Annual gathering of THE balkan UNDERGROUND community
20—23.07.2023.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT SAWA
SAWA is a non-profit association of enthusiasts from Županja, Croatia who are passionate about underground culture, alternative art, and loud music tunes.
We organize shows, festival, screenings, exhibitions, eco-actions, discussion panels, street art sessions, and more. Started 15 years ago, back in 2009. with the first festival edition and keep on rockin’ since then, getting more ambitious year after year!
One of our most prominent projects is the Sick As We Are festival - an annual gathering of the Balkan hardcore punk community in Županja, Croatia. Our gathering usually takes place mid-July, when people all over the Balkan region and beyond come together to meet, exchange, discuss and have fun.
SAWA Fest is a small and intimate gathering with a friendly atmosphere and do-it-together spirit. We have already had 156 different bands perform on our stages, plus a few bands dear to our hearts that we repeated shows in the recent years. We love to host new artists from all over the world and introduce their music to the regional community. So far we have had bands coming from 25 different countries across 5 continents, where more than 700 individual artists have taken part in the festival programme.
Around 12.000 people visited our gatherings, made thanks to 60-ish volunteers giving their hands, time and brains to make this story happen across all of the years so far. To some this is nothing, to us - it’s the whole world, especially having in mind that our city has much fewer citizens than the total number of visitors so far. So, it’s small, but also huge!
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In short, SAWA is all about gathering underground music lovers from all around the world, but mostly Balkan region, together to meet, make friendly connections and have fun. By doing that we also support the scene and bands on tour in need for show, as well as loudly saying good night to racism, fascism, hate, violence, homophobia and any kind of discrimination. We think that's more important now than ever, and we truly stand by it while try to educate others, both locally and festival visitors, to foster same principles and values.
Take a look how it was at SAWA Fest in 2022.
We came back stronger and more dedicated in 2022 after taking a short break for in-person gatherings during the 2020/2021 pandemic and focusing instead on actions for social good, contributing to society and helping those in need.
Play video on the left side or support it here on You-The-Media.
Photo gallery
We don't like monotony, that's why we shuffle things around every year. We change locations, festival layouts, campgrounds, stage setups, equipment, additional activities and more.
We went from shows under the wooden marquee, to big fancy aluminium stages, back to tent stages and self-built improvised stage setups next to the river and in the forest. From pictures it could look like completely different shows and that’s exactly what we wanted to achieve in the last 15 years and share here with you. We first and foremost do this for ourselves and the way we like it. Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do too!
Thursday—Sunday
20—22 July 2023
poloji—zupanja—balkan
The festival is located in Županja, Croatia (Europe) at Poloji beach.
Sarajevo: 190km ★ Belgrade: 150km ★ Zagreb: 250km ★ Budapest: 360km ★ Ljubljana: 400km ★
Sofia: 540km ★ Vienna: 570km ★ Skopje: 590km ★ Munich: 800km ★ Prague: 850km ★ Milan: 880km
Wanna help with promotion?
We have limited promotional resources. We don’t make ads. We don’t create sponsorship content. We don’t do PRs. All we do is print out posters and flyers and bring them to local shows.
Any help here is appreciated. As a thank you note - get in touch so we can prepare some merch goodies to wait for you at the festival.
20 bands in 1 week full of activities. ALL DONATION-BASED.
2023 Lineup
Thursday 20.07.2023.
On Thursday, we are organizing the zero(th) day of the festival for the first time! Given that we are logistically more or less ready a day earlier, and that in the last few years exactly on that Thursday evening we always imagine how cool it would be if a band would play in a small and intimate atmosphere for the crew, we decided this year to make such a party for ourselves and all of you who want to come and hang out earlier.
Expect an experimental evening with noisy and loud music by nervous metallic punks on the MOSH TENT stage located under the tent which will also serve as a backup stage for other days in case of bad weather. There will be 4 bands in total and we plan to start around 8 pm and play until midnight.
FRIDAY 21.07.2023.
This year on Friday we have a few bands less than usual, so that we don't get hit by last year's heat wave and 44°C right before the start of the concert. That's why the first band will start at 8 p.m., and the warm-up around 7 p.m. The performances will take place on the UNITY RIVER stage right on the banks of the Sava River itself, as a symbol and sign of unity and friendship - not only for us neighbours gathered on this festival, but also for migrants who found themselves in these areas by unlucky circumstances.
The stage will be made mostly from materials found at Poloji that the river washed onto the shore, collected from junk yards and saved from previous years, so expect a DIY gig in an intimate atmosphere and not huge festival stages. Friday will be kind of a melodic prelude to the weekend party, a total of 6 bands will perform, after which the inevitable after party starts.
⤑ HEIHAIZI / Zagreb, HR
⤑ VLKN / Budapest, HU
⤑ NAGÖN / Belgrade, RS
⤑ MIŽERIJA / Zadar, HR
⤑ LIQUID SUPERCHARGE / Pula, HR
⤑ MAZUT / Pula, HR
⤑ STARVATION / PŽ/SI/ST, HR
SATURDAY 22.07.2023.
On Saturday it will get really wicked! 8 great bands are getting ready to make a hardcore punk party to remember in the forest. We are bringing back the ANGRY FOREST as an all-day stage where all performances that day will take place.
We start at 19h with fast and furious sets. During the day, we are preparing a circus performance and various daily activities in the shade of the Poloji river beach. Mosquitoes will help us to count thousands in front of the stage, so a dance party is guaranteed.
⤑ CRIPPLED FOX / Budapest, HU
⤑ GILLIAN CARTER / Orlando, US
⤑ STATICO / Belgrade, RS
⤑ NAILED IN / Zagreb, HR
⤑ LINEOUT / Milan, IT
⤑ GROS ENFANT MORT / Poitiers, FR
⤑ DEAD DOG SUMMER / Čakovec, HR
⤑ DISBAJA / Zagreb, HR
MORE THAN MUSIC!
We’re always trying to bring more activities than just loud noise from the PA, from info decks, to circus performances, goods exchange, exhibitions, various installations and more. Here’s what we have been cooking for 2023.
✚ Circus performance: Navodno oslobodilački cirkus
✚ Take it or leave it fair - bring stuff that you don't need and take something with you
✚ Smudge Screen print lab - Live screen printing
✚ Punk rock trivia quiz challenges installations in collaboration with Goodwill Records
✚ Second hand punk rock market that helps us to run the festival and donate to good causes, and you to get fancy used clothes
✚ Leave no one behind - Info deck regarding pushbacks on the balkan borders and support for the people on the move
✚ Exhibition of SAWA artworks in the last 15 years
✚ Info deck about local animal shelter collective and how to help
✚ Cocktails, craft beers and cakes made by our SAWA volunteers
✚ Coffee and breakfast on donations
✚ Have an idea for an installations, exhibitions or other DIY craftworks? Come and experiment!
✚ Slackline, Table football, Volleyball, Table tennis, Soccer and more activities you could enjoy
✚ After party with SICK DJs
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![CESTODE]()
CESTODE
sludge / doom
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![CRIPPLED FOX]()
CRIPPLED FOX
thrashcore
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![DEAD DOG SUMMER]()
DEAD DOG SUMMER
post hardcore
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![DISBAJA]()
DISBAJA
dbeat / crust
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![DYING EAST]()
DYING EAST
metal punx
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![GILLIAN CARTER]()
GILLIAN CARTER
post hardcore
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![GROSS ENFANT MORT]()
GROSS ENFANT MORT
screamo / emo
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![GROUND ZERO]()
GROUND ZERO
metal / crust
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![HEIHAIZI]()
HEIHAIZI
garage / punk
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![LINE OUT]()
LINE OUT
skate punk
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![LIQUID SUPERCHARGE]()
LIQUID SUPERCHARGE
garage / speedrock
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![MAZUT]()
MAZUT
dbeat / crust
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![MIŽERIJA]()
MIZERIJA
post punk / new wave
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![NAGÖN]()
NAGÖN
street r'n'r / punk rock
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![NAILED IN]()
NAILED IN
hardcore punk
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![STARVATION]()
STARVATION
crust punk
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![STATICO]()
STATICO
hardcore punk
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![TOTAL FRAUD]()
TOTAL FRAUD
hardcore / punk
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![VLKN]()
VLKN
dbeat / crust
WARM-UP PARTY
15.07.2023.
Last year we had our first guests volunteers for a longer period with us where we received suggestions from a few of you from the audience that you might be interested in joining us in Županja for a few days before the festival, spend time with us, and experience firsthand how we organize the fest and help us as volunteers. So, let's try to do it!
This year we are opening the doors to everyone interested in contributing to the festival already on Saturday 15.7., a week before the festival, when we will host a sick warm-up gig with ENDLESS SWARM (Edinburgh, UK) and EXORBITANT PRICES MUST DIMINISH (Genlausbielbern, CH) at the well-known Poloji.
This could become an interesting new way of transparency and co-creation for everyone who wants to express their creativity and help create a common space for socializing and discussion offscreen. Volunteer assistance is completely at your own choice and not expected even if you come earlier. There is no application or selection - feel free to join us anytime from 15.07. onward on Poloji in this adventure. For coordination of activities and contact on the ground, you can use the SAWA Telegram group.
Frequently asked questions
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Completely donation based and a voluntary basis. Donate as much as you can. No minimum donations.
You will find donation boxes all around the location, so please look for them or ask at the bar and help us run the show.
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We’re happy every other year when we get to the break-even point. So, in short - no.
Also, everyone included in the organization is doing this completely voluntarily without a single cent given for the hard work and contribution to both festival organization, as well as other projects SAWA does.
We often spend our own money to cover losses and invest in equipment we need to do this.
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Since the location is a public beach on the Sava river bank - in thousands.
However, we keep it small and intimate, so expect hundreds of attendees, without entrance, security or stage fences.
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Yep. It’s free and in the shade under the trees. Keep it clean and respect other groups though!
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We have mobile toilets all around the location. We suggest bringing your own wet tissues/toilet paper since it gets used quickly.
There are also showers with potable water (the same water connection that the whole city is using for drinking).
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Yep, basic alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on the bar. Same goes for food, nothing too fancy but both vegan and vegetarian, as well as omnivore options are available at the “Yayara” stand.
Our volunteers often prepare cakes, craft beers, cocktails, coffee + breakfast in the morning and more - so feel free to bring something you made and share with others!
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Of course! Both SAWA merchandise show truck as well as other bands and punk distros within the tent.
Support bands and artists by buying something from their stands so they can keep doing amazing work for all of us!
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You can join from July 15th onwards on any given day. We will be on festival location and slowly building the infrastructure and cleaning up the space for the festivities. Join the Telegram group if you are able to assist in any way.
Another way of helping is just being reasonable to our equipment and installations and not breaking (or stealing!) them intentionally, cleaning up after you and your friends in the campground, keeping the place tidy even if the garbage is not yours, and in the end by respecting other attendees and not playing macho shit.
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There’s no application process for volunteers. Most of the hard work is done by local SAWA Crew, so what we look for are extra hands to get the outdoor place in order for the best festival experience.
In other words, as volounteer you can help us with arranging the space, cleaning the coast from plastics, mowing the grass, chopping bushes, carrying and assembling musical equipment, building the stages, occasional work in the bar and at the merchandise stand, creating various decorations and art installations, transporting props from last year, construction of various seating areas and places to enjoy and chill, etc.
We will have a full list of activities on the ground you will be able to check and see where to contribute. Your suggestions are welcomed, so come up with something sick and useful and get your hands dirty by leading the initiative - don’t wait for others to instruct, but ask for tools, guidance & help! 💪
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Some of us are designers over here. We like to keep our shit in order. We also tend to experiment on how to transmit our message to a wider audience besides social media monsters.
The goal is simple: To bring more kids to punk rock scene and show them alternative ways of making things happen - for them, by them.
Cannot find answer on your question?
15 years // 2009-2023
The SAWA Family keeps getting bigger and stronger.
We’re close to hosting 200 unique bands so far. We’re grateful to each band that came to our little town and made a noisy statement, so here’s to the wall of sickers! Go check their music even if you haven’t seen them live - support by buying merchandise and try to catch them somewhere on the road in the future.
70cm3 of Your Chest (Berlin/Germany & Vilnius/Lithuania) ★ Against The Odds (Novi Sad/Serbia) ★ AK-47 (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Aktivna Propaganda (Ljubljana/Slovenia) ★ All Except One (Zrenjanin/Serbia) ★ Another Breath (Syracuse/United States) ★ Baka Yaro (Ljubljana/Slovenia) ★ Bakterije (Čakovec/Croatia) ★ Become As One (Novi Sad/Serbia) ★ Bed Religion (Ajdovščina/Slovenia) ★ Bible Thrower (Rijeka/Croatia) ★ Black Gust (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Black Sheep (Mouscron/Belgium) ★ Bomber (Novi Sad/Serbia) ★ Boredom (Graz/Austria) ★ Break The Mold (Pula/Croatia) ★ Caloris Impact (Graz/Austria) ★ Canine (Marseille/France) ★ CC (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Cestode (Leipzig & Berlin/Germany) ★ Concrete Worms (Belgrade/Serbia) ★ Confusion (Lille/France) ★ Contwig (Strasbourg/France) ★ Crasso De Odio (Zadar/Croatia) ★ Crippled Fox (Budapest/Hungary) ★ Crustalno Jasno (Mostar/BiH) ★ Cvlt of Grace (Pécs/Hungary) ★ D.J. and The Wootchyak (Pula/Croatia) ★ Dead Dog Summmer (Čakovec/Croatia) ★ Deafness By Noise (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Debeli Precjednik (Osijek/Croatia) ★ Declaration (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Deer In The Headlights (Banja Luka/BiH) ★ Despite Everything (Athens/Greece) ★ Different Directions (Pula/Croatia) ★ Disbaja (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Dispro (Split/Croatia) ★ Diverzija (Osijek/Croatia) ★ Doble D (Distrito Federal/Mexico) ★ Dosta! (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Dying East (Županja/Croatia) ★ Eaglehaslanded (Belgrade/Serbia) ★ Eat My Fear (Berlin/Germany) ★ Eke Buba (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Elephant Opinions (Ternopil/Ukraine) ★ En Mi Defensa (Santiago/Chile) ★ Faak Am See (Slavonski Brod/Croatia) ★ Fake Off (Lille/France) ★ Family Vacation (Washington/United States) ★ Fight Back (Požega/Croatia) ★ Final Approach (Krško/Slovenia) ★ Frekvencija (Fažana/Croatia) ★ Fried Brain (Pula/Croatia) ★ Gillian Carter (Orlando/United States) ★ Gloves Off (Banja Luka/BiH) ★ Gross Enfant Mort (Poitiers/France) ★ Ground Zero (Novi Sad/Serbia) ★ Growing Rats (Krško/Slovenia) ★ Gust (Trollhättan/Sweden) ★ Hak Attak (Idrija/Slovenia) ★ Harry (Ajdovščina/Slovenia) ★ Heihaizi (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Hexis (Copenhagen/Denmark) ★ Hidden Layer (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Hitman (Belgrade/Serbia) ★ Hobson's Choice (Tuzla/BiH) ★ Human Behavior (Graz/Austria) ★ In-Sane (Gornja Radgona/Slovenia) ★ Insekticid (Županja/Croatia) ★ In-Sane (Gornja Radgona/Slovenia) ★ Jaded (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Jodie Faster (Lille/France) ★ Joliette (Puebla/México) ★ KDP (Slavonski Šamac/Croatia) ★ Kids Insane (Tel Aviv/Israel) ★ Kill For Peace (Valenciennes/France) ★ Kriva Istina (Slavonski Brod/Croatia) ★ Kurve (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Lack Of Soul (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Laff Box (Leipzig/Germany) ★ Last Hope (Sofia/Bulgaria) ★ Lazarath (Novi Sad/Serbia) ★ Left In Ruins (Trento/Italy) ★ LineOut (Milan/Italy) ★ Liquid Supercharge (Pula/Croatia) ★ Ljubiša Samardžić (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Loš Primjer (Požega/Croatia) ★ Love Equals Death (California/United States) ★ Low Relief (Poitiers/France) ★ Mališa Bahat (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Mazut (Pula/Croatia) ★ Me As Well (Karlovac/Croatia) ★ Mižerija (Zadar/Croatia) ★ More Dangerous Than A Thousand Rioters (Strasbourg/France) ★ Motherpig (Sarajevo/BiH) ★ Motus (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Muerto Rico (Belgrade/Serbia) ★ My Own Voice (Milan/Italy) ★ My Turn (Athens/Greece) ★ Nagön (Belgrade/Serbia) ★ Nailed In (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ New Dead Project (Budapest/Hungary) ★ Niboowin (Michigan/United States) ★ Nine Eleven (Le Mans/France) ★ Nionde Plågan (Jönköping/Sweden) ★ Niyazov (Novi Sad/Serbia) ★ Nulajednanulanula (Prague/Czechia) ★ Nulla Osta (Pula/Croatia) ★ OAK (Jönköping/Sweden) ★ Obscene Revenge (East Coast/Italy) ★ Ona Snop (Leeds/United Kingdom) ★ One Step Away (Koprivnica & Varaždin/Croatia) ★ OSS (Rome/Italy) ★ Ottone Pesante (Faenza/Italy) ★ P.R.S.O! (Sombor/Serbia) ★ Pasi (Rijeka/Croatia) ★ Pasmaters (Pula/Croatia) ★ Passive Agressive (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Path of Cestoda (Karlovac & D.Resa/Croatia) ★ Pestarzt (Sombor/Serbia) ★ Pijn (Manchester/United Kingdom) ★ Ponor (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Ponte De Carla (Šibenik/Croatia) ★ Proslov (Županja/Croatia) ★ Public Disgrace (Pula/Croatia) ★ Radost-Stradanje (Belgrade/Serbia) ★ Reanimacija (Pula/Croatia) ★ Reflections Of Internal Rain (Novi Sad/Serbia) ★ Replicunts (Belgrade/Serbia) ★ Rules (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Rutka Laskier (Znojmo & Brno/Czechia) ★ Sedativ (Kraljevo/Serbia) ★ Sekta (Osijek/Croatia) ★ Sentence (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Shin (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Skinpin (Sydney/Australia) ★ Slander (Venice/Italy) ★ Slimboy (Basel/Switzerland) ★ Smrt Razuma (Osijek/Croatia) ★ Socijalna Služba (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Starvation (Požega & Sisak & Split/Croatia) ★ Statico (Belgrade/Serbia) ★ Stepped Out (Split/Croatia) ★ Struggling For Reason (Brussels/Belgium) ★ Šutnja (Županja/Croatia) ★ The Bridge (Belgrade/Serbia) ★ The Snub (Graz/Austria) ★ The Truth (Kraljevo/Serbia & Zagreb/Croatia) ★ This Day Will Burn (Osijek/Croatia) ★ Total Fraud (Berlin/Germany) ★ Totalni Promašaj (Kraljevo/Serbia) ★ Trophy Jump (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ Uragano (Sanremo/Italy) ★ Vipera (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ VitaminX (Amsterdam/Netherlands) ★ VLKN (Budapest/Hungary) ★ Vox Populi (Beograd/Serbia) ★ Vršnjačko Nasilje (Novi Sad/Serbia) ★ Wake The Dead (Marseille/France) ★ What Matters Most (Koprivnica/Croatia) ★ Wish Upon A Star (Athens/Greece) ★ Woes (Copenhagen/Denmark) ★ Worst Days (Providence/United States) ★ XV. Čeh (Zagreb/Croatia) ★ YÖU (Skopje/Macedonia) ★ Zilp Zalp (Dortmund/Germany) ★ Zrada (Kharkiv/Ukraine)
+ performances and installations from Inex Cirkus Teatar, Smudge Live Screen Printing Lab, Slama Land Art, Navodno oslobodilački cirkus, Lord Chardak, and more…
Start your own band
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Play your own music
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Scream the change
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Make it loud
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Do it together
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Come to SAWA Fest
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Start your own band ✪ Play your own music ✪ Scream the change ✪ Make it loud ✪ Do it together ✪ Come to SAWA Fest ✪
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