The countdown to the long-awaited return of EXIT’s Sea Dance Festival in Budva is officially on! There are exactly 10 days to go until the biggest summer festival in this part of Europe takes over Bečići beach from 28 to 30 August, bringing together festivalgoers from more than 100 countries across six continents and some of today’s biggest music names. We now know how the three festival nights will unfold, with a programme built to deliver from the very first beat to the final track. Friday’s opening night brings techno icon and undisputed queen of the genre Charlotte de Witte, alongside HUGEL, one of the most in-demand artists in the world right now, whose summer anthems are being heard everywhere. Saturday welcomes Eurovision winner DARA and British hitmaker John Newman, who is bringing an exclusive new live show to Montenegro, while Sunday’s grand finale belongs to one of the most instantly recognisable producers in contemporary electronic music, Boris Brejcha. Across all three days, the Dance Paradise stage will host a carefully selected mix of local, regional and international electronic artists, led by Berlin techno veteran Marcel Dettmann, Portuguese techno star BIIA and psychedelic house specialist Mita Gami, alongside a wider line-up set to turn Bečići into one of the summer’s biggest dance destinations.
The opening night immediately brings one of the strongest combinations on this year’s programme. French superstar HUGEL arrives in Budva at the height of his career, firmly established as one of the biggest names on the contemporary dance scene, with global hits including I Adore You, Movin’ To The Sun and Jamaican (Bam Bam), tracks that have climbed charts and reached millions of listeners around the world. At the other end of the spectrum, Charlotte de Witte brings her dark, hypnotic techno to Bečići, a sound that has made her one of the defining figures of the global electronic scene and turned festival stages into vast dancefloors. Friday is further strengthened by Enrico Sangiuliano and RPR Soundsystem, taking the first night on a wide arc from huge dance records through techno and into Romanian underground territory.
Friday also brings a powerful mix of local, regional and international names to the Dance Paradise stage. Opening night features Mark Aasgier, Branko Vuković b2b Petar P. and A:RPIA:R, setting the pace for the weekend and giving Bečići its first proper dose of dancefloor energy.
Saturday changes direction. Current Eurovision winner DARA makes her first festival appearance in Montenegro after winning over Europe with the infectious pop anthem Bangaranga. Later that night, John Newman brings his Exclusive New Live Show, featuring songs such as Love Me Again, Feel the Love and Blame, the records that have helped make him one of the most recognisable British voices of the past decade.
Saturday at Dance Paradise turns the electronic energy up another notch, with a line-up that brings regional talent together with one of the most important figures in global techno. Laris, Reblok and Ana RS will set the atmosphere, while the night gains real weight with Marcel Dettmann, one of the defining protagonists of Berlin techno and a cult name within the genre, alongside BIIA, whose distinctive sound is set to push the temperature on the dancefloor even higher.
Sunday belongs to Boris Brejcha. His connection with the EXIT crowd goes back years, from his first Dance Arena appearance to the tens of thousands of “Jokerheads” who have welcomed him at Petrovaradin Fortress. This time, the mask, the high-tech minimal sound and the full-scale production move to the Adriatic. Joining Brejcha on the main stage is New York DJ sensation Layla Benitez, giving Sea Dance’s final night a more melodic, hypnotic flow all the way through to the festival’s closing moments.
Sunday at Dance Paradise delivers the final chapter in a lively mix of house and techno, with a line-up built to keep the dancefloor moving until the very last track. The closing run features Nigel, MaKhe b2b Mr. Jools, Buba b2b Lerr and Proximus b2b Mips, while Coeus and Mita Gami bring an extra charge to the finale, ready to turn the last night into a full-scale dance marathon.
As the programme falls into place, preparations in Budva are also entering the final stretch for an audience arriving from almost every corner of the world. Alongside visitors from across the region, the countries with the highest number of registrations include Germany, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Italy, Poland, France, the United States and Hungary. Guests have also secured their place at Sea Dance from Ukraine, Canada, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates and the Seychelles, among many others.
One of the most striking festival settings in the region awaits in Bečići, with the stage just a few steps from the sea, the Adriatic behind it and Bečići beach becoming the dancefloor. Artists who spend the year performing to thousands in major arenas, clubs and festivals around the world will play their sets right by the water, in a setting that is hard to recreate anywhere else. For three nights, Bečići will become Sea Dance’s open-air summer stage.
And the best part? Entry to the festival is completely free.
Advance registration through the festival’s official website is required, while those looking for an upgraded festival experience can also purchase VIP tickets for all three days.
More festival names, along with all key visitor information, will be announced in the coming days, so keep an eye on our official channels for the latest updates ahead of the festival.
