than lie on the beach and participate in the tokenistic games on offer.

Not geared towards serious music lovers as much as anyone looking to party away the last of the European Summer, the organizers of Unknown have picked their audience well from the start, creating a festival that delivers on all its expectations and looks to only get more successful each year. [Text: Beka / Photo: Webster]

SZIGET FESTIVAL 6-11 August 2013 at  Óbudai Island - Budapest , Hungary (€229) Bat For Lashes, Biffy Clyro, Blur, Editors, Empire Of The Sun, Everything Everything

Sziget Festival is the proud winner of the „2011 Best European Major Festival” award and known as one of the biggest multicultural events of Europe, starting in 1993 and already celebrating its 21st edition. The festival attracts almost 400 000 fans from over 70 countries to a beautiful island in the heart of Budapest, providing a complete festival-holiday experience with non-stop party, great live concerts, a widely international community and all the touristic features the city has to offer. Not to mention also the space training base at Sziget Festival, yes! the Axe Apollo Space Academy (AASA), a real Central European space academy center will be built here, and one contestant per country will be chosen out of the 51 AXEtronaut-candidates and will take part in the Axe Apollo global space camp in Orlando, FL, USA. And worry not, luckily this year we also have the chance to attend the fest and experience the hospitality of Hungarian summer camp!

Øya Festival 6-10 August 2013 at Oslo, Norway (860 NOK) Blur, Tame Impala, Alabama Shakes, Slayer, Azealia Banks, Haim, Blur, Kraftwerk, Grimes

A boutique festival held in the Medieval Park in Oslo, a beautiful spot surrounded by the Oslo fjord to the south, the Ekeberg Hill to the east, and the ever-expanding Oslo skyline to the west. On the premises you’ll find, among other things, the ruins of the Maria Church, dating back to the 11th century. The Medieval Park is also the place where the capital of Norway was founded a thousand years ago. With bunch of big acts, this festival surely be one of the biggest festival in Norway you won’t be missed.

WAY OUT WEST 8-10 August 2013 at Goteborg, Sweden (KR 1895) Alabama Shakes, Azealia Banks, Beach House, Disclosure, Grimes, Of Monster and Men, Tampe Impala

The contrast between nature and the surrounding urban environment makes it an unbeatable setting for a world-class music festival that collects some of today’s most interesting bands and artists. Located in the middle of Gothenburg, the park acts as the lungs of the city and is therefore very close to our hearts, Way Out West and Slottsskogen are truly a perfect match. If we can say, its like having summer picnic with cool bands around you.

OPEN FLAIR FESTIVAL 8-11 August 2013 at Eschwege, Germany (€59) Biffy Clyro, NOFX, Casper, Bad Religion, Alkaline Trio, Pennywise, Not Called Jinx

Began as a small region festival in the 80s, has long evolved into an open air market with nationwide appeal.  In recent years could top national and international acts and this year with 50 bands in four days, from cabaret in the park to Poetry Slam at E-Werk, children’s program to walking acts and a warm-up party at Werratalsee – the Open Flair Festival promises next August once again a spectacle of a very special kind – with a unique blend of live music, cabaret and comedy. Apart from the main site and the Castle Park, the Open Flair since 2009, an area directly to Hesse’s second largest lake, the Werratalsee. On and off the lake stage, the festival will open on Thursday with a warm-up party.

MS DOCKVILLE 16-18 August 2013 at Hamburg, Germany (€93) Foals , Mac Miller , The Lumineers , Woodkid , Kakkmaddafakka , TEED , Crystal Fighters , A-Trak , Baauer

We know most of Germans musicians either came from Berlin or Hamburg, so we decided to see what those places can offer, and yet we found that Hamburg have their very own big music and visual art festival in the summer. With big International names and young known local acts, this festival apparently has gain its name around European area and surely you can’t miss it if you are around.

LOWLANDS FESTIVAL 16-18 August 2013 at Biddinghuizen, Amsterdam (€185) Fall Out Boy, HAIM, Tom Odell, Franz Ferdinand, Deep Sea Arcade, Crystal Fighters, Miles Kane, The World Orchestra

Or known as Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise, held annually every August in iddinghuizen, at Spijk en Bremerberg, adjacent to the Walibi Holland amusement park, with about 55,000 visitors, over 200 acts and more than ten stages every year which are named according to the NATO phonetic alphabet apart from the Grolsch stage (named after the beer brewer Grolsch who has been the main sponsor of the festival for the last few years). The majority of stages are inside huge tents – insurance against the Netherlands climate – with the main stage’s tent, Alpha, being approximately the size of a premiership football team’s pitch. Besides music (alternative music, pop, rock, dance, hip hop), there also are an indoor and an outdoor cinema, stand-up comedy, street theatre and theatre.

ROCK EN SEINE 23-25 August 2013 at Paris, France (€49 – €109) System Of A Down, Nine Inch Nails, Tame Impala, Alt-J, Phoenix, Savage, Surfer Blood, Wavves, DIIV

Rock en Seine takes place in an estate listed as a historical site due to its surrounding vegetation, with 4 stages in an area covering 42 acres, campsite, almost 40 bars and restaurants and many stalls and entertainment activities and more important those line ups of indie bands. French people are ready to get tan now!

ELECTRIC PICNIC 30 Augustus -  1 September 2013 at Stradbally, Ireland (€189.50) Björk, My Bloody Valentine, Arctic Monkeys, My Bloody Valentine, Fat boy Slime, Palma Violet

Electric Picnic is an annual boutique arts-and-music festival which has been staged since 2004 in Ireland. The festival has received widespread international acclaim, being described as “Ireland’s version of Glastonbury”. It is organized by Pod Concerts and Festival Republic, who purchased the majority shareholding in 2009. It was voted Best Medium-Sized European Festival at the 2010 European Festival Awards, and has been voted Best Big Festival at each of the last four Irish Festival Awards since they began in 2007. This year they are back with bunch of International big names as if they’re in Glastonbury, so Irish or not get ready to drink up those bands and shake those green pants.

ZURICH OPEN AIR 29 Augustus -  1 September 2013 at Zurich, Switzerland (€189.50) Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, The XX, Jessie Ware, Miles Kine, Two Door Cinema Club, The Knife

This music festival near the Zurich airport on the grounds of the communities Zürich and Glattbrugg. It was previously held in 2010 and 2012. The musical spectrum includes Indie – Electro – and rock music and includes a mix of internationally renowned musicians and groups and newcomers. The festival site includes approximately 95,000 square feet, offers a campground for tents 3000. The fair attracted more than 60,000 visitors in 2012. Well, just like any other bug festival during summer, do not worry of you are far from England or Berlin or France, even though its tiny, but the city can served you with big names for your weekend summer party.

BERLIN FESTIVAL 6 – 7 September 2013 at Berlin, Germany (€81.40) Björk, My Bloody Valentine, Blur, Justice, Ellie Goulding, Djedjotronic, Capital Cities,  Get Well Soon

When Tempelhof Airport opens its gates on 6th and 7th September, two days of debaucheries performances by national and international artists lie ahead of us. With a genre clash of pop, techno and indie, our Art Village, a poetry slam and spoken word, a mix of underground and mainstream, Berlin Festival brings together all the cultural facets of the German capital. Yes people, I am as exiting as  you are to attend this gigantic music festival this summer.

UNKNOWN FESTIVAL 10-14 September 2013 at Rovinj, Croatia (€109) The Horrors, Django Django, Four Tet, Jessie Ware, Factory Floor, Jagwar Ma

Want to celebrate the last days of Summer? Feel the beach sunny coast of Croatia with hundreds of electronic, rock to dance music fans can enjoy. The debut event sees promoters behind the esteemed Hideout Festival, The Warehouse Project and Field Day join forces to celebrate the last days of summer in the hedonistic and immersive party paradise Croatia has gained a reputation for. If you think summer is over, you probably want to re-think it over again: keep your hot pants on and six packs shown as we heading to the last summer festival of the year.

PITCHFORK FESTIVAL 31 Oct – 2 November 2013 at Paris, France (€130) Deerhunter, Disclosure, Panda Bear, Yo La Tengo, Junip, Mac Demarco, Hot Chip, The Knife, Iceage

Well, we all love to read this site and we know when they write something good it probably will be the next big thing. So how about visiting their very own festival this year? If you’re a fond of Indie music and keen to heat up the cold, why not visit this festival.

ICELAND AIRWAVES 30 November 2013 at Reykjavik, Iceland (€81.40) Kraftwerk, Yo La Tengo, Sigur Rós, The Shins, Of Monsters and Men, TV On The Radio, Florence and the Machine and Björk

Since the first edition was held in 1999 (in an airplane hangar), Iceland Airwaves has become one of the premier annual showcases for new music – Icelandic and otherwise – in the world. It’s made a heap of friends and won many fans along the way, and been lavished with praise pretty much everywhere they write about music. Reykjavík is quite possibly the perfect festival city – small enough to be welcoming, sophisticated enough to offer cultural, historical and nightlife diversions to rival cities ten times its size. Roll out of bed, hose the party remains out of your hair and hop on a bus. Before you can remember what you did the night before, you’re looking at geysers, waterfalls, lava fields – all the best that a volcanic island has to offer, including the world-famous Blue Lagoon, favorite soaking spot of the international hung-over glitterati. This is really something we asian have to try while in Scandinavia!

EUROSONIC NOODERSLAG 15-18 January 2014 at Groningen, Netherlands (€81.40)

Eurosonic is part of The European Music Conference and Showcase Festival Eurosonic Noorderslag. During the festival 300 bands and acts perform on 36 stages in the city center of Groningen. The Eurosonic festival is yearly sold out very fast (within a few hours). The festival has a big stage on De Grote Markt square, which is free for public audience. The performances in the venues can only be visited by people who’ve bought tickets.

- So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags, take your sunblock with your best summer outfit, and roll with us around Europe to celebrate the heaps of the rest of 2013 in the most artsy fest way. You might get the chance to win some cool merchandise on our way to the fest as well, check out our timelines on FACEBOOK and TWITTER to find the latest updates of our trip.

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