Achievements of Slovak Music Scene at ESNS 2025
This January, we once again set off for the largest European showcase festival, ESNS, in Groningen, Netherlands. Over four days, we experienced numerous incredible concerts from emerging musical stars who are sure to appear at Pohoda 2025 or in future editions of our festival.
04. February 2025
An essential and significant part of ESNS is networking, as Eurosonic attracts top music professionals from around the world. Through expert panels and one-on-one conversations, we had the chance to exchange experiences and forge new friendships that will help make Pohoda better, more beautiful, and more eco-friendly each year.
At ESNS we had many interviews with music professionals from all over the world
Eurosonic also included the European Festival Awards (EFA), where Pohoda received four nominations. Although we didn't bring home a win this year, the nominations themselves are a tremendous achievement as they raise international awareness of both Pohoda and the Slovak music scene. We consider it a big achievement that Pohoda has once again ranked among the top ten best medium-sized European festivals.
Pohoda Festival is again ranked in the top ten of the best medium-sized festivals in Europe
Slovak artists also delivered outstanding performances at Eurosonic. Berlin Manson, Erika Rein, and the band XCES showcased their talents to music fans, as well as festival bookers and venue representatives from across Europe. We made sure not to miss their shows, which left a fantastic impression on us, and we believe this will help them secure more performances across Europe.
The Slovak band Berlin Manson also performed at ESNS in Groningen, the Netherlands
The nearly fifty-member Slovak delegation also included representatives from SHARPE festival, Rádio_FM, Hudba.sk, LALA Slovak Music Export, Pink Whale club, and our long-standing sponsor, Slovenská sporiteľňa bank. As per tradition, we travelled by bus from Bratislava to the Netherlands, staying on two beautiful boats moored side by side in Groningen. Our shared journey and unique accommodation at Eurosonic are often envied by other delegations who travel separately. Many accept our invitations to join us on our temporary floating home. We’re already planning how to host performances by more Slovak artists directly on the boats next year.
Head of the Pohoda Gastronomy Festival Gabo Sebő in front of the boats on which we stayed
Curious about what life on the boats looked like and everything we experienced at Eurosonic? Check out our aftermovie. For more insights into our journey, we recommend an article by Matej Kráľ from Hudba.sk, who was part of our delegation.
FOTO REPORT FROM ESNS 2025:
Erika Rein and Isobutan at their performance at the ESNS festival
Pohoda team at the European Festival Awards
DJ Tannenbaum aka Mišo Kaščák took care of the official after party of the EFA Awards
Slovak band XCES also presented itself to the international audience
Final four of the table football tournament organized by the Pohoda festival at ESNS 2025