Festivals in Montenegro

For a small country, Montenegro has more than its fair share of festivals. Below are some highlights of the many festivals that you can attend in Montenegro.

St. Tryphon Festival – February – Kotor

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This festival is held in honor of St. Tryphon who is the patron saint of the ancient fortified city of Kotor and is celebrated with religious services as well as folk dancing. The festival takes place in the first week of February.  One of the groups that perform is the Boka Navy dance troupe that has ties going back to medieval seafaring days.

Kotor Carnival – February – Kotor

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This is a large and lively festival and has many events including a masked ball for adults and children. Throughout the festival there are many theater shows and music concerts. International carnival troupes participate in this event making it a very colorful spectacle.  The local restaurants join in the celebration with special menus. Experience street performances, dancing and a lot of fun events.

Mimosa Festival – March/April – Herceg Novi

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This festival celebrates the arrival of Spring and the first yellow Mimosa blossoms. There is music, dances, exhibitions of fine art, traditional and modern theater shows along with a display of the flowers.

Orthodox Easter – April/May – several places

The orthodox Easter is celebrated about 2 weeks after the Catholic and Protestant Easter. This is marked by religious ceremonies and processions.

Music of the Summer – June – Budva

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This is a music festival that starts in June and lasts for the entire summer. It celebrates the traditional music of Montenegro. Several concerts including open-air concerts are held. The festival is opened by a large musical parade that moves from the Old Town to the Square of Poets.

Sea Dance Festival – July – Budva

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This is a music festival where fans and musicians, from all over the world, gather to celebrate music. This year, 2017, the British singer John Newman will be performing as well as the Jamaican Grammy-award-winning singer, Sean Paul.  This festival has been voted the best European medium-sized festival. The 2017 festival takes places from the 13^th to the 15^th of July on Jaz Beach.

Kotor International Fashion Festival – July – Kotor

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This festival is where fashion designers from all over the world display their designs to a local and international audience in Montenegro.

Perast Music Festival – August –  Perast

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During this festival you can listen to a variety of popular singers, orchestras and ensembles. Concerts are held in several places and with so many tourists attending the festivals, the atmosphere is vibrant and alive.

Gornja Lastva Fiesta – August – Gornja Lastva Village

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Gornja Lastva is a village just outside of Tivat.  This festival is held there in the first week of August to celebrate all the traditional music and dance of Montenegro. You can experience circle dancing and unique all-male acapella singing as well as traditional Lastva folk songs. There is also traditional folk singing known as clapper music

Herceg Novi Film Festival – August – Herceg Novi

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This is one of the largest festivals promoting local productions. There is a showcase of local films and an awards ceremony on the Kanli Kula stage.

Petrovac Jazz Fest – August – Petrovac

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This is held at the end of August and is the most important celebration of Jazz music in Montenegro. There are concerts, workshops, conferences and all types of programs dedicated to Jazz music.

Operosa Festival – August – Herceg Novi

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The Operosa Montenegro Opera Festival takes place in August. It is an International opera and classical music festival that promotes young talent. It is a contemporary interpretation of opera aimed at a modern audience. The festival lasts for 5 days and it is held in Herceg Novi at the Kanli Kula amphitheater and at Fort Mare. There is also a production of Opera on the street which is held in the Old Town.

This year’s main production (2017) is the Russian opera, Iolanta, by Tchaikovsky has been completely re-orchestrated for a chamber orchestra. It promises to be an exciting and a spectacular event.