EXIT’s Sea Star Festival in Umag has contributed approximately €40 million in direct economic benefits to the Croatian economy over its six editions from 2017 to 2024.
This achievement is made even more remarkable by the fact that Sea Star is the only major Croatian music festival taking place outside of the tourist season, according to research conducted by the independent agency TIM Centar. In those six editions, the total promotional value of the festival and the destination, focused on branding Umag, Istria, and the Croatian coast in domestic and foreign markets, amounted to €30.2 million. This means that Sea Star has contributed over €70 million in combined economic and promotional benefits to Croatia.
These figures add further weight to the recognition from HDS ZAMP, which ranked Sea Star as the second most-attended domestic music festival for the last two consecutive years.
Over two nights, this year’s Sea Star welcomed more than 44,000 attendees, hailing from over 40 countries and four continents. Most fans came from Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but some visitors traveled all the way from the UK, the USA, Australia, Spain, and Scandinavia. International visitors made up 45% of the festival’s audience. In terms of audience size, Sea Star 2024 was by far the most attended music event in Istria and the Croatian Littoral region and one of the top two most attended in all of Croatia. According to official data from the Umag Tourist Board, the festival, held from May 23 to 26, 2024, generated 47,400 overnight stays.
The average age of festival attendees was just 24 years, with 56% being highly educated, including students, and over 59% employed. A staggering 92% of respondents in the survey stated they came to Umag specifically for Sea Star, while 72.5% rated the Stella Maris lagoon as an excellent festival location. A third of the attendees were visiting Umag for the first time, thanks to the festival. Total spending was slightly higher compared to 2023, with foreign visitors spending an average of €567 and regional visitors €470. Notably, 80% of attendees opted for paid accommodation such as hotels, apartments, or campsites.
The main reasons for attending Sea Star included the social aspect of the festival, its music program as a cultural draw, and the opportunity to enjoy a seaside getaway. Additionally, the survey revealed that 82% of attendees believe that music festivals like Exit and Sea Star can create positive social change, 88% consider festivals a positive or very positive event in their lives, and 90% said attending the Umag festival positively impacted their mental health.
