Summer Festivals Calendar

This page describes the kinds of events you are likely to meet on a summer sailing week and roughly when they happen. It does not list exact dates, because most events set them year by year and some move weekends or venues.

Before you book a sailing week around an event, check the organiser's official website or the local tourist board for that year's programme. Then compare it with the sailing dates and prices. Whether you can attend also depends on your route, the weather and harbour space on the night.

The pattern is broadly the same each year. The specific events, line-ups and days are not.

Electronic music festivals are a big part of the Croatian summer. The largest on the central Dalmatian coast is ULTRA Europe in Split, usually in July. Read ULTRA Europe and Split for how to plan a sailing week around it.

The summer also brings concerts in town squares and open-air venues, and klapa singing, the traditional Dalmatian a cappella style. Klapa groups perform at festivals and informal evenings along the coast, and Omiš, south of Split, hosts a well-known klapa festival each summer.

The Split Summer Festival (Splitsko ljeto) is the city's long-running arts festival, with opera, theatre, dance and concerts through the summer. Some performances are staged in historic settings, including the Peristyle at the heart of Diocletian's Palace.

The Dubrovnik Summer Festival runs from July to August and has been held since 1950. Plays, concerts and dance are performed in squares, forts and courtyards across the old town. See the official Dubrovnik Summer Festival website for the current programme, and our Dubrovnik destination guide for the city itself.

Both festivals sell tickets for individual performances, and popular nights sell out.

Almost every town and village on the islands has a patron saint, and the saint's day is marked with a fešta. A typical feast includes a Mass and procession, then food, wine, live music and dancing on the waterfront, often with a stage and stalls. Summer fishermen's nights (ribarske večeri) follow a similar idea, with grilled fish and local wine served in the harbour.

These are local events first. They are usually free and welcoming, and a good chance to see island life beyond the tourist season. Feast dates follow the church calendar, so they fall on roughly the same dates each year, but the programme does not. Ask your skipper or check the local tourist board.

The Moreška is a traditional sword dance from Korčula Town, performed by local men in costume to brass band music. It tells the story of two kings fighting over a captured princess. It is traditionally danced on the feast of St Theodore in late July, and through the summer there are regular performances for visitors.

If your route includes Korčula, ask about performance days when you arrive. The Korčula destination guide describes the town and harbour.

Sailing regattas take place along the coast through the season, from club races to large events that bring hundreds of yachts into one harbour. If a regatta is on, harbours and marinas near the start and finish can be full and anchorages busier than usual.

Your skipper keeps an eye on these and may adjust the route to avoid crowded harbours. They can also make a good spectacle from the water, viewed from a safe distance.