What a sophisticated and at the same time chilled atmosphere at the Lighthouse Festival in Croatia beginning of June. ‘Electronic music on vacation’ is not only a slogan, but a concept that is lived – by the organisers, the artists and the 3.500 guests. This review is also about how to recharge batteries at a festival and how to combine techno & a conscious lifestyle.
The Lighthouse Festival 2018 took place 30 May – 3 June in Croatia. In it’s 6th edition, again the festival was sold out even before the line-up got announced. Why does that concept work so well? They don’t even need to announce the secret act which was no one less than Sven Väth.
One point why the concept is working so well surely is the fact that Hennes Weiss is not a greenhorn. He’s one of the founders of the Pratersauna in Vienna and grew HVOB big. The team organising the vacation in Croatia counts 150 people – only professionals. The fact that the organisers ran the Pratersauna and the exclusive ticketing concept ‘friends-of-friends’ turns the festival more or less to be a gathering mostly for people from Vienna.
The festival site is a quite commercial family resort near Poreč. Nevertheless the organisers manage to bring an extraordinary atmosphere to that place with countless secret floors, beach stages, a great scenery and a booking that reaches from underground acts to the already mentioned legend Sven Väth. Among the highlights this year: Moodymann, Honey Dijon, Martha van Straaten, Avalon Emerson and Tsepo who tunes&wings caught for a podcast interview.
This year for the first time, the festival organisers tried to integrate a green aspect: Such as mobile ashtrays, “strawless” drinks, bio compostable cups and special bins for waste separation. A first start but not very well thought out, as only a few people were using them. This could be a point for improvement next year. Also the lighthouse in glitter looked fantastic, but was not very ‘green’.
In addition to the music, a side program was offered that included yoga, meditation, workshops and more. tunes&wings was happy to explore the festivals mindful side together with the organic yoga fashion brand OGNX. The brand combines fun with a conscious lifestyle, similar to tunes&wings. The quiet and relaxing yoga session after hours of dancing and driving music offered the perfect balance and the chilled atmosphere at the ambient floor did the rest. There are currently many techno festivals where sustainability and holistic understanding are very important. In yoga one gets into a flow through breathing and movement, this is similar to music and dancing. The sound waves and bass, which make the body dance, also evoke a flow experience. “Healthy Living” is currently a strong trend in the field of electronic music. Many artists and music lovers have realized that it is no longer a matter of ravening for nights and consuming alcohol and other drugs, but seeing music as a kind of spiritual journey. Find out more about this topic in the tunes&wings interview for OGNX.
Transparency: In friendly cooperation with Lighthouse Festival and OGNX.