If you're still at the planning stages of that special summer trip, consider heading over to fair Croatia's gorgeous Garden Festival this July for a week (or a weekend) of unalloyed house-y joy, nice weather and general awesomeness. And here is a list of reasons (plus a video) to back this up.

1. The line-up is really good, and stuff. Er, you know, so long as you’re interested in dance music, in all its diversity. Luke Vibert! Theo Parrish! Floating Points! Loads and loads and loads and loads more.

2. You get to go on boats. Despite the ominously ‘Beefa-ish name, the Argonaughty Boat Parties are a massive highlight, 14 voyages on the Adriatic Sea, each captained by a different curator, from the traditional Faith opening cruise to one helmed by our own beloved Resident Advisor. Remember how the Stubnitz was the only good thing about Bloc? Imagine that, only smaller and warmer.

3. It is a genuine boutique festival. In good old Blighty, one time ‘boutique’ festivals like Latitude and Bestival now have the capacities of small cities. Garden, by contrast, flirted with a 3000 capacity in 2008, decided it was all ‘a bit much’, and capped it at 2000 again. There are two stages and an open air nightclub named Barbarella that everyone can go to for the after parties, which tend to be viewed as the best bits of the festival. Plus boats.

4. It is in Croatia. At the risk of going a bit tourist board, Croatia is obscenely idyllic, with fucktonnes of history and all the azure seas and gorgeous scenery a human being could reasonably demand. It is nice, and it will probably be warm and stuff too. DO IT.

5. The organisers are supremely confident. After a successful move last year to the idyllic town of Tisno and the occupation of a '70s leisure complex, things went so swimmingly that they decided to dub this year’s Garden Festival ‘The Next Step’, in advance recognition of how big a step forward things are going to take this year. The exact details of said step are still a bit hazy; possibly it is a figure of speech; perhaps you will only find out if you go; maybe they are talking about the fact they’ve moved the Beach Stage to the actual beach. Any which way, it’ll be good – book a ticket, you fool.

The Garden Festival 2012 from Chris Leete on Vimeo.

A video about Garden 2012

Garden runs Jul 3-10 http://www.thegardenfestival.eu. Photo by www.heathershuker.co.uk