Night-time schedule changes the rhythm of Zadar's market: "Pijat na pijaci" is now held from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Zadar's gastronomic and social event "Pijat na pijaci" is entering a new phase of its spring cycle and is now held in the evening, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The change in schedule was announced as an adjustment to warmer days and to the habits of an audience that, during late spring and the beginning of summer, increasingly seeks outdoor content in the later hours. The programme still takes place at the Zadar City Market, on the Peninsula, where the space of everyday shopping is transformed into an evening stage for street food, local ingredients, drinks and a music programme. According to information from the organisers, admission to the event remains free, and the current cycle is held every Saturday until 13 June 2026. After that, a special summer edition is expected, with details to be announced later.
The move to an evening format also changes the experience of the market itself. Instead of the previous daytime rhythm, in which the event followed the usual market dynamics, the new time slot emphasises a more relaxed ambience after the end of the working day and before the beginning of a Saturday night out. The organisers from Adriatic Eventure DMC say that their goal is to offer an authentic outdoor gathering, in a space recognised in Zadar as one of the liveliest places in the city. According to their announcement, the evening "Pijat na pijaci" is conceived as a combination of food, drinks, music and informal encounters, but also as a way for the market beneath Zadar's walls to continue living beyond its usual working hours. In this way, the event is positioned as an urban programme that relies on local gastronomy, while at the same time addressing visitors who experience Zadar through public spaces, strolling and the evening atmosphere.
From a daytime gastro event to an evening urban gathering
"Pijat na pijaci" was launched as an event that gives the market an additional social and gastronomic function, and the spring edition of 2026 has once again returned the programme to Zadar's City Market. According to a March report by Antena Zadar, the spring cycle began on 14 March and is planned almost every Saturday until 13 June. In the earlier daytime format, the programme was held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., which connected the event more strongly with the morning and daytime purchase of groceries. The new schedule, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., shifts the focus towards evening socialising and turns the market into an open gastro market with an atmosphere closer to a festival or street event. Such a change is particularly important in a period when Zadar, because of longer days and increasingly warm evenings, is relying more and more on outdoor content.
In terms of content, the event retains its basic idea: presenting food prepared from fresh and seasonal ingredients, bringing together local producers, caterers, chefs and visitors, and creating a recognisable Dalmatian "plate". According to data from Tržnica Zadar, the event connects local producers, chefs and the public through an offer of creatively prepared dishes, with the emphasis on ingredients from the market and the local food culture. In the evening slot, this idea expands into a more complete night out: along with food, cocktails, craft beers, wines and sparkling wines are announced, while the musical backdrop is taken over by a DJ programme. In this way, the market is presented not only as a place of purchase, but as a public space for meeting, tasting and conversation, which is also one of the main goals of the project.
Street food, local ingredients and drinks for the city's summer rhythm
The evening format brings an offer adapted to an informal night out. According to the organisers' announcement, local chefs and caterers will prepare recognisable dishes, BBQ specialities, seafood and continental bites, as well as sweet and savoury combinations that can be eaten on the go or while socialising outdoors. This concept allows market ingredients to be presented outside the classic framework of home preparation and everyday shopping. Instead of fruit, vegetables, fish, cheese, oil or other seasonal ingredients being viewed only as products, the event seeks to turn them into a complete food experience. According to earlier announcements of the spring cycle, the idea is to show how fresh products from the market can be used to prepare an affordable, tasty and authentic meal.
In the drinks offer, the emphasis is placed on summer cocktails, wines from regional winemakers, sparkling wines and craft beers from local breweries. Such an offer follows the expectations of an evening event and differs from a typical daytime market programme. The organisers have announced that, as the evening progresses, the atmosphere will intensify with musical rhythms, with the DJ programme intended to preserve the relaxed character of the gathering, without turning the market into an enclosed club space. In that sense, "Pijat na pijaci" remains an outdoor event, but with elements of an urban night out. For visitors coming from outside the city or planning a weekend in Zadar, accommodation offers in Zadar may also be useful, especially if they want to combine the evening programme on the Peninsula with a tour of the historic centre and the waterfront.
The City Market as a space of local production and public life
Zadar City Market is located on the Peninsula, at Pod bedemom 1/a, and according to data from Tržnica Zadar, the company's regular working hours are from Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., while on Sundays, holidays and public holidays it operates from 7 a.m. to 12 noon. This is precisely why the evening programme carries additional weight: it activates the space after the end of the usual market day and opens it to a new audience. On its website, Tržnica Zadar emphasises that Zadar's market is one of the central places of life in the city, offering fruit, vegetables, Mediterranean crops, flowers, cheese, olive oil and honey from the surroundings of Zadar, Ravni kotari and the islands. In this context, "Pijat na pijaci" is not just another gastro event, but an attempt to connect the existing infrastructure and tradition of the market with new forms of urban socialising.
An important part of the event's identity is also the encounter with producers. Earlier announcements of the spring cycle highlighted that the event brings together local family farms, island producers and domestic craftspeople, thereby expanding the offer beyond the catering bites themselves. This is particularly important for the market as a place where local production is not presented abstractly, but through a concrete encounter between producer and customer. Visitors can learn more about the ingredients, the origin of the products and the method of preparation, while caterers can show how seasonal products can be transformed into a contemporary, yet locally grounded dish. Such an approach corresponds to a broader trend in gastronomy, in which increasing importance is given to short supply chains, seasonality and the recognisability of local flavours.
Zadar is building additional content beyond the classic tourist offer
Although "Pijat na pijaci" is primarily a local gastronomic event, its evening schedule naturally fits into the broader picture of Zadar as a destination that, in the warmer part of the year, strongly relies on public space, promenades, the historic centre and outdoor events. In its announcement of the event, the Zadar Tourist Board points out that the event once again brings together people, flavours and the best of local gastronomy in the heart of Zadar's market, with a combination of tradition and modern gastronomy. Such wording shows that the event is also viewed as part of the destination offer, but without abandoning its local character. For coastal cities, precisely such programmes are important because they offer visitors an experience that is not connected only with sightseeing, but also with the everyday life of the place.
For Zadar, such an approach is particularly logical because the Peninsula is already used as a natural stage for cultural, gastronomic and social content. The evening "Pijat na pijaci" can extend visitors' stay in the old city centre and give an additional reason to come to those who otherwise associate the market exclusively with morning shopping. At the same time, for residents of the city, the programme creates a space in which the market can once again be experienced as a place of encounter, not only as a transit point between obligations. In earlier announcements, the organisers emphasised that the event wants to bring back the spirit of the city and encourage the development of the local gastro scene. In the evening edition, this goal is being pursued through a combination of food, drinks, music and informal movement through an open space.
The programme continues every Saturday until mid-June
According to the available information, the current spring cycle of "Pijat na pijaci" continues every Saturday at Zadar City Market until 13 June 2026. Tržnica Zadar states on its official website that the event is held every Saturday until that date, and the same framework was also confirmed in earlier announcements of the start of the spring edition. Admission is free, which makes the event accessible to a wider audience and allows visitors to experience the programme casually, without purchasing tickets in advance. The weekly gastro menu, announcements of workshops, appearances by sports clubs and themes of the children's playroom are announced by the organisers through the official Instagram profile "Pijat na pijaci". Since individual contents may change from Saturday to Saturday, announcements on social networks remain the most practical source for the specific schedule of each edition.
After the end of the spring cycle, a summer edition of the event has also been announced, but details about the dates, programme and possible new content have not yet been officially published. According to the organisers' wording, more information should be known in the coming weeks. Until then, the main novelty is the change in schedule, which clearly directs the event towards the evening rhythm of the city. The Saturday time slot from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. allows the market to fit into the beginning of a night out, while also remaining early and open enough for different generations of visitors. In this way, "Pijat na pijaci" retains its basic idea: a little local food, something to toast with, music in the background and a public space that is transformed from an everyday function into a place of shared urban experience.
Sources:
- Zadar Tourist Board – announcement of the event "Pijat na Pijaci" and description of the spring edition at the City Market (link)
- Tržnica Zadar – official information about the market, location, working hours, current offer and the holding of the event until 13 June 2026 (link)
- Antena Zadar – earlier announcement of the spring cycle of the event, dates and basic concept of the programme (link)