Tradition, flavours and music marked the 24th Nin Šokol Festival
Višeslav Square in the historic centre of Nin once again became a meeting point for gastronomy, family heritage and summer entertainment on 30 July 2026. The 24th Nin Šokol Festival brought together producers of Nin šokol, residents of the Nin area and visitors who wanted to discover one of the most recognisable local delicacies of Zadar County. According to the organisers' report, the tastings, conversations with šokol makers, award ceremony and evening music programme attracted great interest. The aromas of cured meat, spices and local specialities filled the square, while the historic setting of the old town gave the event an atmosphere that can hardly be separated from the story of šokol itself. This year's edition once again demonstrated that the Nin Šokol Festival is not merely a summer gastronomic event, but a place where knowledge preserved and passed down within families for generations is presented to the public.
The event was held under the slogan Nin šokol - guardian of tradition, and the organisers used a refreshed concept to place additional emphasis on the people behind the product. Instead of treating šokol only as a finished delicacy served on a plate, the programme focused on the producers, their families, the experience gained through many years of preparation and the different recipes that give each piece its distinctive character. Visitors were able to taste several varieties of Nin šokol, speak with their makers and learn about the differences created by the choice of spices, the duration of individual processing stages and the conditions of drying and maturation. This approach helped the public understand that behind the simple name lies a lengthy process, considerable patience and a series of details that cannot be reduced entirely to a single recipe. This diversity of family methods is precisely one of the reasons why šokol remains a recognisable product of the Nin area while retaining the personal signature of each šokol maker.
Nin šokol as part of the identity of the town and surrounding settlements
The Nin Tourist Board states that the Nin Šokol Festival has been held since 2003, when it was launched to preserve the tradition of making šokol and introduce the public to a product that had long been associated primarily with family homes in the Nin area. Over more than two decades, the event has grown into one of the town's longest-running and most recognisable events. Its importance lies not only in presenting food, but also in creating a place where producers can exchange experiences, younger generations can learn about the production process and visitors can understand the connection between the local environment, eating habits and cultural identity. Šokol is traditionally produced in Nin and in settlements across its wider area, including Zaton, Privlaka, Vrsi, Petrčane, Grbe, Ninski Stanovi and other places connected by historical, economic and family ties. The list of award recipients at this year's event also showed that the tradition does not stop at the town's administrative boundaries, but remains alive throughout the entire area that has gravitated towards Nin for decades.
Official materials published by the Nin Tourist Board describe šokol as a cured meat product made from high-quality pork neck, Nin salt, red wine and various spices. The meat is first kept in sea salt, then immersed in cooked red wine and seasoned, after which it undergoes a period of smoking, drying and maturation. Winter weather conditions, particularly the bora wind, play an important role, although the final result also depends on methods preserved by individual families as their own recipes. The organisers emphasise that the value of the tradition lies precisely in these differences: the basic steps can be described, but the proportions, choice of spices, tying method, intensity of smoke and assessment of the moment when the product is ready remain matters of experience. Šokol therefore cannot be regarded as an industrially standardised foodstuff, but as a product whose quality results from the combination of raw material, climate, time and human knowledge.
The flavours of family recipes presented on Višeslav Square
The tasting section of the programme allowed visitors to compare different versions of Nin šokol and learn directly from the producers what the several-month journey from preparing the meat to serving the thinly sliced product looks like. Although the basic production method has been passed down through generations, every šokol maker makes individual decisions that influence the aroma, texture and final flavour. Differences can be detected in the intensity of the spices, saltiness, smokiness and degree of drying, which is why tasting several examples provides a more complete picture of the breadth of this local tradition. According to messages issued by the organisers before the event, the aim of the new concept was precisely to bring the people and families whose work ensures that šokol does not remain merely a memory of the past closer to the public. The emphasis on the square was therefore placed on encounters, conversations and presentation of the process, rather than only on the finished product.
Such a concept has particular value at a time when traditional knowledge is often lost because of changing lifestyles, lack of time and interruptions in intergenerational transmission. The event itself cannot replace experience acquired within a family, but it can increase the visibility of the product and encourage interest among new producers. Public recognition of šokol makers simultaneously sends a message that their time, precision and willingness to preserve customs are important to the entire community. Nin šokol thus becomes a link between private family tradition and the public identity of the destination. When the product is presented in the town's central square together with the names of the people who make it, tradition gains tangible bearers and ceases to be an abstract story about the past.
Awards for producers who preserve the knowledge of making šokol
A special part of the evening was the presentation of awards to producers of Nin šokol. According to the original report from the event, the awards were presented as a token of gratitude for their many years of effort, dedication and contribution to preserving a product that has become one of Nin's gastronomic symbols. This year's approach emphasised the value of every participant and the fact that continuity is not based on the work of a single individual, but on a network of families and places where šokol is prepared. The award recipients included experienced producers from Nin, Zaton, Privlaka, Vrsi, Petrčane and Pakoštane, further demonstrating the geographical breadth of the tradition. Awards at the 24th Nin Šokol Festival were presented to:
- Emil Čvrljević, Nin
- Mate Čvrljević, Nin
- Branko Sjauš, Nin
- Vjerica Sjauš, Nin
- Lucija Sjauš Dujmović, Nin
- Marin Dejanović, Nin
- Marko Oltran, Nin
- Šime Ljubičić, Nin
- Josip Parazajder, Nin
- Branko Kuzmar, Nin
- Stipe Pavlović, Zaton
- Florida Pavlović, Zaton
- Miroslav Šango, Privlaka
- Marijana Šango, Privlaka
- Kristijan Šango, Privlaka
- Dragan Begonja, Privlaka
- Šime Stojak, Vrsi
- Zoran Lisica, Petrčane
- Marica Vučkov, Pakoštane
The list of participants also reveals the family dimension of production, as it includes several members of the same families. This is an important indication of how knowledge about šokol has survived: recipes are not recorded only in cookbooks, but are learned through observation, working together and repeating the process from year to year. The presentation of awards was therefore not merely a ceremonial part of the programme, but a public acknowledgement of the people who possess the practical knowledge without which the product could not retain its authenticity. Attention was also given to those who may not be professional food producers, but who have continued within their families a process requiring time and special care. In this way, the 24th edition of the Šokol Festival conveyed the message that heritage is best preserved when the community recognises and respects its true bearers.
Slavonske lole and Vista for the musical finale of the evening
The gastronomic section of the programme was accompanied by music and entertainment that transformed Višeslav Square into an open-air summer stage. The performance by the tamburica ensemble Slavonske lole brought a recognisable repertoire and connected the Dalmatian gastronomic theme with the musical tradition of another part of Croatia. The audience continued socialising to their songs after the tastings and award ceremony, allowing the official section of the event to develop naturally into evening entertainment. They were followed by the band Vista, whose dance programme kept visitors on the square and rounded off the evening with songs and a cheerful atmosphere. According to the organisers' report, it was precisely the combination of local flavours, direct encounters with producers and music that created the atmosphere that makes the Šokol Festival feel like a shared town celebration year after year.
The music programme was not separated from the main theme, but contributed to the event's open and accessible character. Gastronomic heritage can be introduced more easily to a broad audience when the presentation of the product takes place in a relaxed setting in which visitors of different generations can participate. Families with children, local residents and tourists were able to remain in the historic centre, taste šokol and continue the evening with the concert programme. This combination of content increases the visibility of the local product while creating an experience that goes beyond a conventional tasting. In this way, the Šokol Festival is shaped as an event in which food, music, space and encounters with the hosts are equally important parts of the whole.
The historic centre of Nin as the event's natural stage
The choice of Višeslav Square additionally connects the gastronomic theme with the town's historical identity. The Nin Tourist Board states that the town has a history spanning approximately three thousand years, while its old town centre is situated on a small islet in a shallow lagoon connected to the mainland by stone bridges. In such a setting, an event dedicated to a traditional product acquires a significance that would be difficult to achieve in a neutral hall or a separate fairground. During the same evening, visitors can experience the architecture, squares and streets of the old town, taste a local delicacy and meet the people who produce it. This direct connection between place and product is an important part of gastronomic tourism because flavour gains additional context when it is presented where it originated and where it is still prepared.
For visitors who combine attending the event with a stay of several days, Nin and the surrounding settlements offer a combination of cultural heritage, a lagoon, sandy beaches, the tradition of salt production and summer events. Information about accommodation in Nin and the surrounding area may be useful to travellers who wish to explore the historic centre and the wider area beyond the evening on which the Šokol Festival takes place. Nevertheless, the value of the event does not arise only from its tourist appeal, but from the fact that the local community presents its heritage as a living practice. Visitors do not encounter a reconstructed custom without genuine bearers, but a product that continues to be prepared within families and served in local gastronomy. This gives the Šokol Festival credibility and explains why it has retained an important place in Nin's summer calendar over the years.
A joint project of organisers, patrons and local producers
The organisation of the 24th Nin Šokol Festival was led by the Nin Tourist Board in cooperation with the Town of Nin, producers, partners and numerous associates. The patrons of this year's edition were Zadar County and the Zadar County Tourist Board. Such an organisational structure demonstrates that preserving gastronomic identity requires the joint efforts of public institutions, the tourism sector and the people who make the product. Institutions can provide space, promotion and logistics, but the content and credibility of the event arise from the participation of šokol makers. The large audience turnout and positive reactions from participants, according to the organisers, confirmed that there is interest in events that present local tradition directly, without reducing the product to mere decoration within a tourism programme.
Over 24 editions, the Nin Šokol Festival has built continuity that is important both for the town's recognisability and for the confidence of local producers. Each new edition serves as a reminder that heritage is not unchanging, but depends on the people who adapt it to new circumstances while preserving its foundations. This is precisely why the refreshed concept in 2026 placed greater emphasis on šokol makers as guardians of tradition instead of viewing the product separately from their work. The presentation of awards, public presentation of recipes, tastings and music programme created a whole in which the past and the contemporary life of the town came together. The programme of the 24th edition ended with the conclusion of the evening on Višeslav Square, but its principal message remained clear: Nin šokol survives thanks to the families who continue to prepare it and the community that regards their knowledge as a valuable part of its identity.
Sources:
- Nin Tourist Board - official description of the Nin Šokol Festival, history of the event and basic šokol production process (link)
- Nin Tourist Board - brochure about Nin šokol, its production area, ingredients and family tradition (link)
- HRT Voice of Croatia - announcement of the 24th Nin Šokol Festival and presentation of the concept "Nin šokol - guardian of tradition" (link)
- 057info - information about the date, venue, programme and presentation of awards to šokol makers (link)
- Nin Tourist Board - official overview of Nin's history and the context of the historic town centre (link)