Punk Rock Holiday 2023

Dijaška,Tolmin, Slovenia

Punk Rock Holiday: The Ultra Camp Out & Rock Out Experience

Think of the most memorable music festival you have ever been to. Now amplify that experience by ten. Introducing Punk Rock Holiday, Europe’s most anticipated event of the year. The spectacular camping area, exciting main stage and thrilling beach stages will leave you salivating for more after each performance. Add skateboarding, BMX riding, swimming and camping to the list and you have yourself an extreme Punk Rock Holiday experience. 

Past headliners including NOFX, Less than Jake, The Interrupters, Lagwagon.  The best part? The action is so up-close and personal. There are no barricades between the bands and the audience!

Tolmin, Slovenia is home to a beautiful array of tree-lined camping areas, Mediterranean beach weather and endless headbanging music. Grab a group of friends or your significant other, take the kids, and book your ticket today for a riveting punk rock adventure.

‘No pits, no barriers. Watch out below as stage diving gets that much more personal at the Punk Rock Holiday.’

facebooktwitterpinterest

Your experience at Punk Rock Holiday

‘Punks on holiday’ is a surreal setting to find yourself in. There are beautiful snow-capped mountains with a beautiful river winding through them, then there’s a whole village of extreme costumed punk music lovers running around, eating vegan food, skateboarding and BMX-ing in the park and floating down the water in big rubber tubes. 

Keen punk campers bring their friends and even their kiddies to set up in the huge campsites that fill the lush green valley next to the River Soca, ready to hear their favorite punk bands over one glorious week. Neighboring campers are so friendly, they will welcome you to your site, after all, you have plenty in common!

The village set up at the festival is a hipster-punk’s paradise. Coffee is served in band branded mugs, there is a punk barber set to spike, shave and dye, a craft beer hall and impressive vegan catering. Modern comfort is not forgotten as you can access hot showers, free drinking water and phone charging stations. 

Spend afternoons by the river, swimming and playing on inflatables.  Rigs are kitted out in all sorts of decorations and there are unicorns and pirates swimming about, or sitting the odd deckchair under a sun umbrella. 

Kayaking, tree swings and Volleyball games are always going on here. This is such a family-friendly event, everyone gets into a swim. Music floats down the river from the Beach Stage, keeping the mood “Punk”.

The stage lights up night after night with the best in the business revving up the crowds. Crowd surfing, even by children is commonplace here. The energy the music and people enjoying their time together is electric. 

It’s almost like they’ll never hear punk rock music ever again! Crowds are so well behaved despite the party vibe that keeps kicking on. 

On the last night of the festival, the music stage closes on an epic note. Surely most people head to their tents exhausted. But no, at 2.30 am the stage is lit up for Punk Rock Karaoke, where festival-goers can belt out their own tunes until daylight. 

Packing up is sluggish and why would anyone want to leave this idyllic paradise anyway? 

Best views at Punk Rock Holiday

Punk Rock Holiday takes place on a peninsula between two mountain rivers and two festival-owned beaches. That itself is one of the best views you will ever get of crystal clear water and natural surroundings.

Now to the stage. Even the musicians that play there are impressed with the fact that there’s a second level below the stage. The second platform to the stage is where people can come up freely and stage dive. 

Not to mention that you get your chance to rock it out with the musicians up close and personal. It moves along fast, so everyone can have the chance to get up there.  The experience is electric.  

Wandering around the huge festival site, there is so much to see. Seasoned musicians are teaching kids how to play punk on guitars, there are acrobatic displays, band merchandise village, healthy food and the skatepark and BMX track. With no timetable clashes with bands, it’s a festival-goers dream. You’ll miss nothing! 

facebooktwitterpinterest

What to wear

Your best punk garb. 
Dress ups for the beach party, one with a punk twist are the best.
Your favorite punk band t-shirts – you can get all the merchandise at the festival. 

What to pack

Camping gear
Skateboard – there’s a competition
BMX
Your guitar and amp to play around the campsite
Swimsuit
Inflatable raft
Rain jacket and boots – when it rains, it pours

Buy tickets 

Tickets have been selling out so quickly that this year the organisers have been releasing them in stages.

Early bird tickets are €121. Second release are €132. These tickets include camping.  Early camping is booked seperately and is €30 if you arrive on Friday, €25 on Saturday and €20 on Sunday before the festival. 

Parking tickets can be purchased at the festival entrance if you are staying in the local area. Children under the age of 12 enter the festival with a ticketed guardian for free. 

facebooktwitterpinterest

Punk Rock Holiday 2023 Schedule

Early camp set up from 8am on Friday before the festival. Enjoy three extra days of calm before the big event.

Monday – August 7, 2023

Everyone is getting their tent pitched and a supermarket is a quick walk nearby.  Punks hop into the fresh cool water to have a dip and check out the facilities and village. Bands start to soundcheck and you can catch a few of these if you’re early. 

Tuesday – August 8, 2023

It’s the first official day of the concerts. Morning and afternoons are spent playing. The crystal clear waters will beckon, while you eat vegan food and coffee. Visit the barber to perfect the punk hairdo. 

Bands take to both the main and beach stages for the evening and you can walk through the village for the night between them. Crowds will sing along to all the words. 

Wednesday – August 9, 2023

Spend the morning recovering. Once you leave the tent the heavy party vibe will have hit all areas of the village. It’s in full swing now. Entertainers fill the village, acrobats, skateboarders and BMX riders compete with one another. 

Head to the beach stage for afternoon music and mojitos. Main stage for headbanging, crowd surfing and stage diving all night long. 

Thursday – August 10, 2023

Quiet yoga by the lake or hipster coffee in the food village. Go for a mountain walk or kayak in the afternoon. Go for quiet, or go for action. Buy up all the merchandise you need before it’s gone. 

The big international acts take to the Main Stage from the afternoon and into the night. Just when you think the party can’t get any louder, it does. 

Friday – August 11, 2023

Perhaps there’s a slow start to the last day, partying all week leaves you wondering if there’s any energy left. You will find it! Try some great craft beers and sink into an inflatable to cruise the river for the afternoon. Get ready for the biggest night and final night of music, dancing and displays of punk rock togetherness. 

The crowds spur each other on and the music is electrifying. Finishing between 12 and 1 am, it goes off with a bang.  There’s an after-party held at the Beach Stage for those not ready to sleep and a karaoke session on the Main Stage at 2.30 am. Who needs sleep anyway?

Saturday – August 12, 2023

Time to leave with the intention of booking tickets for next year. 

Top Tips

Watch the Skate & BMX comps: Don’t miss ‘Flow Ramps Skateboard & BMX Session’ a competition which sees countries compete, the winner gets a sick guitar. 

Arrive early: The campsite opens the Friday before the festival starts on the following Monday. Get in early and enjoy 3 days of pristine nature as others only begin to arrive.

Go eco-friendly: You can rent an eco-friendly, sustainable and recyclable tent at the event. They are waterproof too. 

Punk Rock Holiday History

Punk Rock Holiday has been held since 2011 at the festival owned campsite along the shores of the River Soca. Previously, two very similar festivals had been running every year in Slovenia called Šklab Fest and Njoki Summer Festival. Organizers decided that these two events were too similar to each other for the small country of Slovenia to host and looked at merging them into one huge event. Punk Rock Holiday was born.

It was originally called Sklabfest and held initially at another site in Slovenia in 2009. When the location became unsuitable in 2010, it was moved to the new location for 2011.

The festival is insistent on no barriers to the stage so dedicated punk rockers are at one with the performance and can immerse themselves into it. The location of the festival was chosen since there were already two festivals, Metalcamp and Sajeta Creative Camp, that had been held there with great success. This way the festival can stay small at a 5000 people capacity.

Attracting the best punk rock performers and festival-goers it’s no surprise that the event is gaining in popularity very quickly. In 2019 the tickets sold out in just 10 hours. 

In 2019 around 35% of the audience came from Germany, 15% from Austria, 14% from Slovenia, 8% from Belgium and the UK, with another 5% attending from Italy, Punk Rock Holiday also attracts people from more than 40 countries such as Canada, USA, Australia, Singapore, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Israel, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates.

facebooktwitterpinterest

Things to do near Tolmin

One of the top attractions in the area is River Soca which flows through narrow rocky passages, vast waterfalls and beautiful canyons and pools. Water lovers would be happy to know that wildwater kayaking, rafting and canyoning are some of the top attractions in the area for those adrenaline seekers.

Additionally, Slovenia has tons of activities to do for the entire family or for a romantic getaway. Take part in family fun, shopping, casinos and more during a relaxing stay amidst one of nature’s finest locations.

Visit Tolmin Gorge and experience natural beauty like never before. Costing just six Euro to enter, walk or bike around the unique scenic trails and enjoy the incredible clear untouched waters. It’s truly a national park unlike any other.  

What to eat at the festival

Punk Rock Holiday is a vegan-friendly event that also offers juices and mocktails for those who prefer clean eating. Every food stall located near the beach stage is excellent quality and vegan, with items such as tofu burgers, hummus, kebabs, sandwiches, vegan ice-cream and juices.

Staying extremely eco-friendly means you can take your water bottle into the music arenas. Craft beer and meaty delights await you in the food village near the main stage. But there are also vegan options available in this area too. 

How to get to Tolmin

Punk Rock Holiday takes place just outside the small town of Tolmin in Slovenia. Festival grounds are located just 65 km away from the Mediterranean Sea and a handful of major countries such as Italy and Austria.

You can fly into Slovenia’s International Airport, Jože Pučnik Airport, located 27km north of Ljubljana.  

You can travel by road or railway from its neighboring countries of Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary.  There are ten trains per day that leave Ljubljana and head to the regional train station called ‘Most na Soci’ and it’s a three-hour drive by car to Tolmin from the city.

There is also a daily bus route from Ljubljana to Tolmin. 

Where to stay in Tolmin

Locals in the area often rent out their homes and apartments to visitors looking for a short vacation stay. From guest houses, apartments and bed and breakfasts, Tolmin has plenty of accommodation selections on the cheap. 

How to get around

The town of Tolmin is the largest settlement in the Upper Soca Valley. Local commerce and housing sit above the Soca Tolminka rivers providing residents and tourists mild winters and enjoyable summers. 

Because of this unique rural landscape, the best way to get around Tolmin is by renting a car. Public transportation is infrequent. Riding a bike is a great secondary option for travel.

Do you like punk music? Read more about Punk Rock Bowling in Nevada and Camp Anarchy in Ohio.

Photo credits: Punk Rock Holiday