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Sunny Hill Festival

Coordinates: 42°42′28″N 21°07′31″E / 42.70785312°N 21.12538523°E / 42.70785312; 21.12538523
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Sunny Hill Festival
2018 Sunny Hill Festival
GenrePerforming arts festival
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s) Pristina
CoordinatesSunny Hill Festival Park - Pristina 42°42′28″N 21°07′31″E / 42.70785312°N 21.12538523°E / 42.70785312; 21.12538523
Years active6 years
Inaugurated10 August 2018 (2018-08-10)
FounderDukagjin and Dua Lipa
Most recent25 – 28 July 2024
Next eventJuly/August 2025
Organised bySunny Hill Foundation[citation needed]
Websitesunnyhillfestival.com

The Sunny Hill Festival is an annual international music festival in Pristina, Kosovo, organised by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa and her father Dukagjin Lipa. It has established itself as the largest music festival in Kosovo.

Editions

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First Edition: 2018

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In its inaugural year, Sunny Hill Festival attracted over 52 million search results on Google,[citation needed] and garnered attention from a number of global publications such as Metro,[1] The New York Times,[2] The Guardian,[3] Billboard,[citation needed] MTV UK,[citation needed] Areavip,[citation needed] Rolling Stone,[citation needed] Anabel Magazine,[citation needed] and MTV Italia.[citation needed]

The first edition of the festival took place on 10 to 12 August 2018 at the Germia Park, near Pristina in Kosovo. Dua Lipa was the headliner and her father also performed with his band, ODA and belonged to another line-up alongside many artists from Kosovo and Albania.[3]

Second Edition: 2019

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The festival featured major stars like American artist Miley Cyrus, Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, and Albanian-American rapper Gashi.[4] The second edition of the Sunny Hill Festival took place on 2, 3 and 4 August 2019 at the Gërmia Park in Pristina.[5] In addition to several musicians of Albanian origin, namely Buta, Elvana Gjata, Ilira, Kejsi Tola, Kida, Ledri Vula, Lyrical Son, MC Kresha, Njomza and Yll Limani who performed as well.[6]

Calvin Harris concluded the festival with a performance accompanied by Dua Lipa, who performed her hit "One Kiss". The event solidified Sunny Hill's reputation, drawing larger crowds and receiving extensive media coverage.[citation needed]

2020-2021 - COVID-19

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The festival was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was postponed again in 2021 because of rising coronavirus cases, rescheduling for 2022.[citation needed]

Third Edition: 2022

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The third edition of Sunny Hill Festival in 2022 saw more than 15,000 attendees each night,making the Gërmia Park venue unable to accommodate the growing audience. Since 2019, organizers had been advocating for a larger space to expand the festival.[7] Procedural issues delayed securing a new location, and by June of that year, state institutions and organizers had not reached an agreement, leading to an announcement of the festival's potential move to Tirana, Albania.[citation needed]

However, after significant public pressure, a consensus was reached with the government and the municipality of Prishtina. As a result, the festival was held in Prishtina from August 4 to 7, with plans to continue working on a permanent location for future editions. This announcement was followed with criticism due to the legal status of Gërmia Park as a protected landscape and concerns for pollution. It was also announced that Tirana would host a separate edition with a different lineup on August 26, 27, and 28.[citation needed]

The festival was headlined Dua Lipa, and also features other international stars, including J Balvin, Skepta, and Diplo, also performed alongside local and regional artists.[8] That year's festival theme was a call for visa liberalization for Kosovo under the slogan "Set Me Free."[citation needed]

2023 - Getting our home ready

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In 2023, Sunny Hill Festival continued to gain international recognition.[citation needed] The festival was also listed as one of the top five must-attend festivals in Europe.[9][failed verification][by whom?]

Fourth Edition: 2024

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In an official statement in May 2023, the festival's organizers announced that they were "getting our new and permanent home ready".[10]

This year, the festival will be held at its new permanent location in Bërnica i Poshtme from July 25 to 28.[11] The lineup includes artists such as Bebe Rexha, Burna Boy, Stormzy, The Blaze, the Martinez Brothers, and more.[citation needed] The festival will offer performances across three stages: the Main Stage, the C4 Stage, and the Tent Stage.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Baillie, Katie (18 June 2018). "Dua Lipa's dad is putting on a music festival and of course the singer will sing". Metro. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  2. ^ Marshall, Alex (17 August 2018). "Can a Music Festival Make Kosovo Cool?". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Walker, Shaun (5 August 2018). "Dua Lipa's father stages music festival for 'peace-loving' Kosovo". The Guardian. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Dua Lipa announces Sunnyhill headliners". Prishtina Insight. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  5. ^ "'Sunny Hill Festival 2019' mbahet më 2, 3 dhe 4 gusht 2019". Telegrafi (in Albanian). 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Line – Up 2019". Sunny Hill Festival. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Dua Lipa's Father Will Host His Music Festival in Kosovo After All". Billboard.
  8. ^ "Dua Lipa Thrills Fans Performing on First Day of Sunny Hill". 5 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Sunny Hill Festival".
  10. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  11. ^ "The first tickets for the "biggest edition" of the "Sunny Hill" festival go on sale".
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