Forget your trip to the coastal resorts of Spain for this year and dip your toes in the perfectly blue sea at the island project of Obonjan, Croatia. Not your usual holiday resort, but not a standard festival either, Obonjan embodies all the best qualities of both. Brought to you by the people behind Unknown Festival together with local Croatians, Obonjan will be opening up for it’s inaugural 6 weeks this summer, with a programme including comedy, art, talks, wellbeing and lots and lots of music. Between 28 July and 6 September, fly over to the city of Šibenik and live your Croatian dream with Obonjan. Here we count down the 7 wonders of this pleasure island!
Crystal Clear Conscience
Part of the joy of a festival is being a hot mess with all your drunk mates, throwing beer cans around and setting fire to tents, right? Obonjan will make you think again. Sure, there’s a rum bar for knocking back one too many, but with the on point environmental work done by Obonjan Rivijera to ensure that practices keep pollution and litter at bay, your carbon-conscience will be as crystal clear as the sea surrounding your new-found pleasure island!
Hangover Yoga
So, you’ve hit the rum bar a bit too hard… if pure sunshine, hammocks and your lush surroundings are not enough to ease the pain, fret not, Fern Ross’ “Yoga For Hangovers” will fix you up in no time. Ease your mind and body into the day with classes down by the beach (insta-pics of you in the perfect headstand to make your pals at bog-standard festivals jealous, optional). If yoga isn’t your jam, there’s a whole host of other health and fitness activities including kayaking trips, massages and group meditation, or take a trip to the Zen Den where you can get lost with East London spirit junkies She’s Lost Control in their sunrise sessions. Ommmmm.
Cool Camping
Terrified of tent-life? Forget bringing a sleeping bag or bedding down in a hotel down the road, Obonjan has your accommodation needs covered. En-suite facilities, cute lighting, air-conditioning, European power sockets (THE DREAM!), an external terrace for you to chill out on and a personal fridge are just a few of the benefits. Oh, and have we mentioned hammocks? Make yourself at home.
Off-Island Adventures
If all the fun you’re having on the island gets too much, or you’re starting to feel all-too-zen, take a trip away from the main action and sail over to the nearby Kornati Islands. There are EIGHTY-NINE islands making up a nautical paradise, where you can go diving, swimming and snorkelling with exotic fish. Maybe you want to complete your off-Obonjan adventure with a trip around the breath-taking Krka National Park? All covered. Oh, and there’s 7 waterfalls. What a wonder.
Comic Relief
We all need a laugh sometimes. Obonjan’s full comedy programme features comic icons Sara Pascoe, Dan Nightingale and Ivo Graham, with a whole host more ready to perform over the 6-week period. Also in the mix are the side-splitting Andrew Bird, Allyson June Smith and Pippa Evans as Loretta Maine. Go and have a giggle with Obonjan’s hilarious line-up.
Resident Beats
The Obonjan project extends for 6 glorious weeks, with resident acts entertaining you from dawn ’til dusk (and beyond) week after week. Resident beat masters include Bad Passion, Blonde Ambition, Eskimo Twins and Let’s Go Swimming to keep you partying from day one to week six. DJ collective Legalize Lambada will be pounding beats and grass roots DJ Hamish Cole will also be making an appearance. Also performing will be Floating Points, Anderson Paak, Four Tet, Giles Peterson, Kate Tempest, Loyle Carner, Jessy Lanza, DJ Shadow, Local Natives and Gold Panda. Music to our ears.
It’s All Talk
To keep your brain ticking away Obonjan have lined up an impressive series of talks from experts in all areas, from astronomy to design and marine biology. Amy Winehouse producer Dave Okumu of The Invisible will be talking about his career in music, whilst resident astronomers Uroš Mikšaj and Dora Premor will be joined by Greenwich Royal Observatory’s Tom Kerss to discuss planetary transits, astrophotography and stargazing. Learning is fun after all, and you’d never feel this cultured after a rave-up in Ibiza…
Food Glorious Food
For those times when you’re a bit peckish, head to Obonjan’s restaurants. With Pavillion Pizza (serving up the poshest pizzas with an extraordinary mix of toppings), The Corner Shop, Bok and The Kitchen open available for all-day dining, you can have any and every dish you can dream of. The Rum Bar and the Drift seaside lounge are also the perfect places to keep refreshed. Whether you want a delicious Campari spritz or an ice-cold Diet Coke, Obonjan’s got you covered.
