From seaside to snow: this Croatian festival is arriving in the Alps
Twenty years ago Nick Colgan and his wife Charlotte put on a party in Croatia. It went well, and was instrumental in helping establish the country’s coastline as one of the European party capitals.
Their venue in Tisno has since hosted over a dozen festivals, and these days Love International, Outlook, Defected and Dimensions are just some of the events hosted by Nick and Charlotte at their waterside Garden Resort. Croatia is now viewed alongside Spain and Germany by people looking to go gig-tripping (holidaying while taking in a festival or gig).
The couple are celebrating the big 20th anniversary with their first ever knees-up in the Alps, this December transplanting his festival formula to the village of Obertaeur in Austria for the first of what he hopes will be a new series of festivals in the ski town.
A WINTER GARDEN: A NEW FESTIVAL IN THE ALPS
Tickets are available for this year’s event, which will bring together just 350 people for an initial trial run. Packages include airport transfers and half-board accommodation. The Places Obertauern by Valamar hotel and venue will host a variety of the parties throughout the week.
Skiing, wellness activities like yoga, and live and electronic music programming is taking place, with sets in après bars on the mountain and in the village. “2025 is a pivotal year for us,” says Nick Colgan. “We yearned for a new project which captures the essence of what we started in Croatia, only this time, instead of sun there’s lots of snow!”
The line-up features local Croatian artists popular at their summer events (Zagreb is only a few hours away from Austria by car) as well as bigger international names. Unusually for a snow music festival there is also a decent curation of more sophisticated bits, including pre-dinner live performances in the hotel “paving the way for vibrant nights on the dancefloor”.
Read more: The Austrian ski resort offering great powder without the crowds
THE SKIING
There are more than 100 kilometers of slopes in Obertauern, offering runs for all levels. Most of the hotels have a ski-in ski-out facility and one particular attraction is the ‘Tauernrunde’ 30 kilometre circuit that allows intermediate skiers to tour the best of the area’s natural beauty.
Open November to May, Obertauern has a reputation for being fairly snow-sure. Music lovers new to skiing needn’t worry as 61 per cent of the runs are beginner-level, and there are plenty of nursery slopes (and decent black runs for the experienced). It is one of Austria’s highest non-glacier resorts, with skiing between 1,600m and 2,300m.
THE RESORT
The village of Obertauern has a reputation for lively nightlife, and two new hotels are attracting ski and snowboarders from the nearby competitor regions of Kitzbühel and St. Anton.
The Places Obertauern by Valamar opened in time for the 2023 season and features a rooftop bar with views over the mountain range, as well as a lounge bar with fireplace for nightly live performances during the festival. There is also a spa area with indoor pool and sauna. The Valamar hotel group is partly Croatian owned, with 12 properties in that country, and the couple, who live in Croatia, are partnerning with the hotel by serving his Croatian-brewed beer in the Austrian Alps.
“It’s about blending music, nature and connection,” says Nick Colgan, who is gearing up for the event kick-off. “That’s where the magic of A Winter Garden lies: ski, dance, recharge and repeat.”