Rijeka Events, Things to Do and Festivals 2014 / 2015
(Rijeka, Primorje Gorski Kotar, Kvarner, Croatia)
The majority of festivals in
Croatia take place during the summer months, especially in July and August. Summer in Rijeka is a feast of opera, ballet, classical and modern music, theatre and drama performances, and cultural and traditional events.
One fabulous exception is Rijeka's famous carnival, which kicks off in late January and runs for two weeks, being amongst the more flamboyant in the whole of Croatia and including an international parade, masked balls, bell-ringing men and many other things to do and observe. Indoor events such as film and music festivals run throughout the year, along with regular concerts at the
Croatian National Theatre Ivan Zajc.
Rijeka Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015
January
- New Year's Day (Nova Godina) - January 1st, a public holiday held throughout Croatia
- Epiphany (Bogojavljenje) - January 6th, a Christian feast day and national holiday
- Rijeka Carnival - a truly international event, with carnival groups, visitors and the media arriving from all over the world. Usually beginning at the end of January and running into February, the carnival's 100-year history is celebrated with Slavic folklore, mythology, parties, concerts and performances. The highlight is the carnival parade, with its hundreds of floats touring the packed streets
February
- St. Blaise's Day - held on February 3rd in Dubrovnik with parades and entertainment. This is the city's saint's day party and unique to the local culture
March
- Easter - dependent on the church calendar, Easter falls in late March or early April, and is a serious religious holiday in this strongly Catholic country. Church services and religious processions predominate
April
- Zagreb Gastronomy Festival - a series of shows on everything to do with food and drink, held across the city at various venues for five days, usually around the middle of April, or slightly later. Expect lots of tastings!
May
- International Workers' Day / Labour Day (Medunarodni Praznik Rada) - May 1st, a national holiday in Croatia
- International Festival of Small Stage Theatre - attracting independent European theatre groups to the city, with performances at venues such as the Filodrammatica on the Korzo
- Corpus Christi (Tijelovo) - late May / June, religious celebrations staged every year, some 60 days after Easter
June
- Istria Ethno Jazz Festival - begins in June and runs until the end of July, with some of the best jazz musicians in the world arriving here. Istria Ethno takes place in three picturesque Istria Peninsula towns, including Pazin, and is widely regarded as one of the best jazz events to be held anywhere in Europe
- Hartera Festival - with live music based at the Hartera Paper Factory
- Anti-Fascist Struggle Day (Dan Antifasisticke Borbe) - June 22nd, a national holiday in Croatia
- Statehood Day (Dan Drzavnosti) - June 25th, a national holiday celebrating the declaration of independence from Yugoslavia in 1991
July
- Rijeka Summer Nights Festival - enlivens the balmy evenings every year for the first two weeks in July. City streets and squares sprout stages and cultural, traditional and modern performances all entertain summer visitors and locals alike. Music, from classical to pop, is a main feature
- Zagreb International Folklore Festival - an annual event with exhibitions, performances of folk music, dance and music workshops, and other traditional happenings, held in the latter part of July
- Rab Festival - Medieval Week on the island of Rab (well connected by ferries), with everyone in medieval costume recreating Middle Ages' ways of life, crafts and customs. Held in Rab's Old Quarter, its highlight is the Knights' Parade. Dates change, although the festival is held annually without fail
- International Tenor Competition - this highly regarded contest in Trogir (roughly five hours to the south-east, near Split) gives young tenors from all over the world a chance to perform to an international audience, culminating with the Gala Concert at Kamerlengo Fort. The competition runs from late July until early August, over a fortnight or thereabouts
August
- Rabac Summer Festival - takes place in nearby Rabac, running for five days in early August. This is an international music and drama festival, attracting performers to stunning venues such as a Roman arena and the picturesque island of Brijuni. You can expect to find everything from opera and ballet to classical concerts and drama
- Homeland Thanksgiving Day - August 5th, honouring the time when Croatia was liberated from the Serbian forces
- Assumption of Mary (Velika Gospa) - August 15th, a national Croatian holiday also referred to as the Feast of the Assumption
- Porek Street Art Festival - an annual ten-day celebration of street theatre featuring clowns, jugglers, magicians, music, dance and street entertainment, as well as free outdoor workshops
- Zagreb International Puppet Festival - draws star puppeteers from diverse countries to demonstrate their skills in fascinating performances all over the city of Zagreb, roughly two hours to the north-east. Workshops on all aspects of puppetry are also given. The festival begins at the end of August and runs into the first week of September
September
- International Nautical Fair (NAUTICA) - held at the harbour and around the docks, this fair offers the chance to see some impressive new sailing boats, jet-skis and related nautical leisure equipment. This event was first held in the mid-1980s and now features the presentation of the prestigious Gold Sail Award
October
- Independence Day (Dan Neovisnosti) - October 8th, marked across the country each year on this day, with flag-flying, parades and street celebrations
- Dubrovnik International Film Festival - a great mix of indie, art house movies and world movies, held every October. Competitions for short films and documentaries also take place, while dates vary annually
November
- All Saints' Day (Dan Svih Svetih) - November 1st, a public holiday in Croatia, when departed family members and friends are remembered with the lighting of candles
- Pula Croatian Music Festival - a forum for all types of modern and contemporary Croatian music. Numerous concerts, seminars and lectures take place every November, with dates varying year on year
December
- Christmas (Bozic) - celebrated here with the accent on the religious significance of the season, and also held on January 7th as in Orthodox Christianity. This is a family time, with special foods prepared and typical decorations of leaves from evergreen trees