Festivals and Fairs

THE INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL

Šibenik, the oldest Croatian coastal town, has also preserved its younger playful side, coming to the fore every summer when the old town centre becomes an open stage for numerous children. "The Children's Town", as it is often called, has been hosting the only international children's festival in Croatia for more than a half century. Simply called "The International Children's Festival", the renowned event has been bringing smile to the faces of children and adults every year during the last week of June and the first week of July. The festival invites children to enjoy performances, concerts or exhibitions of artists from all over the world, as well as to give their own contribution by joining different workshops throughout 15 days of the events. During the festival the town gets a completely different dimension by becoming a global centre for various artists, theatre groups, musicians and scientists, and both children and adults gather around to play, relax and simply have great fun!

THE CROATIAN TRAVEL FESTIVAL

This recent Šibenik festival has been organized by the Croatian Travel Club since 2012 and it has been gathering travel-lovers and all others interested in the exciting culture of travel. During the three days the festival becomes a place where people travel the world in an entertaining and unique manner. The goal is to show people all different ways of how to travel and to expand the knowledge about positive sides of traveling, so even non-travellers can discover that travel is always thrilling if you approach it the right way. The concept of the festival evolves around learning and having fun through lectures of famous travellers, various tastings of delicious food and drinks, and enjoyable concert and dance performances.

THE DALMATIAN CHANSON EVENINGS

This festival of the authentic Dalmatian songs has been held in Šibenik since 1998. The late August two-day event presents and promotes the original Dalmatian song, which does not adjust to the contemporary mixture of pop-songs, but rather has an inclination to the chanson, a song whose most important expression is verse. The performers are usually also the authors of music and lyrics, knowing very well how to adjust the words to the melody and create a special romantic atmosphere.

THE DONKEY RACE OF TRIBUNJ

For the inhabitants of the coastal village of Tribunj and their guests this uniquely characteristic race is a simple event of good times and plain old fun, and the donkey race itself is exactly what attracts so many people in Tribunj on the first day of August. The donkey race seems like an easy task, in which all one needs to do is to reach the finish line by riding a loveable donkey. However, the donkey is an infamously wilful and defiant animal and most contestants have huge problems to convince these adorable hard-working creatures to even move at all at the start, which makes the race all the more enjoyable and hilarious for the crowds of surrounding spectators.