From the Sails of Vinodol and Okolotorno to musical evenings: Novi Vinodolski enters an eventful August week
Novi Vinodolski welcomes mid-August with a series of cultural, musical, traditional and maritime events taking place from 11 to 15 August 2026 in the town centre, Klenovica and on the waters of the Vinodol Channel. The programme brings together classical music, contemporary art, the revived history of the Old Town, sailing and summer evenings with popular music, so over several days visitors will be able to choose from very different activities. Part of the programme already began on 10 August with the Magic of Handicrafts fair, while the main series of events continues with a concert in the Church of Saints Philip and Jacob, the final edition of Okolotorno this year, an exhibition at the Turnac Gallery, the postponed Sails of Vinodol, and concerts in Novi Vinodolski and Klenovica. According to official announcements by the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board and the City of Novi Vinodolski, most events are open to the general public, while certain programmes, such as the Sails of Vinodol, require advance registration. For guests planning to follow the programme for several days, the accommodation offers in Novi Vinodolski may also be useful, particularly because the events take place at several locations and at different times of day.
Art Novi continues with a concert by Nikica PolegubiÄ
On Tuesday, 11 August, the programme of the 16th Art Novi International Classical Music Festival continues with a concert by Croatian guitarist Nikica PolegubiÄ. The performance is scheduled for 9 p.m. at the Church of Saints Philip and Jacob in Novi Vinodolski and, according to the Tourist Board, admission is free. In its announcement, the Tourist Board points out that PolegubiÄ has received numerous awards and recognitions at international guitar competitions and has performed in several European countries and outside Europe. His concert therefore fits into the broader summer cultural programme of Novi Vinodolski, in which musical events take place alongside exhibitions, fairs and events connected with local history.
A day earlier, on 10 August, the town centre was marked by the Magic of Handicrafts fair. According to the official Tourist Board announcement, exhibitors offered honey, natural cosmetics, souvenirs and other handicrafts made by local craftspeople, artists and artisans. Although that event had already ended at the time this text was published, it is important as an introduction to a series of programmes continuing almost without interruption until the holiday weekend. The concept of the fair is based on direct encounters between visitors and producers and on the presentation of handmade and local products in the very centre of Novi Vinodolski. In this way, the commercial part of the summer offer is connected with craftsmanship and the local creative scene, without being separated from the other cultural and entertainment activities taking place in the town centre.
The final Okolotorno of the year brings historical characters back to the Old Town
Wednesday, 12 August, is reserved for the final edition of Okolotorno this year, one of the recognisable summer events in the Old Town. The official Tourist Board announcement lists the time from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., when the stone streets of the historic centre are once again expected to become a stage dedicated to local heritage, music, tradition and gastronomy. The City of Novi Vinodolski announced that Okolotorno 2026 is being held for the 11th time, over four summer evenings, with 12 August being the final date of this year's cycle. Visitors will encounter costumed historical figures connected with the town and Vinodol, including the Frankopans, Ban Ivan MažuraniÄ and Ivana BrliÄ-MažuraniÄ. They will be joined by participants in traditional costumes, musicians, craftspeople and artists, turning the old town centre into a space where historical interpretation and evening entertainment take place simultaneously.
A special part of the programme is the Frankopan Ink Workshop, where visitors can learn about making iron-gall ink as well as writing in the Glagolitic script. According to official announcements, Okolotorno also includes two coastal taverns opened for the occasion, handicraft stalls, several musical ensembles and activities for children. Children's activities include face painting and archery, while adult visitors are offered music, wine and local gastronomic experiences spread throughout the Old Town. This format allows different parts of the historic centre to be explored gradually, without a single central stage serving as the only venue. The spatial distribution of the activities is precisely one of Okolotorno's distinctive features, as the historic streets, squares and surroundings become part of the programme itself.
The connection between the event and local history is no coincidence. The Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board states that the town developed from the old Frankopan fortress of Novigrad, while the cultural heritage of today's town includes the Frankopan Castle, the old town centre, religious buildings, Turnac and the heritage of the MažuraniÄ family. Official tourist materials also give a special place to the Vinodol Code of 1288, a historical legal document associated with representatives of nine Vinodol municipalities. Therefore, the historical figures and Glagolitic script at Okolotorno are not merely decorative elements of a summer event, but draw on themes deeply embedded in the identity of the town. The event presents them in a more accessible, living format, adapted to visitors who want to discover the area and participate in the programme at the same time during an evening walk.
Turnac Gallery gives space to Damir StojniÄ
On the same day, 12 August, the exhibition by Damir StojniÄ entitled "Unidentity: interventions" opens at the Turnac City Gallery and, according to the gallery programme, will remain available until 23 August. In its announcement of the exhibition season, the City of Novi Vinodolski states that StojniÄ presents works created through interventions in existing paintings and found artistic fragments, which he combines, expands and transforms into new wholes. Through collages, puzzle structures and appropriations, the artist explores questions of identity, authorship and the relationship between his own and others' visual language. The exhibition thus differs thematically from the historical and traditional Okolotorno, but both programmes take place within Novi Vinodolski's immediate cultural space and offer two different perspectives on the concept of identity - one through local heritage and the other through contemporary artistic practice. The City also states that the Turnac Gallery summer programme was realised with the support of the City of Novi Vinodolski, the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.
Turnac Gallery is part of the broader cultural infrastructure located in the historic centre of the town. The Tourist Board highlights Turnac as a recognisable part of the Frankopan complex and as a place connected with the Novi Vinodolski People's Museum and Gallery. Among other things, the museum collection contains items connected with the MažuraniÄ family, archaeological finds, traditional costumes and materials related to local history. This context gives an additional dimension to the contemporary gallery programme: current exhibitions do not take place in an isolated exhibition venue, but within a town whose cultural identity is strongly based on preserving and reinterpreting the past. StojniÄ's exhibition remains open even after the end of this week's main series of events, so it can also be visited by audiences arriving in the town later in August.
Sails of Vinodol moved to 14 August due to the forecast of hurricane-force bora winds
One of the central daytime programmes was supposed to take place on 7 August, but weather conditions changed the plan. On 6 August, the City of Novi Vinodolski announced that the Sails of Vinodol event was being postponed due to the forecast of hurricane-force bora winds and that the new date would be Friday, 14 August, with the same schedule and at the same times. This year's event takes place in Klenovica, and the City had already explained in July that the location was changed because of breakwater reconstruction work and for safety reasons. The event is conceived as a tourist experience combining the sea, sailing and the maritime tradition of the Vinodol Riviera, with sailing accompanied by experienced sailors. Participants are promised a coastal-style lunch and refreshments, while sailing sessions are held at several times during the morning and early afternoon.
According to the City's official announcement, the original 7 August date was fully booked, but the change of date may result in some places becoming available. Interested visitors are therefore advised to check availability and register with the organisers before arriving. An earlier announcement listed departure times of 9 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., while the overall programme takes place between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The postponement also shows how directly this type of programme depends on weather conditions: unlike concerts and town events, sailing safety determines whether the event can take place as planned at all. The organisers specifically cited the safety of participants, visitors and crews as their priority when deciding to change the date.
Klenovica is more than a substitute location for the Sails of Vinodol. It is a coastal settlement with a strong fishing and maritime tradition, so the programme at sea naturally complements the other summer events held there. For visitors wishing to combine the daytime sailing programme with an evening concert, checking accommodation in Klenovica and the surrounding area may be practical. Because departures are spread throughout the day and the evening music programme begins several hours after sailing ends, 14 August in Klenovica is shaped as a full-day summer programme.
Tedi Spalato in Klenovica in the evening
After the Sails of Vinodol, Klenovica continues in a musical mood on 14 August. The Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board has announced a concert by Tedi Spalato in the centre of Klenovica, while the original programme lists a 9 p.m. start and free admission. In the concert announcement, the organisers highlight a number of Spalato's well-known songs from his Mediterranean and singer-songwriter repertoire. In this way, on the same day and within a relatively small area, an active experience at sea is combined with the classic format of an outdoor summer concert.
Since the daytime and evening programmes take place immediately before the Feast of the Assumption, 14 August may also be interesting to guests staying in other places around Kvarner. The organisers have not announced any special participation arrangements for the concert, while registration is mandatory for the Sails of Vinodol because of the limited number of participants. Visitors wishing to attend both programmes should therefore primarily secure their sailing place in advance and follow any new announcements from the organisers concerning weather conditions. If the programme goes ahead according to the new plan, Klenovica will have one of the most event-filled days of this year's summer calendar on 14 August.
The Feast of the Assumption with Trio Insula and Klenovica Night
On Saturday, 15 August, the Feast of the Assumption, the music programme will take place at two locations. A performance by Trio Insula is scheduled for 9 p.m. in the centre of Novi Vinodolski. The Tourist Board states that this is a summer music evening open to visitors in the town centre. At the same time, Klenovica will have its own programme with Klenovica Night, which according to the official announcement begins at 8 p.m. Alongside Trio Vivak, Joso Butorac is also announced, and the programme is accompanied by a gastronomic offer focusing on fish specialities. Thus, after a Friday filled with sailing and a Tedi Spalato concert, musical and gastronomic events in Klenovica continue the following evening.
Klenovica Night is based on a simple format of a summer celebration by the sea: musical performances, socialising and food connected with the local fishing identity. Unlike Okolotorno, which is strongly focused on historical interpretation, or Art Novi, which has a clearly profiled classical music programme, the emphasis here is on an informal evening gathering. It is precisely this diversity of formats that characterises the programme from 11 to 15 August. Over several days there is a church concert, an atmospheric historical event, a contemporary exhibition, sailing, popular music and a gastronomic celebration, allowing visitors to adapt the programme to their own interests instead of relying on a single large central event.
Summer programme as a combination of sea, heritage and contemporary culture
The series of events shows how Novi Vinodolski uses different parts of the town and riviera as separate stages during the peak tourist season. The Church of Saints Philip and Jacob hosts the classical music concert programme, the Old Town becomes a space for living history, Turnac serves as a contemporary-art gallery point, and Klenovica becomes the venue for maritime, musical and gastronomic events. This distribution of the programme reduces the concentration of activities in a single location while simultaneously directing audiences towards different parts of the destination. For a town with a strong historical heritage and coastal identity, it is particularly significant that the contemporary summer programme is not separated from the places in which it is held, but uses them as an important part of the experience.
Official tourist sources describe Novi Vinodolski as a place whose development and identity are linked with the Frankopans, the Vinodol Code, the MažuraniÄ family, the old town centre and the maritime landscape. These very themes, directly or indirectly, also appear in the August programme. Okolotorno brings historical figures and the Glagolitic tradition to life, the Sails of Vinodol emphasise the connection with the sea, Turnac opens space for contemporary artistic interventions, while concerts create an evening programme for audiences of different generations. After 15 August, Novi Vinodolski's summer calendar continues with new events, but this week represents a particularly concentrated combination of heritage, culture, sea and entertainment within a span of just a few days.
Sources:
- City of Novi Vinodolski - official notice on the postponement of the Sails of Vinodol event to 14 August due to the forecast of hurricane-force bora winds (link)
- City of Novi Vinodolski - announcement of the Sails of Vinodol 2026 event and information about the programme in Klenovica (link)
- Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board - official announcement of the final edition of the Okolotorno event on 12 August 2026 (link)
- City of Novi Vinodolski - programme of the 11th edition of Okolotorno and description of activities in the Old Town (link)
- Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board - announcement of Nikica PolegubiÄ's concert as part of the 16th Art Novi International Classical Music Festival (link)
- City of Novi Vinodolski - announcement of the Turnac Gallery exhibition season and Damir StojniÄ's exhibition "Unidentity: interventions" (link)
- Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board - announcement of Tedi Spalato's concert in Klenovica on 14 August (link)
- Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board - announcement of the music evening with Trio Insula on 15 August (link)
- Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board - announcement of Klenovica Night with Trio Vivak and Joso Butorac (link)
- Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board - announcement of the Magic of Handicrafts fair on 10 August (link)
- Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board - cultural and historical overview of Novi Vinodolski and the heritage of the Old Town (link)