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.
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
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
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
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
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
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]
