Matulji Summer Evenings reopen the summer: the 31st edition of the event brings concerts, theatre, film and programmes for all generations
The thirty-first Matulji Summer Evenings, under the recognizable title
“Tramontana Will Refresh You”, according to the organizers’ announcement, begin on Sunday,
7 June 2026, and during June, July and August Matulji will once again become one of the more important summer cultural gathering places in the Opatija and Rijeka area. The opening is announced at the Amphitheatre in Matulji, where the audience should first be greeted by the young accordionist
Leonardo Rojnić, a musician who in recent years has established himself as one of the more notable young names on the Croatian music scene. In this way, the event this year too retains its recognizable combination of established performers, local forces and programmes intended for the widest circle of audiences.
Matulji Summer Evenings have been held since
1995, and over three decades they have grown from a local summer programme into an event that has become an important part of Matulji’s cultural identity. This year as well, the organizers emphasize that
admission to all events is free, which remains one of its most important features. At a time when cultural and entertainment content is increasingly becoming financially inaccessible to part of the audience, the fact that the event remains open to everyone further reinforces its public and communal character. That is precisely why, year after year, both local visitors and guests from the surrounding area gather around the programme, as well as visitors from other parts of Kvarner, Slovenia and the wider region.
An event that has outgrown the local framework
According to data from the Tourist Board and the Municipality of Matulji, in its beginnings the event held programmes at several locations in the town centre, and after the construction of the Amphitheatre in 2016 it gained a strong and recognizable centre. It is precisely the amphitheatre space that in recent years has become synonymous with the Matulji Summer Evenings, not only because of the practicality and openness of the space, but also because of the atmosphere that in Matulji is always connected with the tramontana, the wind after which the entire summer programme got its signature slogan. Because of this, the event is not merely a series of separate happenings, but a summer story that has been built for decades around the place, the people and the feeling of togetherness.
Such a concept is particularly important for communities such as Matulji, which are located at the junction of the coastal and hinterland areas, connected daily with Opatija, Rijeka, Kastav and the rest of Liburnia, but at the same time firmly relying on their own tradition, speech and cultural patterns. That is why, alongside concerts by well-known musical names, the programme regularly has room for local associations, choirs, klapa groups, folklore, the Chakavian word, as well as content for children, film evenings and theatre performances. For visitors coming from other areas, especially on weekends and during the peak summer periods, additional practical value may also lie in the
accommodation offers in Matulji, especially if they plan to combine the evening programme with a tour of the wider area of Liburnia and Učka.
From Amira Medunjanin to Zorica Kondža: the programme connects different musical poetics
The announced names show that the organizers this year too are counting on genre breadth. Among the more prominent guest appearances are
Amira Medunjanin, an artist whose voice has for years been synonymous with a contemporary reading of sevdah and regional musical heritage, and
Zorica Kondža, who in 2026 marks
40 years of career. The inclusion of these two singers in the same summer programme says enough about the range that the Matulji Summer Evenings want to encompass: from more intimate interpretation and musical subtlety to big hits and singing experience that brings together several generations of audience members.
For the audience, this also means programme balance. On the one hand, the event remains faithful to the audience seeking a quality concert experience and well-known names. On the other, openness is maintained towards younger performers and domestic musical forces, which is obviously an important part of the event’s identity for the organizers. Such an approach also clearly emerges from the message of the director of the Matulji Municipality Tourist Board, Marijana Kalčić, who points out that this year too the programme has left room for young performers and Matulji associations, alongside major concert attractions that should also draw a wider audience.
It is important to emphasize that free admission significantly changes the character of events like these. Concerts by performers such as Amira Medunjanin and Zorica Kondža would in many communities imply tickets and a strictly commercial framework, while Matulji offers such content as a public cultural programme. This does not only mean greater accessibility, but also a different relationship of the audience towards the event itself: an evening at the Amphitheatre becomes part of the town’s summer routine, and not just a separate concert slot. For visitors planning to come from outside the municipality, a useful option may also be
accommodation near the event venue, especially at times when greater interest is expected for the main concert evenings.
Theatre, film and programmes for children give breadth to the entire event
This year’s programme does not rely only on music. The play
“Iva and Gloria” by Kerekesh Theatre is also announced, performed by
Gloria Dubelj and
Iva Šimić Šarkonja, which indicates the continuation of the practice of building the theatre segment of the Matulji Summer Evenings on popular titles that can attract both regular theatre audiences and those who otherwise go to plays less often. In recent years, Kerekesh Theatre has been among the most visible domestic theatre producers when it comes to comedy and titles that manage to combine broader viewership with a clear acting identity.
In addition, in cooperation with Art-kino, a
film evening under the stars has also been announced, a format that in recent years has proven particularly attractive in open summer spaces. In this way, the programme is further expanded towards the audience looking for more relaxed evening content, but also towards families and younger visitors. As part of the event, a
puppet show for children is also planned, which shows that the organizers continue to take care of the family segment of the programme, and not only of evening concert slots for adult audiences.
Such diversity is not a secondary matter, but an essential reason for the longevity of the event. A programme that lasts three months in the open air could hardly survive if it relied on only one type of content. That is precisely why the combination of music evenings, theatre, film, children’s programmes and performances by local artists enables the Matulji Summer Evenings to remain both a summer stage and a social meeting place. In such a format, Matulji are not presented only as the location of individual events, but as a destination in which a summer stay can be planned in advance, including
accommodation for visitors who want to stay longer than one evening.
Local associations and the domestic scene remain an important pillar of the programme
This year’s announcement also clearly shows that the event is not giving up its local base. Among the announced performers and participants are
Mauro Staraj, the Domoljub 1909 Association, KUD Učka, Klapa Skalin and the Pensioners’ Association. The programme also includes the evening
“I Miss You” dedicated to the hits of Oliver Dragojević, then a dance evening with
Trio Rio, as well as content that arises directly from the cultural circle of Matulji and the wider Liburnia area. Such a ratio of major guest appearances and domestic production is one of the reasons why the event has not lost its local character despite growth and greater visibility.
For smaller communities this is especially important. When events over time become recognizable beyond their own environment, there is often the danger that local content will be pushed aside in favour of bigger, commercially more attractive names. In Matulji, at least according to the announced programme, the opposite is happening: big names are used as reinforcement, but they do not suppress domestic performers and associations. In this way, the balance between attractiveness and authenticity is maintained, and that is precisely what gives long-term value to the event both for the audience and for the community itself.
The local programme also has an additional social dimension. Performances by local associations and performers are not merely filling the schedule, but a form of public confirmation of work that takes place throughout the year within cultural societies, klapa groups, folklore groups and other amateur or semi-professional organizations. In that sense, the Matulji Summer Evenings also act as the community’s annual stage, a place where the continuity of local cultural production can be seen.
“It Was Always Cheerful” and the Local Flavours Party among the most recognizable points of the summer
Particularly standing out is the
Festival of Old Songs, Instrument Playing, Dance, Speech and Cuisine “It Was Always Cheerful”, which for 2026 is announced for
Sunday, 14 June from 6 p.m. at Škrapna. It is a programme that, already by its very name, clearly shows what Matulji want to nurture: old songs, traditional music, dance, speech and gastronomic heritage. The Matulji Tourist Board describes that festival as an event dedicated to preserving and promoting the musical, gastronomic and linguistic heritage of the area, and that is precisely why it has a special place in the overall summer programme.
Such events today have greater value than they may have had ten or fifteen years ago. At a time of strong tourist standardization, when many destinations offer similar summer content, programmes based on local distinctiveness become key for differentiation. In the case of Matulji, this means preserving the Chakavian word, the local musical expression and gastronomy that is not reduced to a generic offer, but bears the stamp of the area. For the audience, this is not merely a folkloric ornament, but an opportunity to experience tradition as something living and presented in a contemporary way.
Another important emphasis is the
Local Flavours Party, planned for
Friday, 31 July at 9 p.m. in the Matulji Amphitheatre. This programme combines a summer festivity with an offer of indigenous products from local producers, and for the musical part, according to the organizers’ announcement,
Jože Vešmašinov and friends will take care of it. It is precisely such events that clearly show how in Matulji tourism, culture and local production are not treated separately, but as part of the same story. Instead of inviting the audience only to a concert or only to a tasting, an evening is created in which music, socializing and local products complement one another.
What the organizers are saying and why it matters
From the organizers’ statements it can be inferred that this year’s programme has been conceived as a combination of a proven model and new emphases. The director of the Matulji Municipality Tourist Board,
Marijana Kalčić, particularly emphasizes the space given to young performers, the constant presence of Matulji associations and the major guest appearances that should confirm that everyone can find something for themselves. Such a message is not merely protocol. It actually describes the model on which the Matulji Summer Evenings survive: a programme broad enough to encompass different tastes, but recognizable enough to retain a local identity.
A similar thing applies to the assessment of the mayor
Ingrid Debeuc, who emphasizes that Matulji are recognized as a location of quality and interesting programmes followed by the local audience, but also by guests from the region and neighbouring Slovenia. This assessment is important because it points to something that has become increasingly pronounced in Kvarner in recent years: smaller places no longer count only on a transient audience, but build their own cultural reasons for arrival. When such a programme lasts a full three months and at the same time remains free of charge, it becomes important both for the quality of life of the local community and for the overall attractiveness of the destination.
That is precisely why it is not an exaggeration to say that the Amphitheatre in Matulji will once again this summer be one of the livelier regional open-air gathering places. A programme that combines great vocal interpretations, local musical and folklore performances, theatre, film, children’s content and a gastronomic component shows that the event has not remained only a tradition by inertia, but is still looking for ways to remain current. If the announced schedule is confirmed in full, the Matulji Summer Evenings in their 31st edition should also justify the status of one of the hallmarks of summer in that part of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, with an atmosphere because of which the audience returns to Matulji year after year, waiting for the tramontana to refresh them once again this time as well.
Sources:- Matulji Municipality Tourist Board – official event page with basic information on the Matulji Summer Evenings and the continuity of their holding since 1995 (link)- Municipality of Matulji – official announcement in the event calendar connected with the Matulji Summer Evenings event (link)- Matulji Municipality Tourist Board – events page with a description of the festival “It Was Always Cheerful” and its cultural role (link)- Kerekesh Theatre – official page of the play “Iva and Gloria” with details on the performance and cast (link)- Official Amira Medunjanin website – concert calendar confirming her active concert season in 2026 (link)- Večernji list – interview and announcement confirming that Zorica Kondža is marking 40 years of career in 2026 (link)- HRT Radio Zadar – feature on Leonardo Rojnić as a young accordionist with national and international successes (link)- PodUčkun.net – media announcement about an earlier edition of the Matulji Summer Evenings with context on the development of the event and its role in the cultural life of Matulji (link)
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