2025 marks the 15th edition of Hideout, five days and nights of top-quality beats running from June 22-26 across five stages at Zrće beach on Pag island. Spanning genres from house and garage, to techno and drum and bass, new stars, pioneering legends and global favourites will all be part of the birthday celebrations.
See the full line-up here and book your tickets here!
Festival director Mark Newton gives Time Out Croatia an in-depth look at how the event first came to the coast with the most, and how he and his team have kept the party going from day one:
Time Out Croatia: How did Hideout start and what are your memories of the first event in 2011?
Mark Newton: The idea for Hideout came about while I was organising events across the UK with a couple of business partners at the time. We focused on shows in the north of England, but they were mostly during winter and early spring, catering to a predominantly student audience. Wanting to explore summer events, we turned our attention to Ibiza, where we ran two incredible seasons of shows.
We were among the first to introduce new music genres to the island – drum and bass, dubstep, electro and others, that had been largely overlooked. For two years, we brought over UK artists we were championing and the response was fantastic.
However, by the second year, we faced challenges with the venue. Larger clubs on the island began to notice how popular some artists were becoming and decided to host their own events. These venues had bigger budgets, and it became clear we wouldn’t be able to compete for the artists we wanted.
We started thinking – what if we found a location with less competition? The same audience, just a different setting.
At the time, we noticed a few cool events happening in Croatia and thought it could be the perfect fit. That’s how we came across Zrće beach, where we put on the first Hideout party for around 3,500 people. Because of our strong presence in the north of England, most of the crowd came from places like Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool.
It was pure chaos – we had no idea what we were doing! It was our first time organising something on that scale overseas, and it was absolutely wild. There was no sleep, just non-stop activity, but it was incredibly fun, especially with so many of our friends there to share the experience.
I remember coming back one day, knowing we had thrown an amazing party, but being so exhausted I could barely remember any of it. Still, that was the turning point. When we returned to the UK, Hideout was all anyone could talk about. I remember sitting in the office, realising, This is going to be huge. We believed we could double its size the next year – and we did!
TOC: How did the festival develop from there?
MN: At the start, it was really stripped back. In the first year, we only used Papaya and Aquarius as the main venues, with Kalypso hosting the pre-parties and after-parties. Over time, we realised the need to bring all the venues on the beach together. So, we approached them and said, “Look, we know you’re all in competition, but for this to work, we need everyone to collaborate”. That’s how we started working with more venues along the beach.
At the same time, we were bringing more people to Zrće beach, which was also becoming increasingly popular with visitors from nearby countries. As the crowd grew, we wanted to showcase a wider variety of music genres. I think by the second year, we had about 6,000 attendees and brought in more artists. It just kept building from there.
We always had boat parties, but ended up doing more, added more venues and started opening earlier in the day, hosting pool parties that were hugely popular. Back then, the venues actually had pools! Slowly but surely, they were all removed over the years, which is such a shame. Now, we just call them day parties.
Overall, everything grew really quickly and organically. Attendance skyrocketed – from around 3,000 in year one to 15,000 by year three or four. It all happened so fast!
TOC: How easy is it to attract top names with so much competition from other festivals in the summer?
MN: Honestly, it’s not too difficult because we’re so well-established now – everyone knows what Hideout is. Almost every major electronic artist in the genres we represent has played at the festival at some point. Plus, we have an incredible artists’ hotel, which definitely adds to the appeal.
Since the festival often falls either just before or after Glastonbury, and because it runs midweek, most artists aren’t too busy. We might overlap with a few Ibiza shows, but that’s about it. Artists coming before Glasto love that they can relax, catch up with friends and hang out at the hotel. With up to 80 staying there at once, it creates a really chilled and social atmosphere. You’ll often see a drum and bass artist chatting with a house music vocalist – conversations that probably wouldn’t happen anywhere else.
But it’s not just the hotel, it’s the whole experience. There aren’t many spots in Europe where you can perform until four, five or even six in the morning, with the sunrise coming up behind the mountains. It’s a breathtaking backdrop.
Most of the artists don’t just play and leave; they stay for a few days, have fun and soak it all in. That’s what makes Hideout so unique – it’s more than just a gig; it’s an experience. A lot of artists have had special moments here and hold those memories close, which keeps them coming back.
We even get artists who haven’t played in a few years asking if they can return. I’ll say, “Aren’t you too big for Hideout now?” and they’ll respond, “I don’t care – just email my booking agent and let’s make it happen!”
TOC: 2025 will mark Hideout’s 15th anniversary. What can you share about this summer’s plans, and are there any special features or events festival-goers should look out for?
MN: We’re really happy with the formula we’ve developed over the years – it’s taken us 15 years to get here! While some things have stayed the same, others have evolved. For example, we introduced the beach party about six years ago, and now it’s become an integral part of the festival. It’s the first major event on-site, kicking everything off in style.
The pre-parties in the town centre on Friday and Saturday really set the tone for the weekend. This year, we’re also hosting an after-party in town on Friday night, alongside our iconic daily boat parties and daytime events.
One of the things we’re most passionate about is breaking new talent. Of course, we bring in the big names everyone knows, but every year we make a point of spotlighting the next wave of artists and give them a platform. Some artists have literally grown with Hideout.
Patrick Topping, one of this year’s headliners, is a perfect example. He’s doing an extended set at one of our daytime parties, but his journey with us started about a decade ago when he came to Hideout as a club partner, running a small event called Motion in Newcastle. Now, he’s a global star with his own festival in Tenerife. Watching artists grow like that is something we love being part of.
For us, it’s all about the music. We’ve fine-tuned the festival experience over the years and are really proud of the production levels. While we always make little tweaks, our focus is on showcasing new talent. It’s about finding artists you might not know yet, giving them a listen on Soundcloud and discovering something new. Chances are, by next year, they’ll be mid- to high-level artists playing at massive electronic festivals worldwide.
This summer, we’re bringing the same Hideout energy people love while keeping an eye on the future of electronic music, it’s going to be something special!
TOC: How do you see the festival developing in the future?
MN: Honestly, it’s similar to what I’ve said before – we can’t stand still. It’s funny to think about how far we’ve come. Two of the most senior people on our team now actually attended the very first Hideout as festivalgoers and started working with us eight or nine years later. Over the past 15 years, I’ve met so many people who’ve been to Hideout at some point – it’s amazing how much it’s become a part of people’s lives.
We’re fully aware that music genres evolve, audiences change and behaviours shift. Our goal is to always throw the best party in a one-of-a-kind location, with a line-up that blends big-name artists and fresh talent. The core formula of the festival won’t ever change, but we’re open to tweaking the format to keep things exciting and ensure we’re delivering the best experience for everyone who comes.
At the end of the day, it’s about adapting to stay fresh while staying true to what makes Hideout so special.