The fifth edition of Sea Star festival was organized last weekend (19-21 May) at Stella Maris resort (Umag, Istria Island Croatia). The lineup included a lot of globally famous and popular artists such as Robin Schulz, The Prodigy, and Mahmut Orhan, while many of Croatia’s and Europe’s well-liked artists also performed at the festival – not to mention the DJs who provided a good atmosphere for the festival-goers. Festival visitors had the opportunity to go to a Welcome party before Day One – and a closing party was also organized after Day Two. There were four party venues at the festival: Tesla Main Stage, Nautilus Arena, Electric Waves, and Silent Octopus.
How I ended up in Umag in the first place?
I applied for a press pass for the first time this year – so it came as a bit of a surprise when I got the e-mail that my application as a journalist was accepted but needless to say I was very happy. I started to organize my travelling just after receiving the informations concerning the to-do-s: as for accommodation, my choice was Apartments Polynesia Plava Laguna – where the staff was very helpful, and gave a lot of useful information.
And about eating out: Lounge Bar Punta has absolutely won my approval – the food was simply heavenly, the service was excellent and quick, and the staff was very friendly. I needed the energy of course, so besides eating delicious meals, I frequently appeared at Katoro beach for relaxing and sunbathing – which is just a 5 minutes walk from Apartments Polynesia Plava Laguna. And although I’m not a souvenir collector, I bought a fridge magnet with Umag inscription.
Sea Star Festival Day 1 – that’s what I call Summer Starter
Luckily, Stella Maris resort is just a 15 minutes walking distance from Apartments Polynesia Plava Laguna, and when I got there, I found that the queuing time for press passes was minimal – the same went for normal passes: thanks for the precise organization festival-goers could collect their passes even before the gates were open. Standing in the queue I made acquintance with some of my journalist colleagues, who also were very friendly and we chatted a bit.
After collecting my pass, my first stop was Tesla Main Stage of course where I got to hear the music of several artists whose songs where not that familiar to me – including Senidah, a popular Ljubljana-born Slovenian singer who is also known as the Balkan Trap Diva by the media – whom the festival audience simply loved and sang every song together with her. I also find her work and personality very inspiring – I even followed her on Instagram.
On day one, Robin Schulz’s party was also very much awaited. Even before he entered the stage, fans were shouting his name. It goes without saying he attracted maximum interest, and certainly did not disappoint the audience, who absolutely had a great time. I was particularly delighted that all of my favorites were played by him and I was especially happy since Miss You – which is one of my favorite songs generally now – was one of the last songs he played.
The fans absolutely loved it: many people had started jumping up and down upon hearing the first accords – and had not stopped doing so until the end of the song. Robin Schulz kept the festival audience engaged and captivated and basically I felt very energized after his performance.
After Robin, Turkish DJ Mahmut Orhan was next: he showed Sea Stars his unique style which personally I very much like because of their special melodies, and melodicity – and finally I had the chance to hear and see how amazing he is in real life.
After partying for hours at the main stage it was time to move to the party arenas.
Day two – a magical adventure
It might not come as a surprise to state that party people could not wait to finally see the members of The Prodigy to appear on stage – and when they did, the crowd went absolutely wild. The band chose their song Omen to be the second one of their performance – much to the delight of their fans, who have shown their appreciation in an absolutely noticeable way.
It goes without saying that I felt very recharged at the end of their concert, so going back to the apartment to sleep was not an option – I went to Indira Paganotto’s party after, which I did not regret at all, because although I felt very tired towards the end, I also had a great time.
For those who are not familiar with who Indira is, and what kind of music she plays: she’s a Spanish DJ, who plays songs from many genres during her parties – including psytrance, techno and even acid. She has been working as a DJ for a decade now: and looks like the apple does not fall far from the tree, since her father also worked as a DJ. If you haven’t been to one of her parties I highly recommend them; I guarantee you won’t get bored, not even for a second.
Personal notes
Although the Sea Star Festival ended early morning on Sunday, I still feel tired sometimes – okay very often – because of the active partying which proves I had a great time. The only thing that I feel sorry for is that time seemed like to fly: two days went by very quickly. Sunday has come, and with it I had to return to my everyday life. I am already looking forward to next summer: if everything goes well, I will be back in Umag next summer to continue to collect new unforgettable experiences and memories – just as I did this year.
Have you ever heard about Sea Star Festival?
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