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Goulash Disko

Goulash Disko Festival returns to Vis island this September

Amongst the many music festivals and events held in Croatia every summer, here’s one that’s rather unique! Goulash Disko, taking place on the island of Vis (12th – 16th September 2018), is the first crowd-funded music festival – 100% independent and sponsor free!

Goulash Disko

Held in the beautiful little town of Komiza on the amazing island of Vis (one of our favourites – and that of almost everyone else that’s been there!), the five day festival in fact also includes an opening concert on day zero, and and extra Day+1 to help extend the party. There will also be before and after parties held in Split and Zagreb, so if you want to experience a island festival and combine it with the delights of these two cities, this is just the thing.

About Goulash Disko

As mentioned, Goulash Disko is an entirely crowd-funded music festival. They aimed to raise €25,000, with all money going towards attracting a stellar line up and building the best possible infrastructure. And as of 30th April, they are fully funded (and then some) – congrats to them!

The festival knows no limits and loves to explore new sounds and genres rooted in the Global Underground. Expect world infused and eclectic music styles! There will also be performers and workshops of different kinds – non-music related – that will spice up the whole program of the festival.

Iva and Yves are the duo behind Goulash Disko. Having started the night 7 years ago when they lived in Dublin, they settled in Croatia and came up with the idea of organising the first ever crowd funded music festival in the world. The rest, as they say, is history! (And what an excellent choice of location for such a festival!)

Since then, the community has grown even more. There are regular Goulash Disko events that take place in Croatia and Slovenia, and you may even have come across happenings in Berlin, London, Paris or Vienna. Hundreds of artists are now part of the movement.

Goulash Disko

Goulash Disko

Goulash Disko

Goulash Disko Line Up

Among the first names that have been added to the bill are Channel One (UK), of the world’s greatest and best known dub reggae sound systems, run by legendary selector Mikey Dread, and featuring MC Ras Kayleb. Those in London will surely know them – they’re one of the main sound systems at the Notting Hill Carnival each year.

Guts (France) is one of the main producers on the French hip hop scene. His set will be eclectic, dynamic and highly danceable.

Mop Mop Trio ft. Anthony Joseph (UK/Italy) are one of the most interesting percussion based acts in the current world-jazz scene. Mop Mop will perform as a trio, and will team up with Trinidadian poet Anthony Joseph, who conjures up echoes of Gil Scott Heron and Isaac Hayes.

Cigarra (Brazil) is a DJ, producer and label manager of Tropical Twista Records. She grew up in the dense underground scene of São Paulo, and participated in the effervescence of its parties and festivals as well as in the original formation of the renowned Voodoohop.

Habibi Funk (Germany) is a label dedicated to reissuing stereotype-busting sounds from the Arab world; label owner and DJ Jannis Stürtz comes to Goulash with his crate full of records.

Other names on the bill include Kognitif (France), Bwoy De Bhajan (Denmark), Mr Raoul K (Ivory Coast), The Freeborn Brothers (Poland), Barrio Lindo (Argentina), Martha Van Straaten (Germany), Thomas Von Party (Canada), Dreems (Australia), Ko Shin Moon (France) and Jhon Montoya (Colombia), with more artists also being announced soon.

As you can see from the list above, Goulash Disko is truly a world music event!

The island of Vis

Those of you who’ve been to Vis know how wonderful this island truly is! With a fascinating history (the island was closed to foreign visitors until 1989), Vis is also the furtherest (large) island away from the Croatian mainland and has something of an untouched and very relaxed vibe.

Check out this stunning video to get an idea of the beauty of Komiza and Vis:

Komiza, Island of Vis – Aerial film from Istvándi Botond on Vimeo.

Getting to Goulash Disko

Split is the best airport to fly to – see our Getting to Split page for details of flights from the UK and Europe. From there, there are daily ferries and catamarans to Vis Town – see more on our Getting to Vis page. From Vis Town, there are buses across to Komiza.

Goulash Disko - Vis Island

Tickets for Goulash Disko

Early bird (i.e. crowdfunding) tickets have sold out, but regular tickets are available. These cost 1,000 Kunas (approx. £120/€135/$158) and can be purchased here.

If there’s a group of you, you can buy 5 tickets for the price of 4!

Accommodation for Goulash Disko

A temporary campsite will be set up for Goulash Disko attendees, open from 11th to 18th September. Situated on a protected piece of land and shaded by palm trees, the campsite will be accessible by both cars and camper vans. In order to cover costs, use of the campsite costs 200 Kunas for the 7 days. (An additional €15 is payable to Komiza Town for parking if you have your own car or camper van.)

There are plenty of private accommodation options as well – rooms and apartments in Komiza, with something for every budget. Check out our Accommodation on Vis page (which includes options in Komiza).

Goulash DIsko

Goulash Disko - Accommodation

Goulash Disko

More on Goulash Disko

Check out all the information on the festival on the official website www.goulashdisko.com. Do be sure to also look them up on FacebookInstagram and Soundcloud for all the latest festival news.

Goulash Disko
Komiza, island of Vis
12th – 16th September 2018
www.goulashdisko.com

Visiting Croatia in September

Who would have thought it? We’re over halfway through August, which means we are most definitely hurtling towards the end of summer. (Although, personally, I definitely think summer runs until the seasons change in September. But then, I like to be an optimist about the weather.)

Some of you who are perhaps yet to take your summer hols, or are looking for a late summer trip to ease yourself back into autumn ways, may be thinking of visiting Croatia in September. You may be pleased to learn that September is considered the best month to visit amongst those in the know – the weather is still good (yes, you will – most probably – still be able to swim in the sea!), the high season crowds will have departed for home by the end of August, but everything – tourist-related – is still very much open.

Visiting Croatia in September

The island of Vis

However, you probably have a whole list of questions – what’s there to do? Where shall we go? We’re here to help you with these questions and more if you’re considering visiting Croatia in September!

The weather in Croatia in September

First things first. This is something we always get asked – is the weather in Croatia still good in September? Yes, very much so. It may come as no surprise really – as a Mediterranean country, the summer weather continues long into September. The last few years have seen very hot summers in Croatia, and this glorious weather definitely hung around in the ninth month of the year. (In fact, even into early October too!) This year there’s also been a rather hot summer in Croatia with temperatures in so many places reaching the very high 30s celsius. In fact, during July, temperatures for practically the entire country were classified as being “very warm” or “extremely warm” (poor Vis was the only place in Croatia to simply be “warm”), whilst most of the country was considered to be either “dry” or “very dry”.

All in all, we expect the weather in Croatia to be great this September! The Croatian Meteorological Society has plenty of forecasts in English – at the moment, they obviously don’t show much data for September, but take a look at their seven-day forecasts a little closer to the time.

The sea off the coast of Croatia – having had all summer to warm up – will be great, temperature-wise, in September. Yesterday, for example, temperatures reached around 23/24C for many places, with the sea a few degrees colder in the north of the coast.

Disclaimer: Yes, of course, the weather everywhere is starting to turn a little crazy. So don’t hold it against us if conditions in Croatia inexplicably turn winter-y during September. That’s definitely not supposed to happen. And it’s very, very unlikely to happen. But if anything insanely crazy, weather-wise, happens…don’t blame us! 

What’s on in Croatia in September?

Croatia has established itself as something of a prime festival destination in the last few years, with more and more dance festivals being added all the time to each year’s calendar. September is when the festival season winds down, but there’s still a couple of events taking place, both in Istria. The brand-new-for-2013 Unknown is being held in Rovinj from 10th to 14th September, with names like Jessie Ware, The Horrors, Jamie xx and SBTRKT all on the bill. Now in its second year, the electro festival Dimensions will be on in Pula from 5th to 9th September, making use of Fort Punto Christo that’s close to the town. (Dimensions is the “little sister” of Croatia festival favourite Outlook, which is on itself in Pula from 29th August to 2nd September.)

For the less dance music type events, there’s the Split Film Festival on from the 14th to the 21st September. The historical festival Gioistra – now in its seventh year – will be held in Porec from 13th to 15th September, with assorted costumes, revelry, sports, street entertainers and products on sale, all re-enacting 18th century times. The second Korkrya Baroque Festival is an international music festival on the island of Korcula, being held from 7th to 13th September. Zagreb hosts both the general entertainment festival RujanFest (literally, ‘SeptemberFest’) from the 13th to the 22nd September, as well as the 46th edition of the International Puppet Theatre Festival (9th to 14th September).

For those more keen on sports events, Croatia will host the Davis Cup tie against Great Britain in Umag (which means clay!) on the weekend of 13th to 15th September. And yes, Wimbledon champ Andy Murray is expected to play. Tickets can be bought on the ticket portal Eventim.hr.

Be sure to pop into the tourist office of wherever you are to ask for events taking place locally!

Where should I go in Croatia in September?

As we’ve covered so far, the weather will be great in September, so it’s hard not to pick a location on the coast. Dubrovnik should be as busy it always is, and there’s certainly a large number of cruise ships scheduled to dock during that month, bringing thousands of (day trip) passengers at a time. Split has had a great season so far, so it wouldn’t be any surprise to see this place as bustling as it has been. (Seeing as it’s Croatia’s second largest city, it is relatively lively all year round!) Some of the more popular islands, such as Brac and Hvar, and other popular locations on the coast (the Makarska Riviera) are still likely to receive a good number of visitors, even whilst the season starts to wind down.

If you’re after something a little quieter, perhaps consider the most outlying of all the larger Croatian islands – Vis. As a quieter and slightly mystical destination any time of year, we think this place would be divine in September. Other islands to check out include those in the Kvarner bay  such as Krk, Cres, Losinj or Rab, all of which are perhaps not as well known amongst non-Continental European visitors.

Istria is of course one of the most popular destinations in the whole of Croatia, with delights such as Porec, Rovinj and Pula all located here. The county has suffered a slight fall in visitor numbers this year, but will still see good numbers overall. If you’d like to visit, why not consider something like a foodie or activity-based holiday – two things the region does very well! Check out Istria Tourist Board’s guides to gastronomy and sport.

From a logistical point of view, almost all flights from the UK to Croatia still operate in September – and well into October too. The one exception to this is Ryanair’s flights from London Stansted to Rijeka Airport stopping at the end of August. See our Flights to Croatia page for details of all routes to Croatia from the UK.

Do note that in almost all cases, ferry schedules will still be running to summer timetables until the end of September. Certainly, almost all of Jadrolinija‘s local routes remain the same until the end of September, as does their twice-a-week coastal route that runs Rijeka – Split – Stari Grad (Hvar) – Korcula – Mljet – Dubrovnik and vice versa. The exception lies with some of their international sailings (to Italy) that reduce in frequency in September, and again further in October. Venezia Lines‘ sailings between Istria and Venice will only operate from Porec and Rovinj during September.

Or check out Adriagate – they offer last minute discounts on accommodation for destinations all over Croatia!

All in all, if you’re visiting Croatia next month, we hope you enjoy your stay! Why not drop us a line on email, Twitter or Facebook to let us know how it went – we’d love to hear from you!

Three Men Go To Venice…via Croatia

Croatia was nicely featured in a BBC2 broadcast of the first episode of a new series last night, the latest in the Three Men In A Boat set of documentary shows. Featuring comedians Dara O Briain, Rory McGrath and Griff Rhys Jones, previous programmes have seen them take part in various japes – on boats – in Britain and Ireland. This particular series sees the trio start their journey in Montenegro, making their way up the Adriatic – via various Croatian towns and islands – with the aim of reaching Venice to take part in a gondola race there. (I suppose they could have just gone straight to Venice for water escapades there, but that probably wouldn’t fill two 1-hour episodes. Having said that, Griff Rhys Jones revealed that the original title of the show was supposed to be Three Go To The Balkans, but that was apparently deemed unappealing sounding.)

The Croatian section of last night’s episode (with more of Croatia featured next week) showed them in Dubrovnik, Korčula and Vis. Having sailed into Dubrovnik in rather stormy weather, on a boat that was part of a holiday flotilla, they awake to glorious sunshine and there’s a comedy-sketch-like scene where Rory McGrath returns with breakfast for all of them – including some kind of pig’s ear – only for the other two to have decamped to a local cafe.

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