The 8th Creski kaić has set sail: Cres lives for a week with the sea, heritage, traditional boats and a Venetian gondola
At the beginning of June, Cres once again became the centre of island maritime heritage with the opening of the eighth edition of the event Days of Cres Maritime Heritage and Tradition "Creski kaić". According to the published schedule of the organisers and the Tourist Board of the Town of Cres, the programme takes place from 1 to 7 June 2026 and brings together cultural, educational, sporting, gastronomic and musical content. At the centre of the event is the traditional kaić, a small wooden boat which, in the Cres context, is presented not only as a vessel, but as a symbol of a way of life by the sea and from the sea. This year’s edition is additionally marked by the arrival of a traditional Venetian gondola, which arrived in the port of Cres as one of the most attractive links between Adriatic maritime traditions. For visitors coming to Cres for the multi-day programme, it is useful to check accommodation in Cres in good time, especially because of the final part of the event, which takes place during the weekend.
Opening with exhibitions, music and the launching of a restored kaić
The ceremonial opening programme was held on Monday, 1 June, and according to the event programme it began with a performance by the "Josip Kašman" Wind Orchestra on the waterfront and Frane Petrić Square. This was followed by the opening of an exhibition of ship models by author Srđan Glavan at Lungomare Sv. Mikule 1 and an exhibition of children’s works "Po svetu moreš hodit, a doma se vavek vratit" by the Girice Kindergarten in the Moise Palace. This already highlighted at the very beginning one of the main features of Creski kaić: connecting local history, handicrafts, school and kindergarten work, music and public space into a unique programme intended for a broad audience. The central part of the opening consisted of the arrival of the Venetian gondola, the lowering of the restored boat into the sea and the opening of the bocce tournament at Pišarjola. According to the announcement of the Tourist Board of the Town of Cres, the event was officially opened by the Mayor of Cres, Marin Gregorović, together with representatives of the organisers and sponsors, including the president of the Reful Sailing Club Marčelo Damijanjević, the head of LAGUR Vela vrata Eliana Zec Solina, the director of the Tourist Board of the Town of Cres Željka Stašić and the director of the Kvarner Tourist Board Marijana Kalčić.
The Venetian gondola as a special attraction of the Cres port
Special attention this year was drawn by the Venetian gondola with which Andrea Balbi, president of the Association of Gondoliers of Venice, arrived in Cres, as stated by the organisers of the event. The gondola is one of the most recognisable symbols of Venice, but it is also a complex product of traditional shipbuilding, shaped for the specific sailing conditions of narrow Venetian canals. Expert descriptions of Venetian traditional vessels state that the gondola is made from a large number of wooden parts, that it is about 11 metres long and that its construction shows a high level of craftsmanship. The organisers of Creski kaić pointed out that it is a hand-made vessel composed of approximately 280 parts and weighing about 350 kilograms. According to the official programme, free gondola rides are planned every day until Saturday, 6 June, with special themed slots for children, singers, couples and women.
The arrival of the gondola in Cres also has a broader symbolic meaning because it connects two Adriatic environments in which the identity of the town and the island was built for centuries alongside the sea, the port, boats and the skills of people who knew how to read the wind, the tide and the everyday needs of the coast. In a journalistic sense, this is not only an attraction for photography, but also a reminder that maritime heritage is not preserved exclusively in museums. It is also preserved through sailing, workshops, meetings of masters, conversations with crews and the opportunity for younger generations to see what traditional vessels look like in the real space of a port. In that context, the Venetian gondola naturally fitted into a programme based on the restoration of wooden boats, a regatta of traditional vessels and the presentation of island skills. Creski kaić thus confirms that heritage can be alive, accessible and understandable even to those who have no direct experience with traditional shipbuilding.
Tuesday brings children’s workshops, local products and a discussion on underwater noise
The programme on Tuesday, 2 June, is focused on children, local products, education and evening gatherings. According to the schedule of the Tourist Board of the Town of Cres, free rides in the Venetian gondola and the Girice Kindergarten workshop "More na borši" are intended for the youngest visitors. The bocce tournament continues, and under the town loggia a tournament in briškula and trešeta begins, card games deeply connected with the social life of coastal and island communities. In Martinšćica, the Andrija Linardić Museum hosts an exhibition and lecture by Ivo Saganić entitled "Shipbuilding and Shipping in Martinšćica", whereby the programme expands beyond the town of Cres and recalls the maritime history of other island settlements. At Frane Petrić Square, "Creska butega", an exhibition of local products, is held, with a performance by the rhythmic group of Frane Petrić Elementary School.
An important educational part of the programme is dedicated to underwater noise. According to the published programme, at the Italian Community of Cres the lecture and workshop "Noise Clean Up" is led by Tihana Vučur Blazinić from the Blue World Institute. In its projects, the Blue World Institute states that underwater noise is an increasingly important topic in the protection of the marine environment because sound travels faster underwater than through air, and noise connected with vessels and other human activities can affect marine organisms. The inclusion of such a topic in the event programme shows that Creski kaić does not remain only at a nostalgic presentation of the past, but connects maritime heritage with current issues of Adriatic conservation. The evening continues with the promotion of the multimedia guide "Renaissance Cres" as part of the Value Plus project, the preparation of traditional Cres dishes organised by the Italian Community of Cres and the concert "Duo In Between".
Exhibitions, klapa singing groups and the arrival of the Nerezinac logger expand the story of Adriatic heritage
Wednesday, 3 June, according to the programme, brings rides in the Venetian gondola for singers and all those who feel that way, the continuation of the bocce, briškula and trešeta tournaments, and the opening of the exhibition "Ancient Shipwrecks" by author Jelena Dunato at the Cres Museum. The gastronomic part includes the Gušt association from Lošinj, which prepares mussel buzara with spaghetti, while the musical conclusion of the evening is planned with the klapa groups Teha and Čikat. This combination of exhibitions, cooking and klapa singing reminds us that island heritage does not consist of a single piece of content, but of a series of connected practices: fishing, shipbuilding, family recipes, singing, sailing and local gatherings. In programme terms, Wednesday therefore acts as a bridge between the introductory days and the final part in which traditional vessels will once again take the main role in the port of Cres.
Thursday, 4 June, brings a tour of the Interpretation Centre "Loger Nerezinac", gondola rides for couples, the finals of the briškula and trešeta and bocce tournaments, the wool felting workshop "Vuna i more" organised by the Ruta association, the preparation of Royal-Adriatic roasted fish and the concert "Trio Iman acoustic". The Nerezinac logger is an important addition to the programme because, according to data from the Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj, it is a sailing vessel restored on the model of Lošinj loggers from the end of the 19th century, which presents the maritime tradition of Lošinj in a contemporary and interactive way. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport previously stated that this sailing interpretation centre is connected with protected cultural heritage, which makes its arrival in the Creski kaić programme thematically logical. The meeting of the Cres and Lošinj maritime stories additionally emphasises the shared cultural space of Kvarner, in which boats, ports and maritime knowledge developed through constant exchange.
Friday gathers traditional vessels, women on a gajeta and old games
On Friday, 5 June, the gathering of traditional vessels begins in the port of Cres, which is the introduction to the central regatta part of the event. According to the Creski kaić programme, the tour of the Nerezinac logger continues on the same day, while the gondola is reserved in special slots for rides for women. Under the town loggia, the Open Championship of Cres in "Mora cantadi" is held, a game belonging to the Mediterranean circle of loud competition, quick addition and social outwitting. In front of the Cres Museum, the chess tournament "Creski kaić" is held, while in the port the attractive competition "Women Row on a Gajeta" is planned. This part of the programme is especially important because it does not present maritime heritage as an exclusively male story, but includes women in a visible, competitive and symbolically powerful segment of the event.
The Friday evening part further strengthens the festival character of the programme. At Frane Petrić Square, the "Lana" Dance Group and the dance playroom of the Girice Cres Kindergarten perform, while the gastronomic part includes seafood specialities such as cuttlefish with chickpeas, maništrun with mussels and pršunata, which the programme connects with guest traditions from the area of Betina and the Kornati. The musical part of the evening brings a performance by Infinity Band and a DJ programme after the concert. Although this is the entertainment part of the event, it also has a social function: it brings together regatta participants, local associations, families, visitors and guests from other coastal environments. It is precisely through such gatherings that Creski kaić crosses the boundaries of a classic showcase and becomes a week in which cultural heritage is transferred into the everyday rhythm of the town.
Saturday’s regatta and Brudetijada are the highlight of this year’s edition
Saturday, 6 June, has been announced as the central day of the event. The programme begins with the championship in underwater fishing and boat angling for adults and the angling championship for children, organised by ŠRD Parangal. After the skippers’ meeting, at 1 p.m. on the Old Pier the start of the regatta of traditional sailing vessels is planned, one of the most important events of Creski kaić. The regatta is not only a sporting competition, but also a public showcase of wooden boats, sails, crews and skills that shaped life in the Cres and wider Kvarner waters for decades. According to the programme, the end of the regatta and the showcase of traditional vessels are planned at Frane Petrić Square, and in the afternoon the "Motta di Livenza" Wind Orchestra will perform.
A special place in Saturday’s programme is occupied by Brudetijada, the traditional competition in cooking brudet from fish caught in underwater fishing. The start of cooking is announced for 5 p.m. at Frane Petrić Square, while the selection of the best brudet and tasting are planned for 7:30 p.m. Such gastronomic events also fit into the broader context of 2026, in which Kvarner holds the international title of European Region of Gastronomy, according to IGCAT data. At the same time, they fit into the fact that Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in 2026 also holds the title of European Region of Sport, as confirmed by the official pages of the PGŽ European Region of Sport project. In its Saturday finale, Creski kaić combines both emphases: competition, recreation and skill on one side, and local cuisine, fish and communal dining on the other. After the awarding of prizes for the traditional regatta and other tournaments, the evening programme brings a concert by Šajeta with band, a DJ after party and a night sailing of traditional vessels under the title "The Play of Sail and Light".
Sunday finale and the role of the event in preserving the identity of the island
The final day, Sunday 7 June, according to the published programme, brings gondoliers’ buzara and a performance by DJ Bizzare at Vina Miramar. After a week of exhibitions, workshops, sporting encounters, regatta, card playing, bocce, chess, children’s programmes and musical evenings, the Sunday closing is conceived as a relaxed gathering that rounds off this year’s story. The organisers retain the right to change the programme, which is common for events that have a large part of their content outdoors and depend on weather conditions, the state of the sea and vessel logistics. Nevertheless, the basic structure of Creski kaić clearly shows that this is an event that does not rest on a single attraction, but on a complex web of local knowledge and cooperation. Each day of the programme brings at least one piece of content that can be connected with the preservation of maritime, fishing or island tradition.
According to the official page of the Croatian Island Product programme, the event has been organised since 2019 by the Reful Sailing Club, and its purpose is to preserve and highlight the intangible cultural heritage of the island of Cres connected with seafaring and fishing. The same source states that a special value of the event is also the tradition of restoring one wooden Cres boat every year, whereby knowledge is preserved not only declaratively, but through concrete work on vessels. On the official Creski kaić website it is emphasised that the basic aim of the project is the preservation and valorisation of the traditional way of life of the island of Cres connected with the sea, shipbuilding and fishing. That is precisely why the event has an importance that goes beyond the tourist calendar: it creates a public space in which local identity is transmitted through participation, and not only through observation. The organiser of the event is the Reful Cres Sailing Club, the partners are the Town of Cres and OTRA, the event is co-financed with funds from the Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme through LAGUR Vela vrata, and it is held with the support of the Tourist Board of the Town of Cres, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the Kvarner Tourist Board and in cooperation with numerous Cres clubs, associations, institutions and individuals.
Sources: - Creski kaić – official programme of the event for 2026, event schedule, organisers and note on co-financing (link) - Tourist Board of the Town of Cres – announcement of the Creski kaić 2026 event, event calendar and practical information about the programme (link) - Creski kaić – official "About us" page, information about the Reful Sailing Club and the aims of the project for preserving maritime and fishing heritage (link) - Croatian Island Product – description of the "Creski kaić" event as an intangible good and information about its purpose (link) - Town of Cres – official information about the Town of Cres and Mayor Marin Gregorović (link) - Blue World Institute – information about the UNDERSEA project and the context of research into underwater noise in the Adriatic (link) - Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj – information about the Nerezinac logger as a sailing interpretation centre of maritime heritage (link) - IGCAT – official information about Kvarner as the European Region of Gastronomy 2026 (link) - PGŽ European Region of Sport 2026 – official information about the title of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County for 2026 (link) - Venice Original – description of the Venetian gondola as a traditional vessel and its construction (link)