Opatija announced a summer filled with concerts, festivals, exhibitions and programs under the stars
Opatija is entering the summer season with an extensive program of events that, over more than three months, will bring together concerts, theater and film programs, exhibitions, festivals, traditional events and content dedicated to the city's tourism heritage. According to the organizers' announcement, the program was presented at a press conference held on May 16, 2026, at the Gervais Center, and the presentation included the Deputy Mayor of the City of Opatija, Kristina Đukić, the director of the Opatija Tourist Board, Suzi Petričić, the director of Festival Opatija, Marin Sušanj, and the director of the Croatian Museum of Tourism, Nataša Ivančević. This announced one of the most content-rich parts of the year in a city that builds a large part of its tourism recognizability precisely on the combination of summer holidays, culture and public events.
The central place this season will once again be held by the Summer Stage, a venue marked in the official announcements of Festival Opatija as one of the main centers of summer happenings on the Opatija Riviera. The Summer on the Summer Stage program is traditionally held there, and this year's calendar, according to the organizers' announcements, includes musical, stage, film and festival content. Along with the large stage, the small Summer Stage will also play an important role, especially for cinema programs in an open-air setting. For visitors who plan to come to the city during the summer for concerts, festivals or exhibitions, accommodation offers in Opatija may also be useful, especially on dates when several major programs overlap.
The Summer Stage remains the backbone of the season
The director of Festival Opatija, Marin Sušanj, announced that the Summer on the Summer Stage program will combine traditional events, classical music and stage programs, concerts by domestic, regional and international performers, and film screenings. According to him, the organizers managed to create a high-quality program in a short time, and the audience can expect plenty of entertainment and enjoyment “under the stars”. Sušanj also particularly highlighted the exhibition programs in the Juraj Šporer Art Pavilion and the “Mandrać” event, which was announced in the official Festival Opatija calendar for the end of August and the beginning of September.
According to the Festival Opatija calendar, the program on the Summer Stage during the summer includes a series of events scheduled from June to September. Novi list, citing Festival Opatija, reported that Summer on the Summer Stage begins on June 6, 2026, with a performance of “Carmina Burana”, opening the season of major open-air programs. The official Festival Opatija calendar also includes dates for the Liburnia Film Festival on August 29 and 30, and the 39th Mandrać – Mandracchio, an international painting competition, announced for September 4. Such a schedule confirms that the summer program is not concentrated only at the peak of the season, but extends through a period in which the city remains an active cultural and tourist stage.
The Summer Stage in Opatija has special importance because it is not only a concert venue, but also one of the symbols of the city's public life during the warmer months. In its official presentation of Festival Opatija, the City of Opatija states that it is an institution founded by the City to enrich the cultural life of citizens, guests and visitors, and that the Gervais Center and the Summer Stage have been entrusted to its management. It is precisely this connection between the city's cultural infrastructure and its tourism offer that explains why popular music, classical repertoire, film screenings, theater, visual arts and events intended for a wider audience regularly intertwine in Opatija's summer program.
RetrOpatija, jazz and film programs among the most recognizable events
Among the events that also have a special place in this year's summer calendar, RetrOpatija stands out. The Opatija Tourist Board announced that the event will be held from June 25 to 27, 2026, and describes it as a musical time machine that brings together swing, rockabilly, rock, jazz improvisations and disco rhythms. According to the City of Opatija's announcement for the Summer Stage program, RetrOpatija brings together musicians, pin-up girls, dancers, jugglers, street musicians, make-up artists, hairdressers, old Vespas, Tomos models and oldtimers, which expands the festival beyond the classic concert format and turns the city into a themed stage.
The director of the Opatija Tourist Board, Suzi Petričić, emphasized that RetrOpatija, Opatija Time Machine, the Summer Balinjerada and programs within the “Opatija – oasis of health and wellness” project will further enrich the city's summer experience. According to her, these contents connect entertainment, tradition, active holidays and the authentic spirit of Opatija. Such an emphasis shows that the summer program does not rely only on individual major concerts, but also on events that build the recognizable identity of the destination through history, music, local customs and public space.
An important part of Opatija's summer will also be the Liburnia Jazz Festival, which the official city calendar lists for the beginning of July. In the 2026 events calendar, the City of Opatija highlights the 26th Liburnia Jazz Festival on the Summer Stage from July 3 to 5. In their general announcements, the organizers of the Liburnia Jazz Festival emphasize that on the first weekend in July Opatija becomes a jazz stage at several city locations, from the Summer Stage and hotel terraces to promenades and other spaces. This continues the tradition of a festival that takes music out of closed halls and brings it into direct contact with the city.
The film segment of the program is especially connected with the Liburnia Film Festival, which is listed in the official Festival Opatija calendar for August 29 and 30, 2026. The Croatian documentary film festival has been part of Opatija's cultural image for years, and its presence in the summer schedule further broadens the profile of the audience addressed by the program. Along with concerts and festival evenings, open-air film screenings offer a calmer, but equally important, part of the summer offer. Such a schedule makes it possible for a visit to Opatija not to be tied only to one event, but to an entire series of evening contents that follow one another.
The Croatian Museum of Tourism is preparing exhibitions and a new permanent display
The Croatian Museum of Tourism announced a summer with several exhibition and educational programs. The museum's director, Nataša Ivančević, stated that the program begins with the opening of the exhibition “Ljubo Kuntarić: A Piece of Land That Has a Soul”, in memory of the 100th anniversary of the author's birth. The first section of the permanent display “Villa Angiolina – the beginning of the story of Opatija” has also been announced, which is especially important because Villa Angiolina is considered one of the key spaces in which the development of Opatija's tourism history can be traced. According to the official description of the City of Opatija, the Croatian Museum of Tourism is a specialized museum institution of national level that collects, preserves, researches and presents the tangible and intangible heritage of tourism-related content.
July and August in the museum will, according to the director's announcement, be marked by the exhibition of humorous drawings and paintings by artist and writer Tisja Kljaković Braić, “They as Tourists and as Hosts”. This program is thematically directly connected with tourist everyday life, the relationship between hosts and guests, and the recognizable situations that mark the life of a destination in season. In this way, the museum program also opens up to audiences who may not come primarily because of classic museum material, but because of a contemporary, communicative and audience-friendly approach to the theme of tourism. In the context of Opatija, a city that has turned its tourism tradition into one of the main elements of identity, such an exhibition carries additional local weight.
Special attention should be attracted by the program “Pop Art – Infeld Collection”, which, according to the announcement of the Croatian Museum of Tourism, will bring to Opatija works and authors connected with world pop art, including Andy Warhol, Mel Ramos, James Rizzi, Richard Lindner, Steve Kaufmann and Roy Lichtenstein. The exhibition has been announced for August and September in the Juraj Šporer Art Pavilion. This space, located in the very center of Opatija's cultural circle, thus becomes during the summer an important point for visitors who, along with musical and festival programs, are also interested in visual art. For audiences intending to connect exhibitions, concerts and evening programs, accommodation near the event venues may be a practical choice.
The summer museum program should conclude in September with the exhibition “Ante Mandić – law, politics, legacy”, dedicated to the life and work of one of the most influential figures that the Liburnian region gave to politics. In this way, the summer season does not close only with entertainment and tourism content, but also with themes from political, legal and social history. According to the description of the City of Opatija, the Croatian Museum of Tourism collects material that testifies to the history of tourism in Croatia, but also to the broader processes that shaped the identity of the area. For this reason, the exhibition program has a role that goes beyond the seasonal offer and contributes to the long-term presentation of the cultural heritage of Opatija and Liburnia.
A program based on the city's heritage, tradition and identity
Deputy Mayor Kristina Đukić said that the summer events program was designed so that everyone can find something for themselves, but that its true value lies in the heritage and spirit of the region. In the announcement, she particularly highlighted performances by klapa groups, Zora, exhibitions and interactive contents of the Croatian Museum of Tourism, RetrOpatija, the Summer Balinjerada and the celebration of City Day. According to her, it is precisely through such programs that what makes Opatija special is preserved and celebrated. This message fits into the broader concept of the summer program, which does not aim to be merely a series of unrelated events, but a seasonal story about the city, its spaces and traditions.
The Summer Balinjerada is one example of an event based on local character and recognizable humor, and in the context of the summer program it serves to connect residents, guests and public space. Opatija Time Machine, according to announcements by the Tourist Board, continues to present the historical and cultural atmosphere of the destination, while the “Opatija – oasis of health and wellness” project recalls the health and wellness dimension for which Opatija is also known. The combination of these programs shows that the city's tourism offer is not built exclusively on the sea and beaches, but also on cultural, health, historical and social content.
In the official descriptions of the Croatian Museum of Tourism, it is emphasized that Opatija is important for understanding the development of tourism heritage in Croatia. This fact gives additional context to this year's announcement because, in the same summer period, programs of contemporary popular culture, local tradition and museum interpretation of tourism history meet. Such a combination is especially visible in the announcement of the permanent display in Villa Angiolina, but also in exhibitions dealing with tourism, art and social legacy. Opatija thus seeks to maintain the role of a destination that presents itself not only as a summer resort, but as a city with a developed cultural infrastructure.
A summer that lasts longer than the main season
This year's schedule shows that Opatija's summer will not be limited to July and August. The program begins already at the beginning of June, continues through the festival and concert peak of the season, and extends into September, when Mandrać and individual exhibition contents have been announced. Such planning is important for the destination because cultural and entertainment programs can prolong interest in arrivals outside the busiest dates. At the same time, they allow Opatija to present itself to different types of audiences: lovers of classical and popular music, jazz, documentary film, visual arts, local traditions and open-air programs.
For a city that has been developing for decades as a tourist and cultural center of Kvarner, the continuity of events also has an economic dimension. A larger number of programs distributed over several months affects hospitality, hotel and private accommodation, local services, transport and the overall rhythm of the destination. Still, in the organizers' announcements the emphasis is not placed only on attendance, but also on the diversity of content and the preservation of identity. It is precisely this balance between tourist appeal and local character that is one of the main motifs of this year's statements by representatives of the City, the Tourist Board, Festival Opatija and the Croatian Museum of Tourism.
Considering the announced dates and the number of programs, Opatija will have several highlights during the summer of 2026: the opening of the season on the Summer Stage, the three-day RetrOpatija at the end of June, jazz programs at the beginning of July, the exhibition peak in August and September, and film and visual arts programs toward the end of summer. Such a calendar allows the city to reactivate itself week after week, while visitors can choose between evening concerts, festival contents, exhibitions and events in urban settings. Opatija thus presents itself again this year as a destination where summer holidays are complemented by a cultural program, public events and the experience of a city that lives during the season in the rhythm of open stages.
Sources:
- Original text / press conference announcement – information on the presentation of the program, statements by participants and announced events
- Festival Opatija – official calendar and announcements of programs on the Summer Stage (link)
- Visit Opatija – events calendar and announcement of RetrOpatija 2026 (link)
- Visit Opatija – official page of the RetrOpatija event, June 25 – 27, 2026 (link)
- City of Opatija – events calendar and information on programs on the Summer Stage (link)
- City of Opatija – information on Festival Opatija and the management of the Summer Stage and the Gervais Center (link)
- City of Opatija – description of the Croatian Museum of Tourism and its activities (link)
- Novi list – announcement of the beginning of Summer on the Summer Stage with the performance of “Carmina Burana” on June 6, 2026 (link)