Calendar of Events

The festivals mentioned in this section, unless otherwise specified, fall on different dates every year. Inquire at the Croatian National Tourist Office (www.croatia.hr) or at local tourist offices for event contact information and for an updated calendar.

For an exhaustive list of events beyond those listed here, check http://events.frommers.com, where you'll find a searchable, up-to-the-minute roster of what's happening in cities all over the world.

January

Old Christmas: On January 7, Croatians who follow Eastern Orthodox rules celebrate Christmas; everyone else takes a day off from work.

February

Rijeka Carnival: This pre-Lenten celebration begins in mid-February and ends at midnight on Shrove Tuesday. It is celebrated all over the country, lavishly so in Rijeka and Samobor with parades, masquerades, and merrymaking similar to those of New Orleans's Mardi Gras.

Feast of St. Blaise: Catholics all over the world honor St. Blaise on February 3 with the blessing of throats, but in Croatia, the celebration is much more elaborate. In Dubrovnik, for example, there also is a parade and lots of eating and drinking because St. Blaise is the city's patron saint.

March

Vukovar Puppet Festival: During the last week of March, this eastern Croatia city becomes a venue for puppet shows, workshops, and demonstrations.

April

Biennale: An international festival of contemporary music, Biennale is held in April in odd-numbered years in Zagreb. Contemporary classical musicians are the focus. For more information, go to www.biennale-zagreb.hr.

May

Dubrovnik International Film Festival: The annual cinema festival showcases the work of Croatian filmmakers as well as internationally produced films. Showings are in theaters across the city in late May.

One-Minute Film Festival: Pozega in east-central Croatia is the setting for these obviously short, usually avant-garde films.

1001 Delights: Split hosts an annual 2-day food festival that includes workshops, tastings, and exhibits related to Croatian cuisine. Go to www.delicija.com for details.

June

International Children's Festival: Sibenik is the setting for the annual festival, which encourages creativity in children. Programs showcasing youthful talents are presented in venues across the city from mid-June to early July.

Contemporary Dance Week: Zagreb is the main stage for this dance and choreography showcase, but parallel events are held in Rijeka and Zadar.

Histria Festival: Pula Amphitheater is a perfect venue for open-air concerts. Big names in pop, opera, and dance sign up for this cultural series, which runs from late June to early September. Go to www.histriafestival.com for dates.

July

Rab Festival: Every year at the end of July, the island of Rab goes medieval with a costumed festival celebrating the customs, traditional crafts, and lifestyles of that era. Every day of the week-long festival begins in the afternoon and lasts until after midnight.

Motovun Film Festival: This tiny medieval town in the heart of Istria hosts an annual film festival in late July to celebrate independent films. Go to www.motovunfilmfestival.com for more information.

Split Summer Festival: From mid-July to mid-August, the Split Summer Festival takes over the city's historic core with exhibitions, concerts, dance, theater, and especially opera performed in the Peristil of Diocletian's former palace.

Dubrovnik Summer Festival: Well-known international artists perform during this annual event, which takes place from early July to late August. Dubbed "Libertas," the festival has opened every year since 1950, even during the Homeland War.

International Folklore Festival: For a week in mid-July, Zagreb comes alive with dancing, song, musical performances, workshops, and exhibitions that celebrate Croatia's cultural heritage.

Extreme Sports Festival: Brac is known for its fine windsurfing and that's just one of the competitions held during the island's weeklong Extreme Sports Festival near Supetar. Take the half-hour ferry ride from Split and besides windsurfing, you can see athletes vie for medals in skateboarding, rock climbing, dirt bike riding, and diving. Go to www.sutivan.hr for more information.

Zagreb Baroque Festival: As part of its Summer Nights series, Zagreb includes almost 30 Baroque concerts at venues around the city, including concerts at Zagreb Cathedral. Go to www.kdz.hr for more information.

August

Street Art Festival Porec: For 10 days in August, the streets of Porec become a stage for music and dance performances, and a gallery for clowns, acrobats, and jugglers. The annual event starts the second week of August. Go to www.porec.hr for more information.

International Puppet Festival: European ensembles demonstrate their puppetry skills in venues all over Zagreb during this festival, which occurs at the end of August. Go to www.srce.hr/piffestival for more information.

Grisia Street Art Festival: Rovinj's "art street" becomes an indoor-outdoor gallery for 1 week in August (usually starting the first weekend). Anyone can set up shop at this time and the steep, narrow, cobbled street is crammed with browsers and artists until the wee hours. Go to www.tzgrovinj.hr/eng/home.asp for more information.

Zadar Dreams Festival: The second week of August is a time for whimsy in Zadar. Admission to events is free for anyone into alternative drama or performance art. For more information go to www.zadarsnova.hr.

September

Varazdin Festival of Baroque Music: Listen to Baroque music in one of Europe's most Baroque cities mid-September through early October. Performances are mostly in Varazdin's churches. Go to www.vbv.hr for more information.

Zagreb International Trade Fair: You won't be able to get into this huge fair without credentials. (You'll also have a tough time getting a hotel room in Zagreb during the second week of Sept when the trade fair is in town.)

October

Marunada (Chestnut Festival): For three weekends in October, the tiny town of Lovran near Opatija in the Kvarner region celebrates everything chestnut-related with food, merrymaking, and even cook-offs, all in honor of the chestnut and its many culinary uses.

International Jazz Days: Zagreb is host for this fall jazz festival, usually the first weekend in November. Go to www.jazz.hr for more information.

November

Martinje (St. Martin's Day): Besides being a church feast day, November 11 is also the day when the new wine is blessed and "tested" in unlimited amounts. The ceremony is conducted in almost all grape-growing regions of Croatia and begins with a song in honor of St. Martin. It ends with a prayer for a good year for all. When possible, the blessing is in a vineyard, but wherever it is held, it is followed by a party that includes eating, drinking, and singing well into the night. Most Croatian restaurants mark the occasion by offering special dinners (much as the French do when celebrating the nouveau Beaujolais).

Comic Book Festival: Anime and comic book aficionados will enjoy this weekend celebration of cartoons and music in Zagreb. Go to www.crs-festival.com for more information.

December

St. Nicholas Day: Komiza on the island of Vis honors the town's patron saint on his feast day December 6 with a huge party that opens with the burning of an old fishing boat in front of St. Nicholas Church in Vis Town. Go to www.dalmatia.hr for more information.

New Year's Regatta: This event from December 28 to December 31 features small-boat races off the island of Hvar.