CULTURE EVENTS

Here are some of the culture events that take place in the summer time in the vicinity of Split and Trogir.

Trogir Summer of Culture

The streets of Trogir are alive with a myriad of cultural events all summer long. All visitors to Trogir will find something for themselves.

Serious art enthusiasts can enjoy concerts given by classical and chamber ensembles, exhibitions at the Modern Gallery, and theatre plays staged within the old town core.

Guests who prefer entertainment events will be entertained by Croatian and international stars all summer long, while the all round merriment is provided by public festivals such as Fishermen’s Nights, when seafood specialties are available on the streets of the town, and the fiesta celebrating the Day of Trogir.

Split Summer Festival

Come summertime, Split is transformed into a city of stage arts. The Split Summer focuses mainly on opera productions, presenting the Split audiences with prominent opera productions by hand-picked theatres from across the world.

Famous singers appear before the audience, inspired by the ancient ambient of the old part of the city, while the streets within the Diocletian Palace provide an ideal setting for the acoustics.

In addition to operas, the Split Summer offers its visitors numerous plays, ballets and exhibitions. In recent years, the organizers have also begun to promote certain forms of contemporary art such as jazz concerts, film projections, and street theatre and performances. An ideal choice for people who like to enjoy both the sea and premium art.

Days of Diocletian – Split

Although Diocletian’s Palace is a symbol of Split’s magnificent history, with this luxurious event, the citizens of Split want to show in an even more symbolic way the 1700 years of their city, by returning to their ancient past.

Through the streets of the former palace, passers-by stroll around in togas and tunics, vintage carriages pass along the waterfront, taking Emperor Diocletian and his suite to the Peristile, where the emperor addresses his citizens as he once did. Through the narrow passages, seductive scents of Mediterranean cuisine spread, as though you had never stepped into the 21st century, while colourful stalls (promenade of the Croatian National Revival) are filled with delicacies, handicrafts, the past and the present…  Days of Diocletian take place every year, at the end of August.

The Alka of Sinj

If you spend your holidays in Croatia in first Sunday of August, you can visit chivalrous competition known as Sinjska Alka in Sinj (30 km from Split). In this competition cavaliers with spears compete who will hit Alka in the centre more times.

Alka is competition in memory of people’s resistance to Turks. It is also very beautiful to see cavaliers in authentic uniforms that have been worn in that time.

As a traditional tournament of tilting at the ring the Alka of Sinj competition is a living monument to the victory by the people of Cetinska Krajina over the many times larger Turkish army in the year 1715. In honour of this heroic event in their history, the people of Sinj conceived a game in which those who took part in the battle played every year on the anniversary of the victory. Later, the tradition was carried on by their heirs and by those who matched their courage, and so to this day.

At authentic locations, such as Grad, the old fortress of Sinj, the back-up fortification of Kamičak, the Alka Halls and the Alka race course – numerous Alkars and their pages have proudly maintained the threecenturies- old tradition symbolizing bravery and desire for freedom. The three-day event culminates with the popular competition for Alka. Of course, the knights do not fight each other, they test their skill by tilting at the ring, attempting to hit the centre of the Alka with a long spear while riding a horse at full gallop.The contestant who collects the highest number of points is the winner, entitled to all honours of his heroic ancestors.

As a reminder to one of the most glorious events in Croatian history, the Alka of Sinj holds a special place in our programme of culture tourism.

Source: Croatian National Tourist Board