Špancirfest 2026 turns Varaždin into a major gastronomic playground: from street food and game to wine, pasta and ice cream
From 21 to 30 August 2026, the historic centre of Varaždin, a city in northwestern Croatia, will once again become a large open-air festival stage, with gastronomy playing a considerably more important role than that of a simple snack along the way. According to the official Špancirfest programme, the 28th edition of the festival is spread across 23 festival zones and features around 600 events, so it is hardly surprising that hours of walking between concerts, street performances, workshops and exhibition spaces will quickly work up an appetite. For 2026, the organisers have therefore put together a gastronomic map stretching from Kapucinski Square and the Old Town park to Freedom Square and the courtyard of Sermage Palace. The offer brings together contemporary street food, Croatian meat specialities, Asian influences, Italian cuisine, wines from various wine-growing regions and desserts. For visitors planning to spend several festival days in Varaždin, it is useful to check accommodation in Varaždin during Špancirfest in advance, as most of the programme takes place in the historic centre and its immediate surroundings.
Flavours of the World return to Kapucinski Square
One of the central gastronomic locations will be the Flavours of the World zone at Kapucinski Square. According to Špancirfest's official announcement of 14 August, the menu will include Praščić by Škartoc ljubavi, a dish featuring pulled suckling pig, pinđur and kajmak, as well as the returning Miss Piggy by Full Circle, prepared with black Slavonian pig neck. Thus, despite its international name, the zone does not abandon local and regional ingredients, but places them alongside dishes inspired by various cuisines from around the world. The Asian direction of the offer is represented by Bao Duck by MC Zalogaji, with duck and spicy sriracha mayonnaise, while chef Matija Bogdan is preparing slow-cooked beef ragù. Medonja, meanwhile, brings the Hot Honey Jalapeño Burger, a combination of sweet and spicy notes that neatly illustrates the idea behind the entire zone: combining familiar street-food formats with more pronounced, contemporary flavours.
The offer at Kapucinski Square will not stop at burgers and bao buns. The organisers are also announcing slow-roasted beef ribs, pulled beef prepared by Krone Catering & Events and game šiš ćevap by Grof Lovski, presented in a modern street-food format. The official zone page additionally lists Medonja, MC Zalogaji by Marija Gregurić, Bajzovi dvori, Lovski, Škartoc ljubavi, Full Circle by Marko Palfi and Matija Bogdan among the participants. Such a selection shows that festival gastronomy is increasingly moving away from a handful of universal dishes and towards short, recognisable signature menus that can be eaten on the go. For visitors, this means that within a relatively small area it will be possible to compare different approaches to meat, sauces, spices and slow-cooking techniques. Flavours of the World therefore functions as a compact overview of the current street-food scene, but in the setting of a historic city and a ten-day festival.
The gastronomic part of the zone will be complemented by a programme that is not limited solely to serving food. The organisers state that chefs Matija Bogdan and Marko Palfi will hold cooking workshops where they will share knowledge and practical tricks with visitors, while music will accompany the space throughout all ten festival days. The official Flavours of the World page announces DJ and live performances, lounge areas and activities for children, meaning that the zone is designed as a place to stay rather than merely somewhere to buy a quick meal. This is an important part of the concept of Špancirfest 2026, where food is increasingly linked with music, socialising and family activities. Visitors will therefore be able to plan Kapucinski Square as a destination in its own right within their daily schedule, rather than simply as a break between two programme venues.
Carlsberg Food & Party: dinner that continues with music
Carlsberg Food & Party returns to the Old Town park, a zone where the gastronomic offer is deliberately combined with an evening out. According to the festival's official website, the vendors include Thai Thai, Institut za burgere by Mate Janković, Zvonimir, Spizza and Gostiona by Slaven in cooperation with the Grof Lovski brand. The range extends from Asian specialities and gourmet burgers to traditional dishes, pizzas made with matured dough and game delicacies. Such a combination is tailored to visitors who want to have dinner, stay for a drink and continue the evening with a concert or DJ programme in the same space. The organisers also particularly highlight the Pivnica powered by Carlsberg and multibars offering various types of drinks.
The music schedule gives this zone its own identity within the festival. In its official programme announcement, the City of Varaždin states that Carlsberg Food & Party will place greater emphasis on retro sounds this year while retaining the combination of retro and world music. Announced performers include ET on 22 August, Cargodustjet on 26 August, Bosak & The Second Hand Band on 27 August, Cat Paws on 28 August and The Bestbeat – Tribute Beatles on 29 August. The organisers additionally highlight the performance by tribute band The Bestbeat because of the symbolism of the date: it will take place on the 60th anniversary of the Beatles' final public concert. DJ programmes will maintain the rhythm between concert evenings, so the zone effectively functions as a day-and-evening space where the boundary between a gastronomic stop and a music programme is deliberately blurred.
Wine City brings together around forty winemakers
Wine City will once again open beneath the walls of the Old Town and is being held for the twelfth consecutive year in 2026. According to information from Špancirfest and the City of Varaždin, around forty winemakers from all Croatian wine regions will present their wines there, allowing visitors to taste different styles and varieties in one place without travelling between distant wine-growing areas. The organisers do not present the zone merely as a wine-tasting space, but as an eno-gastronomic experience featuring carefully selected bites and street-food specialities. The idea is for the food to complement the character of individual wines rather than simply serve as an addition to the glass. Creative workshops have also been announced, so Wine City remains one of the slower-paced, more relaxed festival locations compared with the louder concert areas.
For international visitors, Wine City may be particularly interesting as a concise introduction to the contemporary Croatian wine scene. Croatia has several climatically and stylistically very different wine-growing areas, ranging from continental zones to the Adriatic coast, and bringing together producers from various regions allows visitors to compare them in one location. The official festival announcement emphasises conversations with winemakers, discovering new labels and pairing wine with gastronomic bites. Such a format suits both visitors who know a great deal about wine and those who simply want to become familiar with the basic differences between styles. In the setting of the Old Town, Wine City therefore combines an attractive tourist backdrop with a programme that has a clearly defined gastronomic theme.
Dolce Vita Garden brings a small Italian square to the courtyard of Sermage Palace
One of the most visually and thematically distinctive new additions to the broader festival map will be Dolce Vita Garden in the courtyard of Sermage Palace. The organisers describe the space as a small Italian square inspired by southern Italy, the scent of lemons and the idea of "dolce far niente", or enjoying life without rushing. The gastronomic offer will include freshly prepared pasta by Santa Maria, pizza and sandwiches made from hot pizza dough by Pizzeria Kora from Jastrebarsko, as well as desserts from Slastičarnica Šešet. Announced sweets include tiramisu, cannoli and lemon sorbet, so the zone covers almost an entire meal sequence from savoury dishes to dessert. The drinks menu will feature cocktails inspired by the Italian Riviera, lemonades and coffee, along with an Aperol corner mentioned in the festival's gastronomic announcement.
A special event in this zone will be the live pasta show by chef Melkior Bašić. An earlier official festival announcement states that Bašić will prepare pasta and combine Italian culinary tradition with local flavours, turning gastronomy into a live performance in front of the audience. Dolce Vita Garden will not be limited to food alone: DJ programmes featuring Italian repertoire, Italian canzoni, a cabaret show, workshops, fashion content and a fashion show have also been announced. In this way, the courtyard of Sermage Palace gains its own distinctive rhythm, intended to differ from the street-food zones at Kapucinski Square and near the Old Town. Visitors wishing to combine sightseeing with lunch or an evening out will therefore have another thematically complete destination in the centre of Varaždin.
KOOGLACH at Freedom Square: a new zone dedicated to ice cream
For the first time, Špancirfest 2026 is also introducing KOOGLACH, an all-day ice-cream zone at Freedom Square. According to the official description, it will be a space offering multiple ice-cream flavours, a lounge area, a music programme, workshops, games and activities for different generations. The concept is simple but highly logical for a summer festival: visitors can take a scoop to go and continue exploring the city or stay in the chill zone. The organisers announce DJ and live performances, creative activations and family programmes, so KOOGLACH is not conceived merely as a sales point. With its location at Freedom Square, the ice-cream zone will be easily accessible while walking between other festival attractions in the city centre.
The sweet side of the programme, however, will not end with ice cream. In addition to tiramisu, cannoli and sorbet at Dolce Vita Garden, various other sweet delicacies will be available at exhibition stalls, while the original festival programme specifically mentions Špancir špajza with products from family farms. In this way, alongside international and signature concepts, the festival preserves space for products from smaller local producers. A similar principle applies to the savoury offer, where domestic meat products, game and traditional ingredients appear alongside international influences. Špancirfest's gastronomic map is therefore not organised around a single cuisine, but around the idea of diversity and easy transitions from one style to another.
Stuffed baked potatoes and products from small producers round off the festival menu
Among the dishes that will appear outside the main themed zones, the organisers also highlight Spud Bud, a concept of stuffed baked potatoes in various combinations. Such dishes fit well into festival logistics because they can be eaten without formal seating while at the same time providing a more filling meal than a conventional snack. Špancir špajza will additionally present products from family farms, while various savoury and sweet delicacies will be offered at exhibition stalls. The City of Varaždin states that around one hundred exhibitors offering handicrafts, designer items and homemade products will be distributed throughout the historic centre, meaning that food will also be present outside the clearly designated gastronomic zones. For visitors, this means that the festival menu will not be limited to a handful of central locations, but that gastronomic stops will appear throughout their walk around the city.
This dispersed offer fits the fundamental logic of Špancirfest, a festival where a large part of the experience takes place on streets and squares between events planned in advance. The official 2026 programme includes around 200 musical events, numerous street performances, children's programmes, creative workshops, exhibition and sales zones, and evening concerts. Gastronomic content therefore does not compete with the programme but accompanies it throughout different parts of the day: from an earlier lunch and a family break to dinner before a concert and later socialising with music. That is precisely why it is worth studying the zone schedule in advance, especially if the goal is to combine several cuisines and a number of major programme highlights in a single day.
Practical information for arrival: the festival lasts ten days, with free transport organised from car parks
Špancirfest 2026 runs from Friday, 21 August, to Sunday, 30 August, with most events distributed throughout Varaždin's historic centre. The City of Varaždin has announced that four free car parks will be available to visitors: at Roto Dinamic in Optujska 157, at Gumiimpex GRP in Mihovila P. Miškine Street near house numbers 64B and 64C, at Varaždin City Swimming Pools at Zagrebačka 85A and 89, and at Auto klub Varteks at Biškupečka 3. Free public urban transport to the city centre has been organised from all of these locations. This information is particularly important for day visitors arriving by car, as festival events are concentrated in the centre and attract large numbers of people over the ten days. For those staying longer, accommodation near the festival locations in Varaždin can make it easier to move between daytime and evening programmes.
This year's gastronomic offer clearly demonstrates that Špancirfest no longer treats food merely as a supporting service for a major cultural and entertainment event. Flavours of the World, Carlsberg Food & Party, Wine City, Dolce Vita Garden and KOOGLACH all have their own concepts, programmes and identities, while the additional offer extends across exhibition stalls and smaller producers. In a single day, visitors can move from duck bao buns and slow-cooked beef ragù to game, pizza, fresh pasta, wine and ice cream, all while remaining within the walkable festival core. It is precisely this combination of food, music, street art and historic surroundings that makes this year's gastronomic map one of the most extensive components of the 28th Špancirfest.
Sources:
- Špancirfest – official announcement "Španciranje works up an appetite – here's what's waiting for you on the festival menu", 14 August 2026, used to verify the menus, gastronomic zones, chefs and accompanying programme (link)
- Špancirfest – official Flavours of the World zone page, used to verify the location, participants and accompanying activities (link)
- Špancirfest – official Carlsberg Food & Party zone page, used to verify the hospitality offer and concept of the zone (link)
- Špancirfest – official Wine City page, used to verify the 12th edition, number of winemakers and eno-gastronomic concept (link)
- Špancirfest – official Dolce Vita Garden zone page, used to verify the Italian gastronomic offer, location and accompanying programmes (link)
- Špancirfest – official KOOGLACH zone page, used to verify the location, ice-cream concept and accompanying activities (link)
- City of Varaždin – official announcement of the programme for the 28th Špancirfest, used to verify the dates, number of programmes and zones, music programme, exhibitors, and free parking and transport (link)