The Kosovo Chamber of Commerce has awarded the Sunny Hill Festival for its direct economic impact and for strengthening Kosovo’s positive image internationally.
Prishtina, 2025 – Sunny Hill Festival, one of the largest festivals in the region, has received the Economic Impact Award 2025 from the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce at the gala evening “THE BEST OF KOSOVA 2025.” The festival was recognized for its direct contribution to economic development and for its important role in promoting a positive image of Kosovo internationally through music and the creative industry.
As a music festival, Sunny Hill has created a platform where music, culture, and creativity come together. It promotes talent and connects Kosovo with the global music industry. Besides its artistic and cultural value, the festival has also had a strong economic impact. The organization of the festival has brought benefits to many sectors, including tourism, hotels, restaurants, transport, and support services.
The economic impact is estimated at around 22 million euros, while the media impact is estimated at hundreds of millions of euros, with more than 150 accredited media outlets from around the world.
This year’s edition welcomed over 100,000 visitors during the three festival days, from nearly 60 different countries. Hotels in Prishtina and nearby cities were 99% fully booked. This year, the organizers also launched the “Sunny Hill Travel” platform, which promotes tourism and stays in Kosovo. During the festival, users could benefit from accommodation packages that also included tickets and transport.
Representatives of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce said that Sunny Hill Festival is a successful example of how cultural and music events can become drivers of economic development and cultural diplomacy.
This year, the festival featured major artists such as Dua Lipa, who performed as part of her “Radical Optimism” tour, the biggest and most successful tour of her career so far. She has also achieved great success on Spotify, with around 40 billion total streams. Her albums “Future Nostalgia” and “Radical Optimism” lead these numbers, while hits like “Don’t Start Now” and “Levitating” each have over one billion streams, proving she is one of the biggest global artists with millions of daily listeners.
The festival also featured Shawn Mendes, one of the biggest names in global pop music, who returned this year with his “On The Road Again” tour; Peggy Gou, one of the most respected and influential figures in the global electronic music scene; Anyma, known worldwide for combining innovative visual and technological elements in his DJ performances; and Fatboy Slim, famous for his classic hits and long, multi-decade career.
Many other international and local artists also performed on the festival stages, including Calvin Harris, J Balvin, Martin Garrix, Action Bronson, Skepta, Burna Boy, Miley Cyrus, Bebe Rexha, Stormzy, Black Coffee, The Martinez Brothers, and many others.
This year, the festival has also been nominated as one of the best in Europe in the Medium-Sized Festivals category by the European Festival Awards. Last year, in the same category, it ranked among the top five festivals in Europe.
