Sea Dance Festival

Sea Dance Festival (Serbo-Croatian: Si dens festival / Си денс фестивал) is a summer music festival, held in Malinska, a settlement on the island of Krk in Croatia. It has been held at Jaz Beach in Budva since 2014 until 2017, as an extension of EXIT Festival, and then at Buljarica Beach in Montenegro until 2022. In May 2023, the organizers announced the festival's displacement from Montenegro, because of the blockades and lack of financial support from the local government, with several potential future locations announced.^[2] Croatia was revealed as the location in June 2023.^[3]

Sea Dance Festival
Sea Dance Festival view from Dance Paradise stage
Dates	Three days, starting on the last Friday of August (2018–present) Thursday after EXIT Festival (2014–2017) 17–19 August 2023
Location(s)	Malinska, Krk, Croatia (2023–present) Buljarica Beach, Budva, Montenegro (2018–2022) Jaz Beach, Budva, Montenegro (2014–2017)
Years active	2014–present
Attendance	40,000 (2022)[1]
Capacity	approx. 21,000
Website	www.seadancefestival.me

Just after its first edition, Sea Dance Festival was officially proclaimed as the 'Best Medium Sized European festival' at the European Festivals Awards,^[4] held in Groningen in January 2015. Following the recognition at the European Festival Awards, Sea Dance Festival teamed up with London-based media company AEI and its global brands UKF and TheSoundYouNeed for the second edition of the festival.

In short time, Sea Dance gained international media attention, featuring an article in Forbes magazine that listed Sea Dance Festival, together with EXIT Festival in Top 10 Europe's Summer Festivals.^[5] At the national level, Sea Dance festival won Montenegro Wild beauty Award^[6] for the event with greatest promotional effect for Montenegro.

Location

Buljarica Beach

Malinska is a settlement located on the island of Krk, the largest island in Croatia, as well as the most populous island in the Adriatic Sea.

Key stages

Main Stage

Dance Paradise Stage

The key stages of the festival include the Main stage with its 30,000 attendee capacity, No Sleep Stage, Reggae Stage, Silent Dance, Latino Stage, Cinema, and CHILL Zone. Dance Paradise Stage was replaced with the No Sleep Stage in 2017.

History by years

Sea Dance 2014

The first Sea Dance Festival was held from 15 to 17 July 2014 at the Jaz Beach in Budva, and represented 3 days of music performances. The festival was part of the EXIT Adventure, representing an additional 3 days of EXIT Festival. First edition of the festival visited 80 thousand people,^[7] making it one of the most visited events in Montenegro.

Be Human Charity Events

The EXIT Foundation's EXIT AID program, designed to help those affected by the devastating floods in Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia organised the VIP humanitarian part of Sea Dance Festival entitled "BE HUMAN!"

The event was a collaborative effort between the EXIT Foundation and the municipality of Budva, and Dukley Gardens, with the support from the Government of the Republic of Serbia and Government of Montenegro as well as the National Tourist Organisation of Montenegro and Tourist Organisation of Budva.^[8]

Be Human featured music stars Jamiroquai and Example and took place at Dukley Gardens during Sea Dance Festival. Entrance was only available to GOLD and PLATINUM VIP ticket holders.^[9]

All profits made from GOLD and PLATINUM VIP ticket sales for Sea Dance Festival went to floodrelief efforts in Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia. The total sum of aid collected by the Municipality of Budva and EXIT AID, counting BE HUMAN events, is over 140 000EUR in funds and 80 000EUR worth of goods. The collected aid was distributed to flood relief efforts as coordinated by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.^[8]

Sea Dance 2015

Crowd at Sea Dance

Second edition of Sea Dance festival was held from 15 to 18 July 2015^[10] on Jaz Beach, with headlining acts such as The Prodigy,^[11] as well as Rudimental and Roisin Murphy.

The appearance of this year's festival was modified in comparison to previous year, and had six outdoor stages,^[12] that offered various music genres. Sea Dance Festival also increased the number of foreign visitors for 70% in comparison to the previous year, with people from more than 40 countries of the world passing through the festival gates. It also set a record in overall attendance around 110,000 people were present at Jaz Beach.

The festival site also included a camping place, located 50 meters away from the Jaz Beach, which sits next to the Main stage.

In 2015 Main Stage hosted stars and artists from various music genres, including: The Prodigy, Rudimental, Sigma, Wilkinson, Róisín Murphy,^[13] Noisia, Brookes Brothers, Black Sun Empire, Fred V & Grafix, Calyx, TeeBee, Maduk, Dubioza Kolektiv.

Dance Paradise Stage hosted: Bondax, Flight Facilities, Gramatik, Odesza, Star Slinger, TCTS, Soul Clap, PillowTalk, James Zabiela, Kim Ann Foxman and.

Sea Dance 2016

Sea Dance 2016 was held 14–16 July 2016. In 2015 Main Stage hosted stars and artists such as: Skrillex, Hurts, Lost Frequencies, Stereo MCs, Andy C, Banco de Gaia, Sub Focus, Goldie, Zomboy, Cartoon, Filatov & Karas, S.A.R.S., Who See and many more.

Dance Paradise Stage hosted: Jeff Mills, Sister Bliss, Black Coffee and many more.

Due to rain, overall attendance was 75,000 people in three days.

Sea Dance 2017

No Sleep at Sea Dance Festival 2017

Sea Dance Festival took place 13–15 July 2017. The headlining acts for Sea Dance 2017 included Sean Paul, John Newman, Fatboy Slim, Mahmut Orhan and many more. Sea Dance 2017 featured No Sleep Stage instead of Dance Paradise Stage.^{[14] [15][16][17]}

The overall attendance was 65,000 people in three days.

Sea Dance 2018

Sea Dance Festival's location 2018

Sea Dance Festival took place 30 August–1 September. It was the first time the location of the festival has been changed, moving from Jaz Beach to Buljarica Beach in Budva.

The headlining acts for Sea Dance 2018 included Chic, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Paul Kalkbrenner, Alice Merton, as well as Bajaga i Instruktori, Bassivity Showcase, Burak Yeter, Filatov & Karas, Hladno Pivo, Lost Frequencies, Rambo Amadeus, Van Gogh and many more.

The overall attendance was 47,000 people in three days.

Sea Dance 2019

Sea Dance Festival took place 30 August–1 September.^[18][19]

The headlining acts for Sea Dance 2019 included David Guetta, Sven Väth, Richie Hawtin, Robin Schulz and many more.^[20][21][22]

The overall attendance was 63,000 people in three days.^[23]

Sea Dance 2020

Sea Dance Festival was supposed to take place 28–30 August, until its postponement to August 2021 due to the 2019/20 COVID-19 Pandemic.^[24][25]

The headlining acts for Sea Dance 2020 were supposed to include Martin Garrix and many more.^[24]

Sea Dance 2021

Sea Dance Festival took place 26–29 August, with the 28 August program moved to the next day, due to the weather circumstances.^[26]

The headlining acts for Sea Dance 2021 included Boris Brejcha, Maceo Plex, Meduza, Tale Of Us, Topic and many more.^[27]

The overall attendance was 22,000 people in three days.^[28]

Sea Dance 2022

Sea Dance Festival took place 26–28 August.

The headlining acts for Sea Dance 2022 included Dubioza Kolektiv, Konstrakta, Mahmut Orhan, Senidah, Shouse and many more.

The overall attendance was 40,000 people in three days.^[1]

Sea Dance 2023

Sea Dance Festival took place 17–19 August. It was the first time Sea Dance Festival was held outside of Montenegro since its relocation to Croatia in June 2023.

The headlining acts for Sea Dance 2023 included Alok, Willy William, Fedde Le Grand and many more.^[3]

Festival by year

Year	Dates	Attendance	Headliners	Notable acts
2014	15–17 July	80,000	Jamiroquai · Underworld · Example	Bad Copy, Darkwood Dub, Juan Atkins, Klingande, Rambo Amadeus, Roger Sanchez, Timo Maas, Eyesburn, Lollobrigida, Tara McDonald, Who See
2015	15–18 July	110,000	The Prodigy · Róisín Murphy · Rudimental	Sigma, Wilkinson, Noisia, James Zabiela, Bondax, Calyx, Teebee, Dubioza kolektiv, Flight Facilities, Gramatik, Odesza, Snakeships, Soul Clap, Who See
2016	14–16 July	75,000	Skrillex · Hurts	Andy C, Banco de Gaia, Black Coffee, Jeff Mills, Lost Frequencies, Sister Bliss, Stereo MCs, Sub Focus, Zomboy, Filatov & Karas, Goldie, SARS, Shy FX, Stamina MC, Who See
2017	13–15 July	65,000	Sean Paul · John Newman · Fatboy Slim	Mahmut Orhan, Amelie Lens, Atheist Rap (cancelled), Bad Copy, Slobodan Trkulja, Who See
2018	30 August–1 September	47,000	Chic · Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike · Nina Kraviz · Paul Kalkbrenner · Alice Merton	Bajaga i Instruktori, Burak Yeter, Filatov & Karas, Hladno Pivo, Lost Frequencies, Rambo Amadeus, Van Gogh, Who See
2019	30 August–1 September	63,000	David Guetta · Sven Väth · Richie Hawtin · Robin Schulz	Ofenbach, Disciples, Helena Hauff, Recondite, Eelke Kleijn, Darko Rundek & Ekipa, Senidah, Who See
2020 (cancelled)	28–30 August	N/A	Martin Garrix	N/A
2021	26, 27, 29 August[29]	22,000[28]	Meduza · Maceo Plex · Tale Of Us · Boris Brejcha · Senidah · Topic	Bajaga i Instruktori, Who See
2022	26–28 August	40,000[1]	Dubioza Kolektiv · Kalush Orchestra (cancelled) · Konstrakta · Mahmut Orhan · Nina Kraviz · Senidah · Shouse	Who See[30][31]
2023	17–19 August	N/A	Alok · Willy William · Fedde Le Grand · Artbat (cancelled) · Senidah (cancelled) · Van Gogh (cancelled)	TBA[32]

See also

• List of electronic music festivals
• Live electronic music

References

1. "Sea Dance: Više od 40.000 fanova za savršen kraj festivalskog ljeta". vijesti.me (in Croatian). 29 August 2022. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
2. "Rampa AZK za festival "Sea dance"". vijesti.me (in Serbian). Retrieved 29 May 2023.
3. portal, D. A. N. (10 June 2023). "ДАН - Sea Dance se seli u Hrvatsku". www.dan.co.me. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
4. "Sea Dance je najbolji evropski festival srednje veličine". Vijesti.me. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
5. Rodriguez, Cecilia. "Europe's 10 Best Summer Festivals You Never Heard Of". Forbes. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
6. "Sea Dance Festival dobio nagradu za događaj godine". Retrieved 16 June 2015.
7. "Sea Dance: Festival posjetilo 80 hiljada ljudi". Vijesti.me. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
8. "Budva and EXIT flood relief efforts". Exitdest.org.
9. "Over 30 000 visitors on Day 1!". Exitfest.org.
10. "Sea Dance trajaće dan duže". Radio Televizija Budva. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
11. "Prodigy na Sea Dance festivalu!". Retrieved 16 June 2015.
12. Sea Dance 2015 Location - Feel the magic, join the vibe!, 14 May 2015, retrieved 16 June 2015
13. Radičević, Boris. "Róisín Marfi nastupiće na Sea Dance festivalu". Kliker.tv. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
14. Promo (12 July 2017). "SUTRA POČINJE SEA DANCE U Budvu stižu John Newman, Fatboy Slim i Sean Paul!". Blic.rs. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
15. "Poinje Sea Dance festival u Budvi". B92.net. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
16. "EXIT Ljeto ljubavi 2017. Okupilo preko 350.000 ljudi na četiri festivala u regionu - Vijesti.me". Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
17. "Sea Dance: Sean Paul i odjavna žurka - Vijesti.me". Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
18. "EXIT Tribe 2019 – EXIT Festival - 4-7 July 2019, Novi Sad, Serbia". EXIT Festival - 4–7 July 2019, Novi Sad, Serbia. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
19. "David Guetta predvodi najjači Sea Dance do sad!". Sea Dance Festival (in Bosnian). 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
20. "Groznicu subotnje večeri na Sea Dance donose svetske zvezde Robin Shulz i Ofenbach!". EXIT Festival (in Serbian). 27 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
21. "Svjetski čuvena EXIT Dance Arena stiže na Sea Dance, a sa njom i globalni tehno otac Sven Väth!". Sea Dance Festival (in Bosnian). 17 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
22. "Na Sea Dance uz čuvenu Dance Arenu stižu i vodeći tehno izvođaci današnjice: Richie Hawtin, Recondite i mnogi drugi!". Sea Dance Festival (in Bosnian). 5 June 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
23. "David Guetta closes the most successful edition of Sea Dance, the EXIT's sister festival in Montenegro!". Sea Dance Festival 2019. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
24. "Vodeći svjetski DJ, Martin Garrix, predvodi program sedmog Sea Dance Festivala!". Sea Dance Festival 2020 (in Bosnian). 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
25. "Odložen Sea Dance za avgust 2021. godine". vijesti.me (in Serbian). Retrieved 5 August 2020.
26. "ISTORIJSKO CELODNEVNO SEA DANCE FINALE SA TALE OF US I BORISOM BREJCHOM: Slobodan ulaz do 19 časova". kurir.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 30 August 2021.
27. "Meduza, Satori i Bajaga i Instruktori za savršeno otvaranje Sea Dance festivala!". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). 27 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
28. "Sea Dance trijumfom zaključio letnju festivalsku sezonu! Maestralni nastupi Senide, Brejche..." Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
29. "ISTORIJSKO CELODNEVNO SEA DANCE FINALE SA TALE OF US I BORISOM BREJCHOM: Slobodan ulaz do 19 časova". kurir.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 29 August 2021.
30. "SHOUSE — Tour". SHOUSE. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
31. "Globalni hitmejkeri Shouse i Mahmut Orhan su nova imena Sea Dance festivala!". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
32. Tanjug. "Sea Dance festival od 18.do 20. avgusta: Nastupaju Van Gogh, Artbat, Senidah... - Tanjug". tanjug.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 23 February 2023.

External links

• www.seadancefestival.me