FIT4NOVI enters its final stretch: five days of sport, recreation, music and a gastro programme in Novi Vinodolski
Novi Vinodolski welcomes the last week of May in the spirit of sport, recreation and entertainment, as the FIT4NOVI event enters its final stretch. According to the programme of the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board, events will take place from 26 to 31 May 2026 at several city locations, from the Small Sports Court and the Cultural Centre to Ivan Mažuranić Square, the Novi Vinodolski harbour and the hinterland, which will host a trail race and a cycling event. The event, which throughout May has connected movement, education, time in nature and social events, ends with a series of activities intended for children, recreational athletes, sports clubs, visitors and everyone who wants to connect an active holiday with a stay by the sea. The organisers announce a programme that includes tournaments, sports presentations, outdoor training sessions, a concert segment and a special gastronomic offer under the slogan “The Power of a Bite”.
According to the announcement by the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board and official city information, FIT4NOVI is being held this year from 2 to 31 May, and the final part of the event brings the densest schedule of activities. The focus is on local sports clubs and associations, but also on programmes that are not intended only for competitors. The idea of the event is to bring sport and recreation closer to a wider audience, from kindergarten-age children to older adults, with an emphasis on a healthy lifestyle, socialising and the use of the city’s public spaces. At the end of May, Novi Vinodolski thus confirms itself as a destination where tourist and sports content naturally complement each other.
The finale begins with a children’s football tournament
The finale programme begins on Tuesday, 26 May, with a children’s five-a-side football tournament organised by NK Vinodol. Although it was originally planned for Saturday, 30 May, the organisers moved the date earlier due to unforeseen circumstances. The tournament will be played at the Small Sports Court, starting at 16:00. This opens the final week of the event with content aimed at the youngest athletes and local club sport, which gains additional visibility in such programmes outside the regular competition calendar.
On Thursday, 28 May, the programme continues with content for children and sea sports. In the morning at the Small Sports Court, Fijolica Kindergarten will hold the workshop “For a sporty beat, be wonderfully fit”. This is an activity that fits into the broader goal of the event, as children are encouraged to move through play, rhythm and group tasks. In the afternoon, the programme will move towards the Novi Vinodolski harbour, where members of the Burin Sailing Club will hold a sailing presentation. Visitors will be able to learn the basics of a sport that is strongly connected with coastal towns and maritime tradition, as well as with a recreational way of spending time at sea.
Friday brings mini handball, veteran women players and an outdoor fitness programme
The sporting rhythm continues on Friday, 29 May, with a mini handball tournament organised by the Vinodol Handball Club. The tournament will be held at the Small Sports Court, also starting at 16:00. After the competitive part, an exhibition match of veteran women players is planned, giving the programme an additional social dimension and connecting different generations of female athletes. Such content in local events often plays an important role because it reminds people of the continuity of club work and of those who shaped the sporting life of the community in earlier years.
On the same day, Ivan Mažuranić Square becomes an open recreational zone. From 18:30, Sports Recreation Synergy FIT will hold presentations of Yoga Vinyasa, Pilates Fusion Flow and Zumba fitness training. These are formats that can be adapted to different levels of physical fitness, so the programme is not aimed only at experienced exercisers. Yoga Vinyasa emphasises the connection between movement and breathing, Pilates Fusion Flow combines elements of stabilisation, mobility and movement control, while Zumba fitness is conceived as a dynamic group workout with music. By placing such a programme on the city square, the organisers further open recreation to passers-by and visitors who may be encountering a certain form of exercise for the first time.
Novi trail as the sporting highlight of Saturday’s programme
Saturday, 30 May, brings one of the most prominent events of the finale, the Novi trail race. According to information from the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board and the Run Croatia platform, the start of the main races is scheduled for 10:00, and participants can choose between 5-kilometre and 11.5-kilometre routes. The programme also includes children’s races of 100 and 200 metres, which will be held on Korzo hrvatskih branitelja. Novi trail leads through the picturesque Novi Vinodolski hinterland, connecting the sporting challenge with the natural landscape above the town. The organisers present the race as a combination of running, spending time in nature and getting to know terrain that offers a different image of Novi Vinodolski from the one most often associated with the coast and the summer season.
Registrations for Novi trail are open through the Run Croatia platform, and according to official information the race is organised by the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board and Run Croatia, in cooperation with the Town of Novi Vinodolski and the Novi Vinodolski Cultural Centre. The format with two routes enables participation by different profiles of runners, from those who want a shorter recreational challenge to competitors ready for a more demanding course. The children’s races further expand the programme and introduce the youngest participants to the atmosphere of a sporting event. For visitors coming to Novi Vinodolski because of the race or the accompanying programme, it is useful to check accommodation in Novi Vinodolski in good time, especially because the finale of the event coincides with the weekend and a larger number of events in the town.
In addition to the trail race, Saturday’s programme also includes a chess tournament by the Zrinski Frankopan Chess Club, which will be held at the Cultural Centre starting at 16:00. This means that the FIT4NOVI finale does not remain only within physically dynamic activities, but also includes a sport that requires concentration, strategy and patience. In the evening hours, the city centre will be taken over by the music programme, with a Zsa Zsa concert announced. After a day marked by running, tournaments and outdoor activities, the concert segment is conceived as the conclusion of Saturday’s atmosphere in the centre of Novi Vinodolski.
“The Power of a Bite” connects sport and gastronomy
A special part of this year’s programme is the gastro story under the slogan “The Power of a Bite”. According to the published menu of the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board, selected restaurants on Saturday, 30 May, will prepare special menus aimed at athletes, recreational participants and visitors who want a lighter, more balanced meal during a day filled with activities. The participating venues are restaurant Admiral in Marina Novi, restaurant Đir, restaurant Mirakul, pizzeria Nava and tavern Hata. The menus include combinations such as soups, vitamin salads, fish dishes, pasta, risotto, lighter meat options and desserts, and the prices are listed in the official programme document.
The gastro segment is important because it further broadens the concept of a sports event. In this way, FIT4NOVI does not remain merely a series of training sessions, races and tournaments, but connects movement with nutrition, the hospitality offer and the local economy. In a tourist town, such an approach has additional value because it directs visitors towards restaurants that are joining the thematic programme, while offering athletes and recreational participants a practical choice after activities. According to the published information, the gastro programme also continues on Sunday at Ivan Mažuranić Square, where from 10:00 nutritionist Martina Linarić will prepare healthy smoothies and share advice on proper and balanced nutrition.
Sunday for children, older adults, bodyweight training and a cycling event
The Sunday programme, 31 May, maintains the emphasis on sport, health and recreation for different age groups. From 9:30, the youngest participants can enjoy a sports playroom for kindergarten age under the guidance of Donna-Louise Ugrinović. The same leader will also prepare the programme “Let’s stay active and healthy in the third age”, intended for the older population, starting at 11:00 at Ivan Mažuranić Square. In this way, the finale of the event clearly shows that an active life is not reserved only for competitors or younger recreational athletes. Including older people in a public programme has both preventive and social value, as it encourages movement, time outdoors and intergenerational participation in city events.
At noon, a bodyweight training session led by Ida Mikulić, also known as a former Survivor contestant, will be held at Ivan Mažuranić Square. Bodyweight training is based on exercises using one’s own body weight, so no complex equipment is needed to participate. Precisely for that reason, this format suits a public space and an event that wants to make sport accessible to as wide a circle of people as possible. Visitors can join the workout, try the exercises and gain insight into a form of recreation that can be continued even outside the organised programme.
On the same day, a cycling event through the hinterland of Novi Vinodolski will also be held, organised by the Vinodol Cycling Club. The start is announced for 10:00 from the city centre, and the route is 45 kilometres long, with 800 metres of ascent. It is intended for riders of road, gravel and MTB bicycles, and according to the programme it leads via Bater to Pleteno and the Sviba viewpoint, after which it descends along the same route to the “Ivana” inn, where a refreshment break is planned. The continuation of the route leads via Bribir and the Novi Vinodolski field back to the centre of Novi Vinodolski. The difficulty of the cycling event is rated 3.5 out of 5, indicating that participants should count on solid physical fitness and a suitable bicycle.
Tournaments to close the event and a humanitarian note to the programme
The final day of FIT4NOVI will also be marked by two tournaments. A table tennis tournament will be held at the Cultural Centre starting at 10:00, while the five-a-side football tournament “Trophy of Novi Vinodolski – Parts of the Town” will begin at 16:00 at the Small Sports Court. This brings the event back to sports that have a strong local recreational base and that easily fit into the city programme. Five-a-side football tournaments, especially those that bring together teams connected with parts of the town, often also have a social character because, alongside competition, they encourage cheering, meetings and informal socialising.
The humanitarian dimension of the event is once again provided this year by the Novi korak Association through the sale of official FIT4NOVI T-shirts. According to the organisers’ announcement, all proceeds collected are intended for the association’s work and for helping children with developmental difficulties. This connects the sports and recreational programme with local solidarity and concrete support for families who need help. Such an element is especially important in events that rely on the local community, because it shows that public events can have a broader effect than merely gathering people and providing entertainment.
The organiser of the FIT4NOVI event is the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board, with co-organisers including the Town of Novi Vinodolski, the Novi Vinodolski Cultural Centre, the Novi korak Association, sports associations and clubs from the city area, Run Croatia and hospitality establishments from the Novi Vinodolski area. According to tourist and city announcements, this year’s edition confirms a model in which city institutions, sports associations, the cultural sector, hospitality providers and a humanitarian association are connected in a joint programme. The finale from 26 to 31 May is therefore not just a calendar of individual activities, but a rounded story about movement, health, community and an active stay in Novi Vinodolski.
Sources:
- Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board – official announcement of the FIT4NOVI 2026 event and programme of events (link)
- Town of Novi Vinodolski – official city announcement about the FIT4NOVI 2026 programme (link)
- Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board – finale of the FIT4NOVI event and announcement of the programme from 28 to 31 May (link)
- Run Croatia / Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board – information about the Novi trail 2026 race and registrations (link)
- Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board – official menus of the “The Power of a Bite” programme (link)