LOSINAVA 2026 brings Lošinj back to the sea: from the Olympic Primorka to the jubilee 50th Nerezine Regatta
From 5 to 19 September 2026, Mali Lošinj, Veli Lošinj and Nerezine will once again connect sport, maritime heritage, music, gastronomy and education as part of the LOSINAVA festival. According to the official programme of the Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj, this year's edition lasts two weeks and is dedicated to preserving, revitalising and presenting the island's maritime and shipbuilding tradition. Regattas of traditional boats and modern sailing boats form the backbone of the programme, but at the same time the festival opens up space for stories about Lošinj seafarers, old crafts, sailing, local gastronomy and the transfer of knowledge to younger generations. Two stories connecting local history with major sporting events have a special place in 2026: the restored Olympic sailing boat Primorka from 1952 and the 50th Nerezine Regatta of traditional sailing boats. For visitors who want to follow several festival days, the programme spread across several island locations means it is useful to consider accommodation on Lošinj during LOSINAVA in advance.
Opening on the Riva of Lošinj Captains and a first day marked by regattas
The official opening of LOSINAVA is scheduled for Saturday, 5 September at 10:00 on the Riva of Lošinj Captains in Mali Lošinj. In its programme, the Tourist Board lists a promenade by the Lošinj Majorettes and participants in the rowing pasara regatta, followed at 10:30 by the 14th Lošinj Rowing Pasara Regatta in Mali Lošinj harbour. Later the same day, the festival programme expands to Veli Lošinj, where the 6th Veloselska Maštela Regatta is scheduled for 17:00, followed by a presentation of seafaring skills from 19:00 to 21:00. The evening ends with a concert by TBF, accompanied by a DJ programme and gastronomic offerings in Veli Lošinj harbour, starting at 21:00. The first festival day therefore immediately combines the competitive, heritage and entertainment aspects of the event, without separating maritime tradition from the contemporary life of the island's settlements.
Primorka: the Olympic sailing boat back before the public after more than seven decades
One of the central stories of LOSINAVA 2026 is the restored wooden Star-class sailing boat Primorka. The Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj and the Jugo Sailing Club presented the restored sailing boat to the public on 23 July 2026 at Hotel Bellevue, stating that it is the original Olympic sailing boat built in the Lošinj shipyard for participation in the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. Karlo Bašić and Mario Fafangel, members of the Jugo Sailing Club, sailed Primorka for Yugoslavia at the time. Sports results databases confirm that the Primorka crew finished the Olympic Star-class competition in 20th place. The small wooden sailing boat from the Lošinj shipyard thus became a direct link between local shipbuilding and one of the world's greatest international sporting stages.
The same Olympic regattas gave Lošinj another powerful historical motif. According to research cited by the Tourist Board as part of the restoration of Primorka, five sailors connected with Lošinj competed at the 1952 Olympic Games. Alongside Bašić and Fafangel, Agostino Straulino and Nicolò „Nico“ Rode sailed for Italy in the Star class, while Dario Salata competed in the 5.5 metre class. The Italian National Olympic Committee CONI confirms that Straulino and Rode won the gold medal in the Star class in Helsinki. In the context of the festival, Primorka is therefore not merely a restored boat, but an object that opens up a broader story about sailing knowledge, island crews and sporting connections that transcended national borders.
The restored sailing boat is currently exhibited at Hotel Bellevue, and the Tourist Board states that, once the old Maritime School building has been restored, it should become part of a maritime collection dedicated to Lošinj's maritime and sailing heritage. During the presentation, Jugo Sailing Club president Vedran Kabalin highlighted the role of club members who over the years helped save the sailing boat from deterioration. Such a journey, from a sporting vessel through an endangered historical object to a restored exhibit, clearly explains the broader meaning of LOSINAVA: heritage remains visible only when it is actively preserved, documented and passed on. This is precisely why workshops, lectures and practical sailing sessions appear alongside Primorka in the festival programme, rather than exhibition content alone.
From „Đir po vali“ to LOSINAVA POINT: maritime heritage as an experience
LOSINAVA allows visitors to experience part of the maritime story directly at sea. The official programme lists „Đir po vali“, a free boat ride around the bay of Mali Lošinj with a local boatman, in morning and evening time slots during much of the festival. The rides are scheduled from 7 to 11 September between 9:00 and 12:00 and between 18:00 and 21:00, on 12 September in the morning slot, and then again from 14 to 18 September in morning and evening time slots. Instead of allowing traditional vessels to remain merely exhibition objects, the programme returns them to the space where they belong – the bay and the harbour. This approach makes it possible to understand maritime heritage through movement, the way a boat is handled and the immediate relationship between the town and the sea.
LOSINAVA POINT also operates in front of the Museum of Apoxyomenos during several festival days, conceived as a venue for workshops, lectures and activities for children and adults. The Tourist Board states that maritime and fishing skills and local products are presented there, while a special educational programme includes activities related to the basics of sailing. The Jugo Sailing Club organises educational sailing for children in Čikat Bay, and the programme includes theoretical basics, nautical knots, familiarisation with the boat hull and a practical part at sea. In this way, tradition is not presented as a closed historical subject, but as a set of skills that can be learned and used. It is precisely this transfer of knowledge that is important for the sustainability of the heritage to which the festival is dedicated.
Night Regatta and the Lošinj Olympians Regatta at the heart of the sporting programme
One of the most visually striking events is scheduled for Friday, 11 September. The ninth Night Regatta of traditional boats begins at 19:30 in Mali Lošinj harbour, bringing traditional vessels into the evening setting of the town harbour. On the same day, LOSINAVA POINT in front of the Museum of Apoxyomenos operates from 18:00 to 21:00, while „Đir po vali“ also continues. The combination of the regatta and the waterfront programme creates continuity between the competition at sea and activities on land. In the festival schedule, this is one of the evenings that most clearly demonstrates how LOSINAVA uses the harbour itself as a stage for events.
The following weekend brings the 44th Lošinj Regatta – the Lošinj Olympians Regatta. According to the official programme, sailing events are scheduled for 12 and 13 September in the area around the island of Lošinj and Mali Lošinj harbour, including a navigation regatta and an „up-and-down“ regatta. The name of the competition directly refers to the island's Olympic sailing history, which this year is further highlighted by the restoration of Primorka. On Saturday, 12 September, the sporting programme is accompanied by Maritime Evening on the Riva of Lošinj Captains and Republic of Croatia Square, featuring folklore performances, klapa groups, a brass orchestra and presentations of traditional maritime skills and crafts. A concert by Alen Nižetić is scheduled for 21:00 on Republic of Croatia Square.
„Addio – Farewell to the Captain“ revives the story of Lošinj seafarers' departures
The island's maritime history is connected not only with boats and competitions but also with the people who left Lošinj on long voyages. The staged presentation „Addio – Farewell to the Captain“ is part of the programme on 10 and 17 September in Čikat Bay, in front of the Annunziata chapel, starting at 10:30. The programme symbolically reconstructs the farewell to seafarers, one of the scenes that for centuries formed an integral part of the lives of families connected with the sea. Including such content alongside regattas and workshops broadens the festival's perspective from the technical and sporting aspects of seafaring to its social and emotional dimension. In this story, the ship is simultaneously a means of work, travel, earning a livelihood and prolonged absence.
Lectures additionally open up individual chapters of maritime history. A lecture by historian Irena Dlaka entitled „Food on Board“ is scheduled for 9 September at the Museum of Apoxyomenos, while a lecture by Klaudio Martinolić entitled „Yachts of Karl Stefan“ is planned for 15 September in Veli Lošinj. Such programmes make it possible to explore everyday life on board, food, ownership and the history of individual vessels alongside the major themes of sailing and shipbuilding. LOSINAVA thus builds its content on several levels: from major sporting stories such as the Olympic Primorka to details of everyday life without which maritime history would not be complete.
Taste the Mediterranean brings a gastronomic dimension to the festival
From 9 to 13 September, Mali Lošinj is also hosting the 14th international Taste the Mediterranean festival, making gastronomy one of the more important accompanying elements of LOSINAVA. The organisers of Taste the Mediterranean state that the festival is being held in Mali Lošinj for the second time in 2026 and brings together chefs, restaurants, hoteliers, winemakers and producers from different parts of the Mediterranean. The programme includes workshops, tastings, special menus and dinners, while some activities also involve secondary-school students training for hospitality professions. In the official LOSINAVA programme, the opening of the gastronomic festival is scheduled for 10 September at 19:00 at the Mali Lošinj fish market.
The gastronomic programme overlaps in time with the regattas, Maritime Evening and other events, allowing visitors during the same period to follow sporting and cultural activities while tasting festival menus in Lošinj restaurants. The organisers of Taste the Mediterranean particularly highlight Kvarner as the European Region of Gastronomy 2026, giving this year's programme an additional international context. For LOSINAVA, this connection is natural because food has for centuries been an integral part of the lives of seafarers, fishermen and island communities. In that sense, gastronomy is not merely an addition to the entertainment programme, but another way of interpreting the relationship between people, the sea, local ingredients and the Mediterranean environment.
Music on the waterfronts: TBF, Alen Nižetić, Magic Guitars Duo and Petar Dragojević
The musical part of the programme is spread throughout the festival and accompanies the main maritime events. After TBF at the opening in Veli Lošinj, performances by Magic Guitars Duo are scheduled for 10 and 17 September, connected with the sunset programme and Lošinj's maritime atmosphere. Maritime Evening on 12 September ends with a concert by Alen Nižetić, while the final festival evening on 19 September in Nerezine is reserved for Petar Dragojević. The concert on Studenac Square is scheduled for 21:00, following the daytime regatta and evening programme. Music therefore accompanies the festival's key moments, from the first day to the finale, while remaining connected to the waterfronts, harbours and squares where the rest of the programme also takes place.
50th Nerezine Regatta: a jubilee of a tradition repeatedly interrupted and revived
The finale of LOSINAVA 2026 moves to Nerezine, where the 50th Nerezine Regatta of traditional sailing boats is scheduled for noon on 19 September. The Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj lists Nerezine harbour and Studenac Square as locations, while a presentation of seafaring skills is scheduled from 19:00 to 21:00. A concert by Petar Dragojević at 21:00 closes the festival day. The jubilee number gives this year's regatta additional significance, but its importance does not arise solely from counting editions, but from the fact that the tradition has been interrupted and restarted several times over more than a century.
According to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, regattas of wooden pasara boats in Nerezine began in 1920 and were interrupted during the Second World War. The Ministry also cites a Jugo Sailing Club regatta held in 1950 as an impetus for a new period, after which regattas of traditional boats were again held from 1954 to 1966. The modern revival of the event returned traditional boats to the regular public programme, so the 50th edition in 2026 simultaneously represents a sporting event and a kind of living archive of local shipbuilding. Pasaras, gucs, gajetas, leuts and other traditional vessels are therefore not merely historical types of boats, but vessels that are maintained, equipped and used again at sea.
It is precisely this continuity through interruptions that is one of the most interesting elements of the Nerezine Regatta. The tradition survived not because the event was held continuously, but because different generations repeatedly brought it back to life. The jubilee 50th regatta therefore closes LOSINAVA in a place where the difference between museum heritage and living heritage is most clearly visible: the boats are not merely exhibited, but sail, crews prepare them and the public watches them in the environment where such vessels were part of everyday life for decades. The finale in Nerezine thus summarises the fundamental idea of the entire festival.
Two weeks in which the past is not viewed only from a distance
LOSINAVA 2026, from 5 to 19 September, connects events of different formats and sizes, but they are united by Lošinj's relationship with the sea. On one side are major historical stories, such as Primorka's Olympic appearance in 1952 and the jubilee of the Nerezine Regatta, and on the other are practical workshops, boat rides, lectures and demonstrations of skills. Between them are the Night Regatta, the Lošinj Olympians Regatta, exhibitions, the staged farewell to seafarers, the gastronomic programme and concerts. The official schedule shows that the festival is not concentrated in a single location or on a single weekend, but moves over two weeks between Mali Lošinj, Veli Lošinj, Čikat and Nerezine.
For visitors, this means the possibility of following LOSINAVA as a series of separate events or as a whole that gradually reveals different layers of the island's maritime culture. The most important dates include the opening and first regattas on 5 September, the Night Regatta on 11 September, the Lošinj Olympians Regatta on 12 and 13 September, and the final 50th Nerezine Regatta on 19 September. The organiser notes that times are subject to change, so it is advisable to check the current official schedule before arrival. What remains the central message of this year's edition is that Lošinj's maritime heritage is not locked in the past: it continues to be preserved through vessels, competitions, knowledge, stories and the people who pass them on to new generations.
Sources:
- Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj – official LOSINAVA 2026 festival programme, dates, locations, regattas, workshops, concerts and accompanying activities (link)
- Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj – information on the restored Primorka sailing boat and its Olympic history (link)
- Taste the Mediterranean – official programme of the 14th international gastronomic festival in Mali Lošinj from 9 to 13 September 2026 (link)
- Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Croatia – history of the Nerezine Regatta of traditional sailing boats and information on earlier periods in which it was held (link)
- Olympedia and the Italian National Olympic Committee CONI – sailing results from the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, Primorka's participation and the gold medal won by Agostino Straulino and Nicolò Rode in the Star class (Olympedia; CONI)