🎉 Top 10 summer festivals in Croatia 2024
This year Croatia joined both the eurozone and the Schengen area. The country offers superb beaches, fabulous Venetian architecture and a continuous calendar of festivals and events.
Bluefish festival in Zadar
Croatia's oldest city, Zadar, hosts its annual bluefish festival from June 23 to 24. While local chefs fry freshly caught bluefish in the harbor, you can stroll around the port and soak up the lively festival atmosphere. You can also watch the festive entertainment there.
Salute Seasplash Music Festival
Croatia has become one of the largest countries in Europe where famous DJs and performers come to music festivals. Seasplash will be held for the last time this year. Four days of dub, reggae and other Caribbean sounds will take over July 20 – 23. The festival will take place near Sibenik. Tickets are limited, details can be found on the festival website.
Musical extravaganza in Dubrovnik
From July 10 to August 25, the 74th summer festival will take place in Dubrovnik with a large program of theater, classical music, ballet and folklore. Here you can see a production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night or a concert by the British-Hungarian pianist András Schiff in the 16th-century Rector's Palace. The Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra will close the festival with a gala concert in front of the Dubrovnik Cathedral.
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Summer of Culture
For over 50 years, the island of Hvar has hosted a three-month summer festival. This year it will take place from June 21 to September 15. The Hvar Summer Festival includes a rich program of classical concerts, ballet, dance and folklore performances – all in the beautiful scenery of the city and its surroundings. A detailed program for each month can be found on the festival website.
Disco Goulash Festival
It's hard to resist such a fantastic name as Disco Goulash. Add to this the fact that this crowdfunded festival is held on the island of Vis. From 13 to 17 September, the festival will feature beach parties and live performances by world-famous artists in and around the village of Komiža.
Summer festival in Split
The atmospheric ruins of Diocletian's Palace provide a charming setting for many of the performances at the Split Summer Festival, which runs from July 14 to August 14. The festival will open with the opera “Simon Boccanegra” by Verdi, which will be shown in the peristyle of the palace.
The program includes jazz, classical music, dance, theater and opera. All this can be seen in Sustipan Park on the embankment and the Mestrovic Art Gallery. If you arrive early before the festival, head to the Sustipan Peninsula for a two-day blues fest from July 12-13.
Pula Film Festival
The magnificent ancient Roman amphitheater in Pula is the main attraction of one of the world's oldest film festivals, which will celebrate its 70th anniversary this summer from 15 to 23 July. This massive ancient arena, together with the Valli Cinema and the Istrian National Theater, will screen dozens of films from both the Croatian and international film community. Among them are documentaries, animations and feature films. The winners are awarded the Golden Arena, the country's main national film award.
Apply to a film festival
If you come to Istria for the Pula Film Festival, we recommend that you also stop by the Motovun Film Festival. From July 26 to 30, the festival will transform the outskirts of the city into an eco-camp at the foot of the city. Camping is free for movie ticket holders. They also welcome applications for films from small and independent production companies.
Dugi Otok is going crazy
The sleepy island of Dugi Otok in the Zadar archipelago gets a little wild from August 4 to 6. The main village of the island, Sali, will host a summer fiesta. Starting with Fisherman's Night, the port will turn into a giant open-air restaurant. Local fishermen will fry their catch. The festival will gain momentum over the course of two days. Guests can expect a large number of songs, live music, sporting events and… donkey races. How can you miss this?!
Venetian miracle
It doesn't take much incentive to explore the narrow streets and Venetian-style architecture of the Croatian city of Korcula. However, the Korkyra Barqoue festival will still add motivation. Under the summer night sky, baroque music will be heard in the Atrium of the Town Hall, St. Mark's Cathedral and the Monastery of St. Nicholas. The music festival will take place from September 1 to 17. A visit to the festival can be combined with relaxation. Pay attention to tours to Croatia.