{"id":62162,"date":"2026-06-01T15:52:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T13:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/news\/sea-star-festival-successfully-opens-the-summer-season-with-nearly-50000-fans-from-around-the-world"},"modified":"2026-06-01T16:16:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T14:16:53","slug":"sea-star-festival-successfully-opens-the-summer-season-with-nearly-50000-fans-from-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/news\/sea-star-festival-successfully-opens-the-summer-season-with-nearly-50000-fans-from-around-the-world","title":{"rendered":"Sea Star Festival Successfully Opens the Summer Season with Nearly 50,000 Fans from Around the World!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>For the eighth time, Sea Star Festival delivered the perfect welcome to summer! The official opening of the season took place in Umag\u2019s Stella Maris lagoon from 28 to 31 May, marked by standout performances from West Coast hip-hop legend Xzibit, beloved German high-tech minimal mastermind Boris Brejcha, and a stellar trio leading the new wave of techno \u2013 KI\/KI, BIIA and Holy Priest \u2013 whose performances drew the largest crowds ever seen in the lagoon. The Tesla Main Stage also hosted the spectacular multimedia performance EMERGENCY EXIT, directed by the renowned artistic troupe La Fura Dels Baus, known for opening the Barcelona Olympic Games. Festival-goers were also treated to explosive trap performances by Gr\u0161e, Hiljson Mandela, TBF, Prti Bee Gee, Bore Balboa and many others. Once again, Sea Star Festival demonstrated the power of music and togetherness, bringing together more than 48,000 visitors over four days, who travelled to Umag from several continents.<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DZA-_ProeE3\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DZA-_ProeE3\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Sea Star Festival (@seastarfestival)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The eighth edition of Sea Star Festival transformed Umag\u2019s Stella Maris lagoon into <strong>the epicentre of<\/strong> <strong>music and entertainment<\/strong>. Set against a unique backdrop filled with energy, emotions and unforgettable moments, thousands of visitors from Croatia, the region and around the world celebrated music, freedom and life over four sunny festival days. Beneath the stars and alongside performances by some of the biggest regional and international artists, music united people and turned every moment into a cherished memory. Once again, the festival proved its significance not only as a musical event, but also as a symbol of unity and freedom.<\/p>\n<p>The festival opened with a <strong>screening of the film <em>Svadba<\/em><\/strong>, attended by members of the film crew, after which the <strong>Welcome Party<\/strong> moved to the Electric Waves Stage. Outstanding DJs got the crowd dancing on the beach from Thursday onwards, warming up the atmosphere for the festival\u2019s main days.<\/p>\n<p>Friday\u2019s programme began with the panel discussion \u201cThe Phenomenon of <em>Svadba<\/em>\u201d, featuring actors Linda Begonja, Dragan Bjelogrli\u0107 and Rene Bitorajac, director Igor \u0160eregi, Mayor of Umag Vili Bassanese, and EXIT Festival founder and director Du\u0161an Kova\u010devi\u0107, moderated by Aleksandra Dr\u017eai\u0107. The panellists agreed on the importance of encouraging conversations about art and togetherness in the region, emphasising that freedom and love ultimately prevail. The first day on the Tesla Main Stage saw performances from Rijeka\u2019s <strong>The Siids<\/strong> and Belgrade-based band <strong>KOIKOI<\/strong>, who arrived in Umag on the back of numerous international successes. Visitors were particularly captivated by the unique <strong>EMERGENCY EXIT<\/strong> performance, created in collaboration with the artistic troupe <strong>La Fura Dels Baus<\/strong>, acclaimed producer and DJ <strong>Satori<\/strong>, and visual collective <strong>Eyesberg<\/strong>, delivering a powerful manifesto for saving the planet. The evening\u2019s most anticipated act was <strong>Boris Brejcha<\/strong>, the masked techno genius. Following his set, exceptional DJs <strong>Layla Benitez<\/strong> and <strong>Lanna<\/strong> took over the stage, performing both solo and back-to-back sets inspired by the world\u2019s biggest electronic music stages. The Nautilus Arena shook with trap hits from <strong>Bejbe<\/strong>, <strong>Hiljson Mandela<\/strong>, <strong>TNG <\/strong>and <strong>Bore Balboa<\/strong>, while <strong>Amna<\/strong> delivered an urban pop performance accompanied by impressive choreography. As part of the European <strong>GrassrEUts <\/strong>project promoting emerging artists, Sea Star also welcomed Hungarian band <strong>Sonya<\/strong> and Portuguese artist <strong>Libra<\/strong>. <strong>The Electric Waves Stage<\/strong> kept the crowd dancing until sunrise with sets from <strong>Sunny Sun<\/strong>, <strong>Elena Mikac<\/strong>, <strong>Lottie<\/strong>, <strong>Vlado Kaponja b2b Roland<\/strong>, and <strong>O\/H\/M.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The festival\u2019s second central day was packed with legendary performances from opening until closing. <strong>Tesla Main Stage<\/strong> was opened by the incomparable <strong>Macha Ravel<\/strong>, who performed hits such as <strong>\u201cLutkica\u201d<\/strong> and <strong>\u201cPasegoni\u201d<\/strong>, as well as new material, before handing over the microphone to the undisputed ruler of the Croatian charts. <strong>Gr\u0161e<\/strong> ignited the atmosphere within seconds, with the audience singing every word of hits including <strong>\u201cForza\u201d<\/strong>, <strong>\u201cTokyo Drift\u201d<\/strong>, <strong>\u201cFantazija\u201d<\/strong> and <strong>\u201cMamma Mia\u201d<\/strong>. He also surprised the crowd with renditions of fan-favourite songs by fellow artists, delivering an unforgettable party. Following Croatia\u2019s favourite trap heavyweight, hip-hop took centre stage during a special <strong>Blackout Showcase<\/strong> led by Croatia\u2019s leading hip-hop promoter <strong>Phat Phillie<\/strong>. Regional legends <strong>TBF<\/strong> and <strong>Prti Bee Gee<\/strong> joined him on stage, while <strong>Noti Limun<\/strong> represented the new generation. Together they brought the spirit of the West Coast to Umag, perfectly setting the stage for the arrival of a true legend: Mr. X-to-the-Z. Accompanied by his band Furnace, <strong>Xzibit<\/strong> dominated the stage and delivered a nearly two-hour performance. In front of thousands of fans, he performed classics including <strong>\u201cX\u201d<\/strong>, <strong>\u201cGet Your Walk On\u201d <\/strong>and <strong>\u201cThe Moment\u201d<\/strong>, showcasing the full power of the West Coast sound. Sea Star transformed into a true Rave in Paradise when masked antihero <strong>Holy Priest<\/strong> took over the Tesla Main Stage. One of the festival\u2019s most eagerly awaited performers shook the entire lagoon with his hard techno sound, performing tracks such as <strong>\u201cVielleicht Vielleicht\u201d<\/strong>, <strong>\u201cHoly Atlantis\u201d<\/strong> and <strong>\u201cGangsta\u2019s Paradise\u201d<\/strong>. Portuguese techno powerhouse <strong>BIIA <\/strong>followed with a masterclass in hard-hitting beats and melodic techno. The peak of euphoria arrived with Dutch all-night queen <strong>KI\/KI<\/strong>. Tracks including <strong>\u201cWhat\u2019s a Girl To Do in \u201825\u201d<\/strong>, <strong>\u201cLosing Control\u201d<\/strong> and <strong>\u201cTime To Party\u201d<\/strong> pushed the atmosphere to its limits and ensured Sea Star\u2019s audience welcomed the sunrise to an unforgettable techno soundtrack.<\/p>\n<p>At the <strong>Nautilus Arena<\/strong>, the programme began with an energetic set from <strong>Sunny Sun<\/strong>, followed by rising Zagreb trap artist <strong>Yung Normy<\/strong>. Through Sea Star\u2019s collaboration with Eurosonic, Slovenian musician <strong>Nejc Pipp<\/strong> performed a dreamy live set with his band, while Bulgarian project <strong>Pistamashina<\/strong> impressed audiences with its futuristic show. The tennis stadium was then filled with the sounds of the ping-pong genre as Split legends <strong>TBF<\/strong> took the stage. In outstanding form, the group had the crowd singing every lyric in unison, from <strong>\u201cSmak svita\u201d<\/strong>, <strong>\u201cMater\u201d <\/strong>and <strong>\u201cVeseljko\u201d<\/strong> to <strong>\u201cUvik kontra\u201d <\/strong>and <strong>\u201cAlles Gut\u201d<\/strong>. The audience simply would not let them leave the stage. Hard-hitting underground rap followed courtesy of <strong>Prti Bee Gee<\/strong>. Mikri Maus and Eufrat once again proved that old-school hip-hop never goes out of style. To close the programme, <strong>Noti Limun<\/strong> and <strong>Tibor <\/strong>showcased the future of the genre, winning over the crowd with tracks such as <strong>\u201cGan Barsi\u201d<\/strong>, <strong>\u201cPrigu\u0161iva\u010d\u201d<\/strong> and their latest release, <strong>\u201cPrah Prahu\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday also belonged to electronic music favourites on the <strong>Electric Waves Stage<\/strong>. <strong>one n<\/strong>, <strong>Herya<\/strong>, <strong>DJ Labud<\/strong>, <strong>Kim Ono<\/strong>, <strong>Marin Bio\u010di\u0107<\/strong> and <strong>Marcel <\/strong>kept visitors dancing by the sea from sunset to sunrise.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s edition of Sea Star Festival once again confirmed Umag\u2019s Stella Maris lagoon as an essential destination for the perfect start to summer, attracting more than 48,000 visitors from dozens of countries. Four days filled with sunshine, good vibes, dancing and unforgettable parties will be remembered as the most ambitious and musically rich summer opening yet, set in one of the Mediterranean\u2019s most beautiful seaside locations.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s Sea Star Festival was realised with the support of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Istria County, the City of Umag, the Umag Tourist Board, the Istria Tourist Board and Plava Laguna.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the eighth time, Sea Star Festival delivered the perfect welcome to summer! The official opening of the season took place in Umag\u2019s Stella Maris lagoon from 28 to 31 May, marked by standout performances from West Coast hip-hop legend Xzibit, beloved German high-tech minimal mastermind Boris Brejcha, and a stellar trio leading the new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":62163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[1105,1148,1138,1135,1149,1150,65,1089],"class_list":["post-62162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-boris-brejcha","tag-grassreuts","tag-holy-priest","tag-ki-ki","tag-lanna","tag-layla-benitez","tag-sea-star-festival","tag-xzibit"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62162"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62166,"href":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62162\/revisions\/62166"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seastarfestival.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}