10 Years of Sonus Festival: Where it all started
When the Sonus team arrived on Croatia's Adriatic coast in 2011, there was little if any techno at all. Within a year, the team had set out on a mission to change that. In the decade since they very much have and now regularly host titans of the scene like Ricardo Villalobos, Margaret Dygas and Richie Hawtin.
What's just as important is that Sonus, which comes from the same minds as the iconic TimeWarp in Germany, has always had a real focus on platforming local talent be that DJs and live acts or stage crew and sound technicians. This year the festival is back for its much awaited 10th edition from 20 - 24th August 2023. Playing are the likes of Joseph Capriati, Chris Stussy, Michael Bibi, Sonja Moonear, Ricardo Villalobos, Richie Hawtin, Diplo, Paula Temple, Sven Väth, Seth Troxler, ANNA, Vintage Culture, Marco Carola, Sama' Abdulhadi, The Martinez Brothers, Loco Dice, Maceo Plex, Kobosil and more.
Aquarius, Kalypso and Papaya are consistently voted amongst the best in the world by DJ Mag and for good reason - they boast beachside locations with sunkissed dance floors, pool parties and plenty of boat party options. Music plays at Sonus non stop from sunup to sundown.here is also plenty of local exploring to do in secluded bays and long coastal walks with stunning views. It is a place to escape the everyday and experience world class music in a truly special setting.
As always, it will offer almost round-the-clock dancing at Zcre Beach's famous open-air clubs, with boat parties and after-parties bookending each day's activities. Aquarius, Kalypso and Papaya are consistently voted amongst the best in the world by DJ Mag and are known for their beachside locations and sunkissed dance floors. As well as the music you can explore the local secluded bays and take long coastal walks with stunning views.
Crowds these days at Sonus come from over 80 countries so the festival is significant for Croatian tourism. A real milestone was restarting the festival after the pandemic and getting back to dancing with like minded people. It was one of the best ever editions and showed how resilient the brand is.
Sonus differentiates itself by the international headliners they have brought to Croatia the programming has always subtly evolved to accommodate the change in music trends and tastes across the world.
Over the years highlights have come thicken fast such as Dixon's Epic Closing Set in 2016,and Solomun's Sunrise Set in 2018 in which he created a magical atmosphere as the sun rose over the Adriatic Sea while festival-goers danced to his enchanting beats. Add in the likes of Tale of Us' Mesmerising Melodies in 2019 and in 2020, when Maceo Plex took the stage for the closing set, delivering an electrifying performance that kept the energy high until the very last moment, and you have a glimpse at what makes it so special.
All in all, it is one of Europe's finest underground events and has been more for a full 10 years.
