Klenovica becomes the centre of Kvarner scampi on 23 May: scampi fishing at sea, a feast on the waterfront and the flavours of fishing tradition
On Saturday, 23 May 2026, Klenovica will be one of the central venues of this year's Scampi Festival on the Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera. According to the programme of the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board and the announcement by the City of Crikvenica, the event in Klenovica begins at 8 a.m. with the Scampi Fishing with Guests programme and continues at 10 a.m. with the Scampi Feast on the waterfront. In this way, the small coastal village, known for its fishing and scampi-fishing tradition, takes on the role of a stage on which gastronomy is presented not only through a plate, but also through going out to sea, meeting local scampi fishermen and telling the story of a way of life that has been connected to the Vinodol Channel for generations.
The Scampi Festival is held from 15 to 31 May in the area of Crikvenica, Selce, Novi Vinodolski and Klenovica, and according to the official programme it includes special menus in restaurants, exclusive dinners and events dedicated to Kvarner scampi. The organisers point out that the festival is being held for the second time and that its aim is to connect local gastronomy, fishing heritage and the tourist offer of the riviera. During the festival period, scampi dishes are offered by restaurants in Crikvenica, Selce, Novi Vinodolski and Klenovica, including, according to the announcement by the City of Crikvenica, Burin, Dida, Lemoon, Half 8, the restaurant of the Miramare hotel, Kantunić, the restaurant of the Marina hotel, Admiral, Mirakul, pizzeria Nava and the Klenovica taverns Navigare and Pod orajom.
The Klenovica part of the programme is especially focused on a direct experience of the sea. Unlike classic gastronomic events, Scampi Fishing with Guests takes registered participants onto a boat, towards the locations where the traps are set. There, visitors can see up close what the preparation and lifting of the tools used to catch scampi looks like, and also hear local fishermen explain a job that requires experience, patience and a good knowledge of the sea. After the morning programme at sea, the centre of the village is taken over by the Scampi Feast, open to all visitors, with scampi dishes, žlahtina and a musical performance by klapa Intriga.
A morning trip to sea and a meeting with local scampi fishermen
The Scampi Fishing with Guests programme is announced for 8 a.m. on the waterfront in Klenovica, and participation is possible only with prior registration at the e-mail address info@tz-novi-vinodolski.hr. According to official information, the price of the excursion with tasting is 15 euros per person. The price includes a boat ride, the scampi-fishing programme, an introduction to the trap locations and fishing methods, a tasting of one scampi dish of choice with a glass of žlahtina and an entertainment and music programme. Since the number of places on the boat is limited, the organisers invite interested visitors to register in time.
The special feature of the programme is that visitors do not remain merely observers of a coastal feast, but are introduced into the rhythm of a fisherman's morning. In this context, scampi is not presented as an anonymous ingredient from a restaurant kitchen, but as part of a local way of life. Lifting the traps, talking with people who live from the sea and bringing the catch ashore form a whole that explains why Klenovica stands out in the festival programme as a place of authentic experience. The original announcements emphasise precisely this combination of work, sea and gastronomy: scampi from the trap comes straight to the plate, and visitors are brought closer to the journey from the seabed to the coastal table.
Kvarner scampi has a special place in gastronomy, and its reputation is linked to the northern Adriatic and the channel areas where it is caught. According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the species Nephrops norvegicus, also known as Norway lobster or langoustine, lives on soft sediment, most often at greater depths, while in the Adriatic there are also significant populations at shallower depths. It is precisely this natural setting, together with the local knowledge of fishermen and traditional fishing methods, that gives the Klenovica programme additional value because it explains the connection between the underwater world, fishing gear and the flavours that later appear on the festival menu.
The Scampi Feast open to all visitors
After the morning trip to sea, from 10 a.m. the Klenovica waterfront becomes the venue of a gastronomic feast. According to the organisers' announcement, visitors can expect scampi dishes at a promotional price of 10 euros, and among the announced dishes are traditional grilled scampi and scampi buzara, as well as more contemporary combinations such as scampi and strawberry risotto. The feast is also open to those who do not participate in the scampi-fishing programme on the boat, so the waterfront is expected to be the most accessible part of the event for a wider audience.
The programme is conceived as a relaxed gathering by the sea, with local flavours and music. Klapa Intriga has been announced as the musical accompaniment that will further emphasise the Mediterranean atmosphere of the event. In official announcements, the organisers point out that the goal of the Scampi Feast is to present Klenovica as a place where fishing tradition is preserved not only through memory, but also through live events, local cuisine and the meeting of hosts with visitors. That is why the programme does not stop at tasting, but also includes the story of the trap locations, the fishing method and the role of the sea in the everyday life of the village.
For visitors planning a longer stay on the riviera, the event can also be a reason for a weekend in Klenovica or nearby places. Since the festival takes place in a touristically attractive part of May, before the main summer season, it is useful to check in advance accommodation offers in Klenovica and the surrounding area, especially for those who want to participate in the morning programme, which begins as early as 8 a.m. Such a schedule suits visitors who want to combine a gastronomic programme, a stay by the sea and a tour of the Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera.
A festival connecting Crikvenica, Selce, Novi Vinodolski and Klenovica
The Scampi Festival is not limited to one town or one restaurant, but extends through several places on the Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera. According to the announcement by the City of Crikvenica, it is a joint organisation of the tourist boards of the City of Crikvenica, the City of Novi Vinodolski and the Vinodol Municipality. Such a format makes it possible to present Kvarner scampi through different restaurant approaches, from traditional recipes to more contemporary interpretations, but also through programmes that go beyond restaurants, such as scampi fishing in Klenovica.
The official festival programme highlights special offers of scampi menus in restaurants on the riviera. Hospitality establishments in Crikvenica and Novi Vinodolski, as well as venues in Selce and Klenovica, prepare dishes in which this ingredient appears in various forms: from simple, recognisable coastal preparations to more complex restaurant plates. According to the announcement by the City of Crikvenica, the offer includes dishes such as Caesar salad with sautéed scampi, scampi and orange tartare, monkfish with scampi on a bed of rice, and scampi millefeuille. In this way, the festival at the same time attracts lovers of traditional cuisine and guests looking for a different gastronomic experience.
The programme also includes exclusive dinners. The first was announced for 15 May at the Burin restaurant in Crikvenica, and according to the announcement by the City of Crikvenica it sold out in record time. The second exclusive dinner is being held on 29 May at the Dida restaurant in Crikvenica, with the musical backdrop of klapa Nevera. These data show that, in addition to an open-air popular gastro feast, the festival is also building a restaurant segment of the offer aimed at an audience that wants a multi-course menu and carefully designed flavour pairings.
Why Kvarner scampi is important for the identity of the riviera
Kvarner scampi is not only a seasonal gastronomic attraction. In the coastal villages and towns of the northern Adriatic, it is part of a broader story about fishing, family knowledge, hospitality and the identity of the destination. Klenovica is especially recognisable in that story because its image has long been linked to fishing everyday life, boats, traps and a small harbour. When such a tradition is incorporated into a contemporary tourist event, the result is a programme that can be interesting both to gastronomically demanding visitors and to those who want to understand local life beyond the usual postcard image.
The geographical context further explains the importance of this area. The Croatian Encyclopaedia states that Kvarner in a broader sense encompasses the northern part of the Adriatic Sea between the Velebit and Istrian coasts, and that the island chains divide it, among other things, into the Velebit and Vinodol channels, Rijeka Bay and Kvarnerić. It is precisely the Vinodol Channel that is highlighted in festival announcements as an area connected with the quality of scampi, with the City of Crikvenica stating that specific sea conditions and underwater springs of drinking water contribute to the sweetness and firmness of the meat. The organisers present such claims as part of the local gastronomic story, while the wider natural framework can be linked to the well-known channel habitats of the northern Adriatic.
For a gastronomic destination, it is also important that the festival creates a link between a local raw ingredient and the hospitality scene. Restaurants do not use scampi merely as an expensive ingredient, but as a theme around which they shape entire menus, dinners and events. In Klenovica, this approach is additionally grounded: before the plate comes the sea, before the menu comes the fisherman, and before the festival atmosphere comes real work on a boat. That is why the Klenovica programme has the potential to be the most recognisable part of the festival for all those who want to experience the origin of the ingredient, not only its restaurant interpretation.
Practical information for visitors
Scampi Fishing with Guests takes place on 23 May 2026, beginning at 8 a.m. in Klenovica. Registrations are accepted at the e-mail address info@tz-novi-vinodolski.hr, and the price of the programme is 15 euros per person. Included are the boat trip, the scampi-fishing programme, a tasting of one scampi dish of choice with a glass of žlahtina and a music programme. Due to the limited number of places on the boat, registration is important for everyone who wants to participate in the morning part of the event.
The Scampi Feast begins at 10 a.m. on the Klenovica waterfront and is open to all visitors. Scampi dishes will be available at the promotional price of 10 euros, and the programme includes a coastal gastro offer and a performance by klapa Intriga. Visitors who do not manage to secure a place on the boat can still participate in the main part of the feast on the shore. Since the programme takes place outdoors and by the sea, it is advisable to follow any announcements from the organisers ahead of the event, especially if weather conditions affect sailing or the schedule of activities.
Klenovica is located in the area of the City of Novi Vinodolski, and the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board states that the event takes place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For visitors coming from other places on the riviera, the programme can be combined with a tour of Novi Vinodolski, Crikvenica and Selce, where special scampi menus are also offered during the festival period. Those planning to stay for several days can check in good time accommodation close to the event location and the schedule of restaurants participating in the festival, in order to more easily coordinate the morning programme, lunch on the waterfront and an evening tour of the riviera.
This year's Klenovica feast thus goes beyond the format of a one-day gastronomic offer. It brings together fishermen, hospitality professionals, tourist boards and visitors around a single ingredient that has symbolic and economic value in Kvarner. At a time when tourist events are increasingly expected to offer authenticity, Scampi Fishing with Guests and the Scampi Feast offer exactly what Klenovica can show most convincingly: the sea as a working space, the waterfront as a meeting place and scampi as the flavour of local identity.
Sources:
- Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board – events calendar, date and basic information about the Scampi Fishing and Scampi Feast programme (link)
- City of Crikvenica – announcement of the Scampi Festival, list of participating hospitality establishments, programme in Klenovica and organisational framework of the event (link)
- Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera – official festival leaflet with dates, prices and registrations for Scampi Fishing in Klenovica (link)
- FAO – data on the species Nephrops norvegicus, its habitat and distribution (link)
- Croatian Encyclopaedia – geographical context of Kvarner and the Vinodol Channel (link)