DROPS Festival 2025 – An immersive psychedelic gathering
DROPS Festival 2025 – An immersive psychedelic gathering
Drops Festival in Slovenia is an immersive psychedelic gathering in a beautiful forest location. In the interview with the organisers of Drops, we talk about the history of the festival’s creation, its unique nature and the Drops community.
Tell us please about the first edition of Drops Festival. How did you get the idea to create Drops?
DROPS has it’s roots in illegal outdoor parties organised from 2013 by a tight-knit group of fanatical friends as a way to celebrate our birthdays. The decision to make a proper multi day festival was born around 2017 while hanging out in the nature of Slovenia, daydreaming about what could be possible if we combined our love for music, community, and the psychedelic scene. What started as a small gathering quickly spiraled out of control — in the best way. The party evolved, almost organically, into a full-blown six-day, five-night festival.
we combined our love for music, community, and the psychedelic scene
From the beginning, we knew we wanted to do things differently. We never fully connected with the classic look of psytrance festivals — the lycras, the cookie-cutter setups — it just wasn’t us. We were drawn to a different kind of aesthetic, both visually and sonically. So we carved our own path and made the festival in way we imagined it could be. That DIY spirit still pulses through DROPS today.
Photo: Drops Festival 2024 by Gianluca Iarlori pics
Who are the people from Drops Festival? Tell us more about the Drops community.
What we would say is that over the years, we attracted a very special kind of crowd that is distinctly different to other psychedelic festivals. The dancefloor vibes are usually extremely playful, people interact and joke around a lot. This makes it different from many other festivals where the crowd seems to be more individualistic.
This makes it different from many other festivals where the crowd seems to be more individualistic
Many have been to big commercial festivals and found them lacking soul. DROPS offers something different: a place where you can actually meet people, lose track of time, drop the mask, and just be – but still with a production and lineup comparable to the biggest festivals in the scene. It’s a welcoming tribe that always makes you feel like at home — even if you’ve never been before.
It’s a welcoming tribe that always makes you feel like at home
Photo: Drops Festival 2024 by Gianluca Iarlori pics
Where is the festival located?
DROPS takes place in the heart of Slovenia’s Udinboršt forest — a stunning, untouched natural setting surrounded by trees, lakes, and mountains. It’s one of the most beautiful and unique forests in the country, offering countless opportunities to explore, connect with nature, and lose yourself in the landscape.
But Udinboršt holds more than just natural beauty — it carries deep historical weight. During World War II, this forest was the site of fierce battles between Nazi forces and Partisan resistance fighters. The fact that it now hosts a celebration of freedom, expression, and unity makes the experience even more powerful. It’s a true triumph over darkness — and a reminder of how far we’ve come.
Photo: Drops Festival 2024 by Gianluca Iarlori pics
Why is it so special?
It’s the atmosphere. DROPS isn’t about hype — it’s about depth. We keep it intentionally small, limited to 2,500 guests, to protect the vibe and stay true to our roots. It’s an immersive six-day journey across three stages, with the most advanced soundsystems on Earth. It’s the atmosphere. Every detail is curated to invoke the best of psychedelic culture. People might lose their shoes, but they often find themselves. 🙂
Reviews over the years have consistently mentioned the familiar, cosy vibes we’ve read say that we are the “best familiar festival” of the summer. It’s also compact in nature, so you don’t need to walk 15 minutes from the camp to the stage like with many other festivals.
Many people say that the festival has kept the original psychedelic ethos. We think we managed to keep this authenticity because the production crew itself is very much part of the party crowd, always on the dancefloor, boots on the ground. We take great pride when we see old school legends coming to the festival each year and telling us this.
And as previously mentioned, all of the above is enabled by very special, kind hearted and smiling guests of DROPS festival. Just look at the videos on social media and you will spot the difference.
Which sound system do you use on the festival and why?
On DROPS stage, we use the revolutionary Lambda Labs QX3 — a horn-loaded sound system that many consider to be the best in the world. The clarity it delivers is simply unreal. The first time we heard it, we were blown away. We half-jokingly say the sound coming out of this system is psychoactive by itself.
On Cage stage, we use the legendary Funktion One soundsystem, specially tuned for more bassy music like Tekno, DnB, Psytech etc…We think the sound character fits perfectly in The Cage’s musical concept.
On the Chill station, we use Lambda Labs as well, providing extreme clarity for intricate genres like IDM, glitch, psychill and dub.
Tell us please about the lineup this year. Is it different from the previous editions?
This year’s lineup is a mix of returning legends and fresh talent from across the psychedelic spectrum. We’ve expanded our reach, inviting artists from new scenes and countries, while staying loyal to the core of what DROPS represents — authentic, mind-expanding sound. We put a lot of effort so that each stage tells a story, and this year, we’re digging even deeper into storytelling through careful curation.
We’ve also expanded out Tekno programme on Cage stage to which attendees responded very well last year.
How many stages do you have on the festival, for which genres they are?
We have three main stages:
- The DROPS Stage, dedicated to the full range of modern psychedelic trance. From Forest, Darkprog and Darkpsy, all the way to hi-tech. Daytime is usually reserved for groovy music, while the nights are more energetic in nature. There is something for everyone.
- The CAGE Stage is Drops’ stage eccentric little brother. This dancefloor provides a safe haven for an eclectic array of genres, namely Tekno, Psytech, Bass, Techno and more.
- The Chill Station, a dreamy space for ambient, psychill, IDM and experimental journeys.
Drops Festival 2025 – tickets & info: https://drops-festival.com/
What kind of activities do you have on the festival apart from the Dancefloor?
After the massive success of last year’s workshops, we decided it was time to create a dedicated space for them — a proper zone where learning, creativity, and exploration can thrive like never before.
This year, DROPS offers a wide range of workshops, art installations, and live performance acts. From morning yoga sessions to shibari knot-tying, from hands-on clay sculpting to traditional Japanese tea ceremonies, there’s something to nourish every curious soul. You can dive into specialty coffee tastings, attend talks on nature foraging and mushroom identification, or just stumble upon spontaneous happenings that shift your whole day. There’s a world unfolding beyond the music — and it’s just as rich.
Photo: Drops Festival 2024 by Gianluca Iarlori pics
Future plans?
Our focus is on staying true to the essence of DROPS while evolving creatively. We want to keep it intimate, but expand in depth — more art, more storytelling, more collaboration across cultures and disciplines. We will also massively upgrade the infrastructure to make our guests as comfortable as possible.
Follow Drops Festival:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dropsfestival
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drops_fest/
Web: https://drops-festival.com/