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Sonus Festival

Dates: 21-25 August 2022

Location: Zrće Beach, Pag Island

Sonus festival is one of the most famous Croatian music festivals, traditionally taking place at Zrće Beach on Pag Island. The festival is among the most popular and best in Croatia and was recently voted the best in the region. The organizers are originally from Germany, but Sonus is also well-liked in the UK. The event takes place on the beach, more precisely in several open-air clubs nearby. Last year’s edition was postponed to 2021, similar to other events in the country. 

As for music, techno and house are the most represented genre at Sonus. To get more info about Sonus Festival, including the festival lineup, dates, and tickets, keep reading our guide.

About Sonus Festival

The First Edition of the festival took place in 2013, and there were only 2 stages (clubs) active; Calypso and Papaya. As the festival’s reputation grew, so did the number of people attending the event. In 2019, the festival got about 12.000 people attended the festival. Similar to other Croatian festivals taking place at Zrće Beach, Sonus has also organized several warm-up and after-parties, ever since the first edition. And some numerous famous DJs and artists took the stage at Sonus. Monika Kruse, Richie Hawtin, and Carl Cox are just some of them. As mentioned before, the festival originated in Germany, so you can expect a fair amount of German DJs and artists there.

Lineup

Sonus Festival 2022 lineup has not been announced yet. The reason for it is the COVID-19 pandemic, which also canceled Sonus 2020. The organizers usually announce the first artists in December, about 8 months before the festival. However, the festival season in Croatia and Europe is still questionable. Therefore, the audience will need to wait a bit longer for the first announcements. The organizers say they will try to bring back the same lineup from last year, which included Dixon, FISHER, Amelie Lens, Charlotte de Witte, and others. We will update this section as soon as the first artists are announced by management. 

Tickets

Tickets and packages for the 2022 edition of the Sonus festival are currently on sale. Below are the prices for regular and VIP festival tickets, as well as festival packages.

Tickets:

  • Regular festival ticket (5 days) – starting from €174
  • VIP tickets (5 days) – starting from €299

Packages:

  • 3-star apartment & festival ticket – starting from €395 per person
  • Superior 3-star apartment & festival ticket – starting from €460

The more you wait, the more expensive festival packages will be. This is a normal way of tickets selling at Croatian festivals.

NOTE: If you’re coming from ex-YU countries (Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, BiH, Macedonia, Montenegro, or Kosovo), Sonus 2022 will likely offer some discounts. That was the case in the previous years. If that happens, you will have to provide your citizenship evidence, like an ID or a passport.

Sonus Festival Boat Parties

Boat parties at Sonus are a regular thing and an extremely popular way of warming up before the main event in the evening. Boat parties last for 4 hours, from 5 PM to 9 PM, and start in Novalja, from where the boats depart. Novalja is an island town located about 3 kilometers from Zrće Beach. The boats sail in the Pag area and return to Novalja. Keep this in mind as you will have to probably walk from Novalja to Zrće once the boat party finishes. Also, tickets for boat parties are not included in Sonus Festival tickets. And, as you can presume, there is a limited number of them, since boats can’t accommodate an infinite number of people.

How to get to Pag Island and Zrce Beach

By Plane

The airport in Zadar is the closest one to Pag, about 80km south of the island. Other nearby airports which you can use are Split Airport and Rijeka Airport. Here is the overall distance from Pag island to each of them:

  • Zadar Airport (80 km)
  • Rijeka Airport (140 km)
  • Split Airport (160 km)

Distances are based on the shortest route by car or bus. Choosing the airport depends on whether there are direct flights from your location to these cities. If you fly into Zadar Airport, you can take a public bus operated by Liburnija, which takes you to Zadar center. Once there, you can take a bus to Novalja. It’s a similar situation with Rijeka; first, take a bus from the airport to Rijeka city. Then take another bus to Novalja on Pag Island

NOTE:
In the past, more precisely in 2016, there were promo codes you could use for flights by Croatia Airlines. However, this practice has stopped in recent years and is expected to stay like that in 2022.

By Bus

The island of Pag is a massively popular tourist location. That means the island has plenty of buses going to Novalja town. There are dozens of bus connections to Pag Island: from Split, Zagreb, Zadar, Rijeka, and so on. Pag is connected to the mainland with a bridge, meaning you won’t have to take a ferry to reach it. To see all the buses arriving in Novalja town, check this online bus searching website.

By Ferry

There are a couple of ferry lines going to Pag island. But taking these lines is not an optimal solution, especially if you’re only planning to go to the Sonus music festival. One of the usual ferry routes is Rijeka – Rab – Novalja (Pag Island). This one is useful if you fly into Rijeka Airport. Another route is Prizna – Zigljen (Pag Island). That one is useful if you’re traveling in your car from northern Croatia. All in all, if you’re trying to get straight to the festival, taking a ferry is probably not an optimal solution. You can check the schedule for these routes here.

How to get to Sonus Festival

The venue of the Sonus music festival is located at Zrce Beach, which is in the northeastern part of Pag island. Since you will probably use a bus to get to Pag, you will arrive in Novalja town, about 3.5km from the beach. Therefore you would need to take a car or transfer to get from Novalja to Zrce Beach. We don’t recommend walking there, as it can be extremely exhausting, especially in that summer heat. To see the exact location of the venue, please visit our map at the end of the post. 

Sonus festival 2021
Photo by Máté Melega on Unsplash

Accommodation

There is no official camping area at the Sonus festival. However, there are several camping sites located near the festival venue. These are not in partnership with the festival, but you can still use book them for the duration of the festival. We will display the contact information and camping site located on our map below. Alternatively, you can book private accommodation like rooms or apartments. We recommend booking everything on time, as prices go up as the festival season approaches. Also, property owners are keen to increase the prices during the festival dates.

What to see while at Sonus Festival

As you already know, Croatia is a magnificent country. That is why it would be a pity if you’d just go to the festival and immediately leave, without exploring the area. Even if your goal is to party all day and night, Pag island is a true tourism gem. Below, we have listed a few ideas on what to see and do when going to the Sonus music festival.

Pag Old Town – Pag is the largest town on the Island, a historical place with a traditional coastal charm. Here you can visit the 18th century St Mary church, and try some of the world-known Pag specialties, like Pag cheese and lamb. You will find several restaurants and konobas where you can try these dishes.

Pag beaches – besides Zrce, Pag is also known for its other beaches, most notably Prosika, Čista, Ručica, and Trinčel beach, to name a few. If you want to get away from the crowd for a few hours, these beaches might be a good choice.

Pag scenery and inland – Pag is probably the most unusual of all Croatian islands. Some say Its landscape resembles the surface of planet Mars. This is proven by the several car commercials filmed on the island. The best way to explore the scenery is to rent a bike or a scooter. Roads on the island are perfect for a bike ride, and the views are amazing. Highly recommended!

Pag island Sonus
Photo by Inja Pavlić on Unsplash

Sonus Festival FAQs

Is there an age restriction at the Sonus festival?

Yes, you have to be at least 18 years old to attend the festival.

How many stages are at the Sonus festival?

There are 4 stages (clubs) at the festival – Papaya, Noa, Aquarius, Kalypso. All of them are open-air clubs located on Zrce Beach.

What kind of food will be available at Sonus?

Sonus doesn’t offer food or drinks at the festival. You will need to arrange those for yourself. Luckily, there are plenty of fast foods, restaurants, and stores nearby. Note that prices are a bit higher than in the rest of the country, as it is an island after all.

What types of drinks are available at the Sonus festival?

There will be all kinds of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, from cocktails, wine, beer to soft drinks.

Is Wi-Fi service available at the Sonus festival?

You could probably connect to one of the Wi-Fi hotspots given by Caffe bars and clubs nearby. Novalja town also offers free Wi-Fi, but that service is pretty unstable. 

Festival Map

Getting to and around Zrce beach can be a hassle, even for locals. This is why we’ve created a map for anyone going to the Sonus music festival. The map below contains all the important locations in and around Pag Island, from festival venues to beaches and camping sites. Check out our Sonus festival map

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