This summer should be Croatia's busiest, as the tourist season kicks into another gear. Alongside the usual – beautiful beaches, national parks and idyllic islands – Croatia will be hosting top-class music festivals and concerts. Here’s what to look out for!
JUNE
A big month for big names, kicking off with UK pop star Dua Lipa taking to the stage at the Pula Arena on June 9. Her 2024 album Radical Optimism hit number 1 and 2 on the UK and US album charts respectively, and her previous records have gone platinum.
Zagreb’s SRC Šalata will see US celtic punksters, the Dropkick Murphys, entertain on June 12, followed by heavy metal band Body Count, fronted by rap legend Ice T, on June 16, while early 2000s pop-punk icon Avril Lavigne takes to the Pula Arena on June 17.
From June 24-26, Zagreb’s INmusic Festival returns to Lake Jarun with a line-up including Irish singer-songwriter Hozier, whose smash hit single Take Me to Church is in the top 30 most streamed songs of all time on Spotify. Also performing are UK post-punk duo Sleaford Mods, actor Keanu Reeves’ band Dogstar, as well as The National, Viagra Boys, Smashing Pumpkins, and more.
JULY
Jamaican icon Grace Jones hits the capital’s SRC Šalata on July 4 for a hotly anticipated concert, while SoundCloud alternative sensation Two Feet will perform at Zagreb’s Tvornica Kulture on July 8.
Back at Šalata, Seattle-formed veterans Queens of the Stone Age perform back-to-back nights in the capital on July 23 and 24. The band have a loyal following in Croatia, and played INmusic in 2018. Now, they’re on tour promoting their 2023 LP In Times New Roman…
Outside of Zagreb, the biggest name is multi-instrumentalist and actor Lenny Kravitz, performing at Pula Arena on July 26.
AUGUST
Two big hitters are on the bill for the last full month of summer, starting with Jason Derulo at Pula Arena on August 7. The pop and R&B star has had 11 singles go platinum since beginning his career in 2009, and has just dropped his first full-length studio album since 2015, Nu King.
Then, the headline event – radio mainstay and international megastar Ed Sheeran will perform before a Croatian audience for the very first time on August 10, taking to the stage at Zagreb’s Hipodrom. Sheeran hardly needs any introduction, having seemingly never fallen out of radio rotation since bursting onto the scene in 2011 with his single A Team. It is safe to say that this is one of the most hotly awaited concerts of the year.