Festivals in Croatia

Za Krizen (Holy Week) is more of a religious procession, but it still deserves a spot on the list for its cultural importance to Hvar. A 500-year-old tradition, this week is made up of six annual processions in Jelsa, Pitve, Vrisnik, Svirce, Vrbanj and Vrboska on Maundy Thursday at exactly 10 pm.  

A highlight of the city's Easter festivities, you can watch this deeply spiritual event (or join the procession), led by a barefoot cross-bearer who walks 22 km through the six villages, ending just before sunrise.

Known to be one of Croatia's more important cultural events, the Split Summer Festival runs from mid-July to mid-August. With theatre shows, live music, dance performances, film events and street acts, this festival celebrates the vast spectrum of the dramatic arts and is the perfect way to spend time in Split before or after your sailing trip.

While different events are held in various venues around the city, the central activity hub is Republic Square, where performances wow onlookers on the street.   

Under the stars, the Full Moon Festival in Zadar celebrates local customs and traditions while appreciating the natural beauty of the city and the Riva (seafront). With the street lights off in favour of thousands of candles and torches lining the walkways, you'll feel like you've stepped into a fairytale.

Put your food knowledge to the test after a food tour, as you walk past boats full of produce to taste and try.   

If you're looking for an explosion of the senses, Spancirfest (or Strollers Festival) is the festival for you. In the small town of Varazdin, just north of Zagreb, this August festival sees hundreds of musicians, stilt-walkers, magicians and jugglers walking the cobblestoned streets in search of a crowd to entertain. 

Inspired by the local interactions on your small group tour, continue the local exploration in this small town known for its baroque and rococo architecture. Listen to buskers as they sing sweet songs, watch a magician defy all logic or join one of the workshops. 

If you're travelling around Croatia in June, whether on a cruising trip or a cultural exploration, you may as well explore Korcula Island during their annual Sword Dance Festival. Since the 17th century, two dance groups have kept this traditional battle dance alive – the Kumpanjija and the Moreska.

The Kumpanjiji link themselves by holding each other's long swords as a sign of unity, while the Moreska members clash their swords in battle. With the aim of preserving the heritage of this dance for future generations, onlookers are treated to performances in traditional dress, listening to tales of victory. 

If it's a visual spectacle you're after, then it's a visual spectacle you'll get at the Visualia Festival in Pula. With light installations and displays that wow festival-goers of all ages, this international festival of light takes place in autumn.

Using the latest 3D mapping and light technologies to create magical scenes, Visualia features pieces such as the 'Lighting Giants' installation, where a series of cranes is displayed and illuminated at the town's iconic port district in a light show that runs every hour from sundown to midnight.