Poljud Stadium, a bowl shaped soccer arena located in the city of Split, is situated in a beautiful area by the water and surrounded by large mountains, which made for a picturesque location once the sun started to both set and rise during the end of each day of the festival. The opening party, which also takes place in Split, was right beside the stadium at Giraffe Palm Beach Club, another gorgeous setting by the water that also doubled as the after party for each night of the festival.
While I tend to prefer outdoor festivals, the stadium actually worked quite well, and offered a nice contrast from what I experienced in Miami back in March.
For one, it never felt as crowded as Ultra Miami did, and I mean that in a good way. While crowding usually isn’t an issue on supporting stages, it does tend to happen quite often at the main stage. With Ultra Europe though, you never got that “sardine can” feeling that you often get at other major festivals. That’s not to say that attendance was low, as it certainly wasn’t, and the festival definitely looked and felt full each night. But no matter where you stood, it always felt like you had ample room to dance, and breathe, which was nice.
Concessions were also reasonably priced and while the festival did unfortunately use the cashless system, it never felt like you were being ripped off, which is an issue that plagues many other events. And speaking of being ripped off, the VIP section at Ultra Europe also delivered. Offering a elevated, bird’s-eye view of the entire stadium, and main stage, it was a great place to go and take a breather, as it was open, airy, and had ample seating room for relaxation, as well as a private bar.
Production wise, the festival was a spectacle for the eyes, as the stadium offered an atmosphere that’s hard to replicate in another setting. The lighting in particular was very on point, with the most impressive light shows coming on once the Split sun had completely gone down. Mixed with dazzling fireworks, fire blasting out of the top and front of the stage and more than enough enough CO2 and confetti blasts, the production definitely enhanced the night.
The first act we caught on day was was The Chainsmokers, who along with Galantis and DVBBS, really got the main stage warmed up for the big guns. The first headliner came in the form of Alesso, who played out to a massive crowd who sang and danced along to many well known tunes that formed an edgier and less pop-based set.
After the Swede finished up, out came one of the weekend’s definite highlights, The Chemical Brothers. Arriving with their own custom visuals, Tom and Ed put on a dazzling live show that boasted a ton of their new material from their recent album, Born In The Echoes.