press and pr

At this post-festive time of year, most people are absorbed with realigning their sore heads after much festive indulgence and of course a heavy dose of New Year’s Eve fun too. But just around the corner, once January comes fully into bleary-eyed focus, those who wished for a white Xmas will soon be looking ahead for their sun-kissed summer time adventures, and The Garden Festival in Croatia looks like being one of the choicest picks in 2009. Because some very exciting news has just been released from the guys in Petrcane regarding the Garden Party...

From a beautiful, narrow peninsular set by the shimmering waters of the Adriatic, the Croatian secret has gradually escaped and spread across Europe and beyond: of high jinks on the high seas with Argonaughty Boat Parties to late night sessions in the Barbarellas Discotheque; of dancing away in glorious summer sunshine to taking a dip in the cooling sea; from finding new friends at one of the most intimate and entrancing places on the planet to losing yourself amid the secluded hideaways and shaded areas under ancient trees.

“During the last few years, we have worked with some great people and forged some really good relationships with DJs, live acts, promoters – and of course party people – who have all come over to experience our little slice of heaven in Croatia,” Nick Colgan, one of the Garden Festival's bosses, explains. “2008 was a pivotal year for as we hosted several great weekends through the summer and this has led us all here into fully realising what we have wanted to do since we first saw the potential the incredible site has: to create a full festival season.”

The most exciting news of all is that for the first time there will be TWO Garden Festivals opening up proceedings across the first and second weekends of July 2009. “We have thought long and hard about the best way to operate through a whole summer,” Nick explains, “and we realised that in order to keep the intimate family vibe we have created in Petrcane, we have capped the numbers for each weekend to 2000 people. Based on all the previous years we believe this is the right number for the space we have, and it’s paramount to us to retain the sense of a welcoming and fun place where you are not constantly jostling for space. Croatia is also a great place to explore and unwind, so for the opening two weekends we hope people will use the extra time either to explore some of this beautiful country or enjoy the chilled offerings we will have in the days between the first two weekends. For us, it’s not just about people coming to a great festival but also for everyone to have a fantastic holiday too.”

The full programme of festivals through the summer of 2009 will be released in February, an aural kaleidoscope of deep house and disco, funk and Balearic, house and dub, hiphop and jazz and so much more too. The Garden Festival itself will take place over two weekends and will be supported by some of the best collectives and UK club nights around, including Faith’s 10th birthday, Secretsundaze, Innervisions and Mulletover. Guests include Gilles Peterson, Mr Scruff, Ame, Dixon, Ashley Beadle, Todd Terje, Henrik Schwarz, live shows from Crazy P and No Fakin’ and a great many more names too. This double weekend whammy will be followed through the rest of the summer with a series of 3-day and night festivals.

“There is a lot more to be announced,” Nick continues, “including some really amazing competitions we will announce soon, but for now we want to let people know now that there will be a series of incredibly diverse festivals all happening in this beautiful and idyllic part of the world. Our hearts are closest to the Garden Festival itself, and it’s especially exciting to be running over two weekends, but we will also be working with some great names to create an incredible summer here from July until September. For those who have already been they know how special this place is, and for those that haven’t, we really feel 2009 will be the year everything takes off and all weekends will sell quickly!”