Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade at Trsat on Saturday: free "To the Queen of the Adriatic" concert ahead of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Rijeka will host one of the central musical evenings in the programme accompanying the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Trsat on Saturday, September 5, 2026. Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade will perform in the park of the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat, and the concert entitled "To the Queen of the Adriatic" begins at 8 p.m. According to the official announcement by the Rijeka Tourist Board, admission is free, so no ticket purchase is required to attend. The event is being held with the cooperation and support of the Rijeka Tourist Board, the Croatian National Tourist Board, the Kvarner Tourist Board, the City of Rijeka and the Franciscan Monastery of Trsat. The concert will thus connect the musical programme with several days of religious activities ahead of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on September 8.
Rijeka's official tourism portal states that the concert is intended for pilgrims, residents of Rijeka, visitors and tourists and that it has been conceived as a meeting of Croatian traditional music, cultural heritage and the sacred space of Trsat. The venue itself will play an important role in the character of the evening: the park is not a conventional concert venue, but part of one of the most important Marian shrines in this part of the Adriatic. Trsat is situated above the centre of Rijeka and for centuries has simultaneously had a religious, historical and cultural role. In the days around the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pilgrims and worshippers gather there, as do numerous other visitors who come because of the programme, architecture, history and views of the city. The free concert on September 5 therefore fits into the broader rhythm of Trsat at the beginning of September rather than functioning as an isolated commercial performance.
The concert begins at 8 p.m., preceded by a spiritual programme
According to the programme published by the Archdiocese of Rijeka, Saturday, September 5 is also the first day of a three-day preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The spiritual programme in the park begins at 5:30 p.m. with a devotion and the regular consecration of families to the Mother of God, after which Holy Mass is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The concert by Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade follows at 8 p.m., concluding the first day of preparation. The Archdiocese states that the evening Masses during the three-day preparation, weather permitting, will be celebrated in the park of the Shrine and will be presided over by Friar Robert PeriÅ”iÄ from Cernik. The musical and spiritual programmes on September 5 will therefore take place in immediate succession at the same location.
The programme continues after the concert as well. According to announcements by the Archdiocese of Rijeka and the Informative Catholic Agency, on Sunday, September 6, the evening preparation Mass is scheduled for 8:30 p.m., and a Mass will also be held at the same time on Monday, September 7, after which a candlelight procession has been announced. On the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary itself, Tuesday, September 8, Masses are scheduled for 7, 9, 10 and 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. According to the published programme, the solemn Mass at 10 a.m. will be presided over by Archbishop of Rijeka Mate UziniÄ. The guardian of the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat, Friar Dragan Grizelj, invited worshippers and visitors to participate in the preparation, concert and feast-day celebration.
This schedule further explains why the concert was announced specifically for September 5, although the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is liturgically celebrated three days later. The performance is part of the lead-up to the central celebration rather than a programme taking place on the feast day itself. Visitors should therefore distinguish between the concert date and the main feast day: Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade perform on Saturday, September 5 at 8 p.m., while the central celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is scheduled for Tuesday, September 8. It has also been confirmed that admission to the concert is free. The official announcements do not state that advance registration or seat reservation is required.
"To the Queen of the Adriatic" connects klapa singing with the tradition of Trsat
The concert is entitled "To the Queen of the Adriatic", and according to the performers' announcement, the song will be dedicated to Our Lady of Trsat. Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade come to Trsat with a repertoire that for years has combined klapa singing with a more contemporary concert performance and songs drawing on themes of the sea, Dalmatia, love, homeland, faith and everyday life. In the performance announcement, the artists state that the programme includes their well-known songs that audiences often sing together with the klapa. The exact sequence of songs has not been announced in advance, so it is not possible to reliably provide the complete concert set list. What is known, however, is that the focus of the evening will be on the klapa sound and the repertoire that has made BraliÄ and Intrade one of the more recognisable names on the Croatian klapa and popular music scene.
The broader cultural context of such a performance is also confirmed by UNESCO. Klapa multipart singing of Dalmatia was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012. UNESCO describes it as a tradition of multipart singing in which a cappella homophonic singing, oral transmission and mutual harmonisation of voices are important, while song themes often include love, life circumstances and the local environment. Over time, klapa practice has also developed festival and contemporary concert forms, meaning that today's performances can include instrumental accompaniment and production adapted to large audiences while retaining their recognisable vocal foundation. The concert at Trsat is precisely an example of such an encounter between tradition, contemporary concert form and a place strongly marked by local history.
Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade have performed at Trsat before, and in the announcement for the new concert their team points out that these meetings with the Rijeka audience have over the years developed into special evenings. This claim fits the logic of the location: the park of the Shrine provides an open space in which the audience is not separated from the historical and sacred surroundings. Unlike an indoor concert, the scenery here is already defined by the location itself, giving the programme a different character. The organisers also emphasise the event's accessibility to a broad audience precisely because admission is free. The concert can therefore also be viewed as part of Rijeka's public cultural programme in September, alongside its direct connection with the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Trsat is one of Rijeka's key pilgrimage sites
The Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat has a history that extends far beyond the scope of the current concert. The Rijeka Tourist Board describes it as the largest pilgrimage centre in western Croatia, while the tradition of its origins is linked to the legend of the stay of the Holy House of Nazareth at Trsat from 1291 to 1294. After the house was, according to tradition, transferred to Loreto, a church was built at Trsat, and over the following centuries the Shrine became an increasingly important pilgrimage destination. Rijeka's tourism portal also states that Pope Urban V donated an image of the Mother of God to the Shrine in 1367, which over time became one of its central symbols. The Franciscans took over the management of the Shrine in the 15th century and have remained its guardians to this day.
Today's complex includes the church, Franciscan monastery, park and a range of artistic, architectural and historical features. Visit Rijeka states that the oldest parts of the main nave and sanctuary of the present church date from the Late Gothic period and links them to construction initiated by Martin Frankopan in the mid-15th century. The famous Trsat Stairs, associated with Petar KružiÄ and whose construction began in the 16th century, also lead to the monastery from the lower part of the city. This layer of history gives the site particular significance during Marian feast days, when Trsat is not merely a tourist attraction but a living place of pilgrimage and liturgical gatherings. For this reason, the "To the Queen of the Adriatic" concert is also being held in surroundings that already carry powerful symbolism in their own right.
An important place in the Shrine's more recent history is also held by the visit of Pope John Paul II to Rijeka in 2003. The City of Rijeka records that on June 8 of that year the Pope visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat, where he prayed before the altar of Our Lady of Grace and gave an apostolic blessing to those gathered. Visit Rijeka also highlights this visit as one of the important moments in Trsat's more recent history. In the area in front of the church today stands a monument to John Paul II entitled "The Trsat Pilgrim". For visitors coming to Trsat because of the concert, this historical framework explains why the programme for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary there is experienced as an event that simultaneously belongs to religious, cultural and civic life.
Free admission opens the event to a broad audience
One of the most practically important pieces of information for Saturday evening is that the concert is completely free. The Rijeka Tourist Board explicitly states that no admission fee is charged, which is also confirmed by the Archdiocese of Rijeka and the performers' announcement. This means visitors do not need to purchase tickets or follow ticket sales channels. Since this is an open-air event in the park and the number of visitors is not limited in advance by sold seats, the organisers do not publish an estimate of the final attendance. It is reasonable, however, to expect an increased number of people arriving at Trsat before the programme begins, particularly because the religious programme will also be taking place at the location that same afternoon and evening.
Visitors travelling to Rijeka from other cities or countries can combine the concert with a visit to Trsat and central Rijeka. For those who require an overnight stay, reviewing the accommodation offer in Rijeka can make planning the trip easier, especially if they wish to remain for the continuation of the programme for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Rijeka is an important transport and tourism centre on the northern Adriatic, while Trsat is one of its most recognisable historical sites. However, official concert announcements focus on the date, programme and free admission and do not mention any special traffic arrangements for September 5. Visitors planning to arrive by car or public transport are therefore advised to check current city traffic information before departure.
For audiences coming primarily for the music, the key information remains simple: the venue is the park of the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat, the date is Saturday, September 5, 2026, the start time is 8 p.m. and admission is free. For those attending because of the feast-day programme, the concert is only one part of a multi-day preparation culminating on September 8. These two themes overlap at Trsat this Saturday, which is why organisers present the event as a meeting of musical tradition, spirituality and cultural heritage. For precisely that reason, an audience with diverse interests and from different generations is expected, ranging from pilgrims and worshippers to lovers of klapa music and visitors to Rijeka.
A programme bringing together the city, the Shrine and musical heritage
The "To the Queen of the Adriatic" concert also demonstrates how a major public musical event can fit into a place with strong religious significance without being separated from the context in which it is held. In its announcement, the Rijeka Tourist Board emphasises precisely the combination of Croatian traditional music, cultural heritage and sacred heritage. At the same time, the Archdiocese of Rijeka places the concert within the first day of the three-day preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Together, these two perspectives provide a fuller picture of Saturday evening: it is both a cultural event open to everyone and a programme directly connected with one of the most important days in the annual calendar of the Trsat Shrine. That is why the date, location and choice of performers are important parts of a single whole.
With their performance, Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade will return to audiences at Trsat at a time when the Shrine is preparing for several days of gatherings of worshippers and visitors. Their music draws on a tradition internationally recognised as part of intangible cultural heritage, while the concert is being held at a site whose history reaches back centuries. This does not mean the evening will have an exclusively sacred character: according to official announcements, the programme is open and intended for a broad audience, while the repertoire includes songs on various themes from the performers' body of work. It is precisely this combination that makes the event interesting beyond its immediate religious context. For Rijeka, it is another major public musical evening at Trsat, while for the Shrine it is part of the programme leading up to the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8.
Sources:
- Rijeka Tourist Board - official announcement of the concert by Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade at Trsat, date, time, free admission and event partners (link)
- Archdiocese of Rijeka - programme of the three-day preparation and celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Trsat, schedule of Masses, procession and concert (link)
- Informative Catholic Agency - confirmation of the liturgical programme from September 5 to 8 and the concert time (link)
- Visit Rijeka - information on the history of the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat, the Franciscan monastery, pilgrimage tradition and Trsat Stairs (link)
- City of Rijeka - information on Pope John Paul II's visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat on June 8, 2003 (link)
- UNESCO - description of klapa multipart singing of Dalmatia and its inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012 (link)
- Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade - announcement of the "To the Queen of the Adriatic" concert and description of the repertoire framework of the Trsat performance (link)