RABBITING ON: Scotty The Blue Bunny is master of ceremonies at Bestiarum Zagreb this July (photo: Christina Holmes)
Bestiarum Zagreb hits in July – and you can win tickets!
Croatia’s promising new fetish fest Bestiarum Zagreb returns for its third annual outing in early July. We check out the international line-up, give you the chance to win tickets, and throw in some suggestions for touring the area’s beautiful island-strewn coast
The Fetishistas ‘discovered’ Zagreb’s Bestiarum event a year ago, as the organisers were preparing to mount the second of these fetish fests in the Croatian capital.
Looking at what was lined-up, and having numerous pleasant e-mail conversations with the enthusiastic promoter behind it — Ivan Kralj of local NGO Mala performerska scena (aka Mala prsa) — we quickly came to the conclusion that Bestiarum had the potential to become a new summer destination for European kinksters.
For anyone who’s keen to combine their pervy partying with tourism, and likes sun, sea and sand, the location of this event close to the Dalmatian coastline with its resorts and numerous pretty islands can hardly fail to appeal.
Last year, Bestiarum 2 took place at the end of June and featured performances by Elegy Ellem, Empress Stah and David TG (on the decks), while other international talent included Lada Redstar (Germany), Cohdi (New Mexico), Miss Mortina Maniac (Norway) and Gulko (USA/France).
Interestingly, visitors who stayed until July 1 last year would have had the unique experience of leaving Croatia on the day it celebrated becoming a member of the EU. So if they were European, their passports would have been stamped on the way in, but not on the way out.
After performing at last year’s Bestiarum, Elegy Ellem was full of praise for the event. She told us: “I think it has real potential. Great venue, very nice people organising it, lots of friendly, nice people at the party, a good stage, very high quality performances and good organisation!”
This year, Bestiarum 3 takes place on Saturday July 5, and the line-up again features familiar TG faces in the form of latex-loving extreme burlesque performer Marnie Scarlet, and Allen TG on deck duties.
They’ll be joined by performers Scotty the Blue Bunny (New York), Apollo Garcia (New Mexico), Sado Opera (Russia) and shibari artist Andrea Ropes (Italy). Sado Opera will also provide music, along with Croatian DJs End (Pure Electro) and Ivan Krzelj (muzikfantastique). Visuals are by Twisted Constrictor.
The party runs from 9pm to 6am at Dramatic Club in downtown Zagreb, located at Ulica Grgura Ninskog 2.
Yes, after invading the 1,000 square metre space of industrial complex Jedinstvo on the banks of the Sava river for its first two years, Bestiarum now has a new home at this 1,000-capacity venue known for hosting some of the city’s most colourful gay and gay-friendly events.
The venue has three floors with two bars, and themed spaces include a triple-x cinema/dark room and cellar dungeon. The party has a strictly enforced dresscode similar to TG’s.
Tickets cost just €15 until June 15, €18 thereafter, and €20 on the door. But three lucky people can each win a pair of tickets for this year’s party — see panel on right!
This year Bestiarum moves to a new home: a 1,000 capacity venue that hosts some of Zagreb’s most colourful gay and gay-friendly events.
SUGGESTIONS FOR TOURISM
Bestiarum’s move to July brings the promise of great weather ahead, so why not spend a bit of your summer on some of the islands in the area?
Win Bestiarum 3 tickets below!
There is a saying that in Croatia there are as many islands as days in a year. You could indeed spend a year in Croatia and visit one per day — but that would still leave more than 800 islands left to visit!
And only 66 of the 1,200-plus islands are inhabited — the rest are just waiting for you to explore them.
You can expect azure blue sea (one of the most transparent seas in the world), beautiful bays and beaches, and picturesque villages surrounded by magnificent nature including eight national parks. Three of the national parks are actually islands as well.
Brijuni on the western coast of Istria houses Marshal Tito’s residence and a safari park populated by animals given to him by world leaders, some of which have since become stuffed museum exhibits (the animals, that is).
The Kornati islands are the densest collection of islands in the Mediterannean, while Mljet, boasting rich vegetation and cultural heritage, is an island with a lake and another island in it!
Along the coastline you can also find some of the most amazingly-shaped islands in the world.
The Brijuni group has an island shaped like a fish, the island of Galesnjak is also known as the island of love (shaped like a heart of course!), while the unusual beach of Zlatni rat (on the island of Brac) often features in lists of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
If you’re looking for party island getaways, the best known are the fashionable and hedonistic island of Hvar, and Pag with its moon-like surface (supposedly also the favourite destination of UFOs visiting Croatia!).
The town of Novalja attracts the wildest party people from all around the world; its beach, Zrce, is famous as Croatia’s alternative to Ibiza, with 24-hour partying.
But if you’d rather hide from everybody, why not try one of the islands with lighthouses, such as Palagruza? If you fancy a Robinson Crusoe experience, this might just be your ideal getaway.
If you’d rather hide from everybody, try one of the islands with lighthouses, such as Palagruza – ideal for a Robinson Crusoe experience
Friday, 30 May 2014
The Fetishistas has three sets of tickets to give away for Bestiarum 3 in Zagreb on July 5 2014. That means each of our three winners can attend the party with a guest, free — a prize worth €40 per couple (door price).
For a chance of winning, just answer this simple question: which popular Torture Garden performer known for extreme latex shows will be appearing at Bestiarum 3?
E-mail info@thefetishistas.com with your answer, to arrive by midnight London time on Wednesday June 11 2014. Winners will be the first three correct answers drawn on June 12 from all submissions received by the specified deadline. Winners will be notified immediately by e-mail.
Put “Bestiarum 3 competition” in the subject line and put your answer in the text space along with your full name and your town/city and country of residence. If you do not wish your real name to be published if you win, include an alias.
Prizes will be sent in the form of e-tickets, which will be e-mailed to you direct from the event promoter. We will assume that the sender’s address on your competition entry is the address to send the e-tickets to, unless you specify an alternative.
IMPORTANT — COMPETITION RULES: The prizes in this competition are limited to admission tickets for the Bestiarum 3 party in Zagreb. Prizes do not include accommodation, air fares or other travel costs or associated expenses, which are the responsibility of winners. To be admitted to the party, winners must abide by the dresscode specified on the Bestiarum website (below), where you can also find other useful info about the event and location. The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Tags: Competitions, Parties, Performance Artists
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