Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade on Trsat on September 5: free concert ahead of the Feast of the Nativity of Mary
The park of the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat in Rijeka will become the stage for a special musical evening dedicated to the Feast of the Nativity of Mary on Saturday, September 5, 2026. Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade will perform starting at 8 p.m., and admission will be free for visitors. The official announcement by the Rijeka Tourist Board presents the event under the title "Concert for the Queen of the Adriatic", directly linking the musical program with Trsat's Marian tradition and the days preceding the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The concert takes place three days before the feast, celebrated in the Catholic Church on September 8, and is conceived as an open gathering of pilgrims, Rijeka residents and visitors to the city. In a setting that has held a strong religious and cultural role for centuries, klapa music will therefore gain a context considerably broader than that of an ordinary concert performance.
According to the official Visit Rijeka announcement, the concert is being organized with the support and partnership of the Rijeka Tourist Board, Kvarner Tourist Board, Croatian National Tourist Board, City of Rijeka and the Franciscan Monastery on Trsat. The announcement emphasizes the intention to connect Croatian traditional music, cultural heritage and a sacred setting, with free access for the public. Such a concept corresponds to the character of Trsat, which functions simultaneously as a pilgrimage destination, a historic complex and one of the recognizable venues for cultural events in Rijeka. For visitors coming to the city specifically because of the concert or wishing to combine the musical evening with sightseeing on Trsat, it is useful to plan an earlier arrival because of the expected greater interest in the free outdoor event. Since the program takes place in the park, any organizational notices related to weather conditions or access to the venue should preferably be checked immediately before arrival through the organizers' official channels.
Key information about the concert on Trsat
- Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
- Start: 8:00 p.m.
- Venue: Park of the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat, Rijeka
- Performers: Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade
- Event name: "Concert for the Queen of the Adriatic"
- Admission: free
The Feast of the Nativity of Mary gives the concert a special context
Mala Gospa is the popular Croatian name for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on September 8. On Trsat, this feast carries additional significance because of the centuries-old Marian tradition and the status of the shrine, which gathers believers from different parts of Croatia and abroad. Reports by the Informative Catholic Agency on last year's celebration confirm that a large number of pilgrims gather at the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat for the feast, with liturgical celebrations and communal prayer forming the central part of the observance. The concert on September 5 is not a replacement for the religious program of the feast, but rather a cultural event held ahead of the Nativity of Mary, an important distinction for visitors planning to come to Trsat during those days. In this way, the musical evening assumes the role of an accompanying event that draws on the identity of the location while remaining open to an audience that comes to Trsat primarily for the music, history or atmosphere.
The official concert announcement particularly emphasizes the meeting of klapa song and sacred heritage. Klapa singing developed as a distinctive part of the musical tradition of Croatia's Adriatic coast, while contemporary performers such as Intrade have been presenting it beyond its intimate, original environment for decades. In the shrine park, such a musical expression acquires a different acoustic and symbolic dimension than it would in a sports hall, stadium or festival stage. This is precisely one of the reasons why the organizers present the event as a combination of tradition, togetherness and a place with an exceptionally strong identity. For international visitors, the concert can also serve as an accessible introduction to klapa music, since it is a ticket-free event in a location that can easily be incorporated into a tour of historic Trsat.
Tomislav BraliÄ and Intrade have four decades of performances behind them
Klapa Intrade has been active since 1985 and celebrated 40 years of work in 2025, a milestone also recorded by Croatian Radiotelevision and the record label Scardona. The group was founded in Zadar and over the decades built a repertoire that combines traditional Dalmatian klapa song, original compositions and a more contemporary concert approach. Tomislav BraliÄ became its recognizable vocalist, and over time their joint performances took klapa music from smaller venues and festival stages into large halls, arenas and stadiums. The Festival of Dalmatian Klapas in OmiÅ” played an important role in their early years, and BraliÄ himself described it in a 2025 interview for HRT as the first and most important musical step in the development of the klapa. Such a biography explains why the performance on Trsat attracts an audience that follows Intrade not only as a traditional vocal ensemble but also as one of the most recognizable names on the popularized klapa scene.
Scardona's documentation of awards states that klapa Intrade won the debutants' award and the second audience prize at the Festival of Dalmatian Klapas in OmiÅ” as early as 1985. Among later recognitions, the 2007 Porin award in the category of best klapa performance of folk music for the song "Moja jube" stands out, alongside other festival, city and professional awards. During its career, the klapa has also performed outside Croatia, bringing the klapa style closer to audiences that do not necessarily come from the Adriatic cultural sphere. Their repertoire includes songs that have become widely recognizable, as well as compositions based on multipart singing and a traditional style of interpretation. It is precisely this range between tradition and the large-scale concert format that makes a performance in the park of the Trsat shrine a logical combination of performer and location.
Rijeka audiences also had the opportunity to hear them earlier in the summer of 2026. In the program for the 21st edition of the Summer at Gradina event, the City of Rijeka and the Rijeka Tourist Board listed a performance by Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade on June 19 in Nugent Park on Trsat. The September concert, however, has a different character because it is being held in the park of the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat and is directly connected with the celebration of the Nativity of Mary. These two performances in the same season show how important the wider Trsat area is as a Rijeka venue for musical and cultural programs, ranging from commercial summer concerts to free events associated with religious feasts. For the performers, it also represents a return to audiences in the same part of the city in a very different atmosphere, only a few months after the June performance.
The Trsat shrine is one of the most important Marian sites in Croatia
On its official website, the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat presents itself as the oldest Croatian Marian shrine with an uninterrupted tradition of devotion to the Mother of God. Its history is connected with the tradition according to which the Holy House of Nazareth, associated with the Holy Family, was transferred to Trsat in 1291 and then moved in 1294 to the area of present-day Loreto in Italy. For centuries, this tradition shaped the identity of Trsat as the "Croatian Nazareth" and a place of special devotion to Mary. According to information from the Shrine and Visit Rijeka, Pope Urban V donated a revered image of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the Trsat shrine in 1367, while Prince Martin Frankopan began construction of a new church and monastery for the Franciscans in 1453. Since then, the Franciscans have been the principal custodians of the shrine and its pilgrimage life, and their presence is deeply connected with Trsat's cultural and historical heritage.
The importance of the site did not remain limited to the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Pope John Paul II visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat on June 8, 2003, during his third visit to Croatia, which official sources of the shrine and tourist board cite as one of the most important modern events in its history. Today Trsat attracts believers, tourists, architecture enthusiasts and visitors interested in the history of Rijeka. Trsat Castle, another dominant historical landmark on the hill above the city, is also located in the immediate vicinity of the shrine, so visits to the two sites are often naturally combined. For this reason, the concert in the park is not an isolated event in a neutral space, but a program situated within one of the most recognizable historical and spiritual complexes of the northern Adriatic.
Trsat is also a historic landmark above Rijeka
Trsat is situated on a hill above the center of Rijeka and has held strategic, religious and urban importance for centuries. The Rijeka Tourist Board states that a Liburnian lookout post existed in prehistoric times on the site of today's Trsat Castle, while in later periods the fortress became one of the key historical points above the city. Today's visitors can therefore see several layers of heritage in a relatively small area: the shrine and Franciscan monastery, Trsat Castle, old city streets and the Trsat Steps connecting the lower parts of Rijeka with the hill. The City of Rijeka states that the Trsat Steps today have 561 steps and that their development is associated with Captain Petar KružiÄ, who began construction in the 16th century. For some visitors, climbing the steps is the traditional and symbolic way of reaching the shrine, while for others public transport is more practical.
In its current information for visiting Trsat, the Rijeka Tourist Board lists city bus line 2 as a connection between central Rijeka and Trsat, with a stop near the shrine. Since timetables may change, especially on weekends and during events, it is advisable to check the exact schedule before departure. For visitors arriving from other cities or countries, it may be practical to combine the concert with daytime sightseeing in Rijeka and an evening trip to Trsat, rather than arriving immediately before the start. Those planning an overnight stay can check accommodation in Rijeka during the concert on Trsat in advance, especially if they want to remain until the Feast of the Nativity of Mary on September 8. Such a schedule provides enough time to visit the shrine, castle and the wider center of Rijeka without unnecessary rushing between locations.
Free admission broadens the audience
The decision to make the concert free is one of the event's most important practical elements. The official Visit Rijeka announcement emphasizes that the aim is to open the program to as many residents and guests as possible, regardless of whether they come to Trsat as pilgrims, tourists or lovers of klapa music. Free admission also means that there is no conventional advance ticket sale that could indicate the expected number of visitors beforehand, so public interest may also depend on the weather conditions on the day of the concert. It is therefore reasonable to expect increased traffic toward Trsat during the evening hours. Visitors should follow any subsequent notices from the City of Rijeka, the organizers and the city public transport operator.
The concert also expands Rijeka's September cultural calendar during a period when the summer event season has not yet completely ended. The Summer at Gradina 2026 program runs until September 12, so the beginning of the month on Trsat continues to be marked by open-air stages, concerts and other events. Nevertheless, the "Concert for the Queen of the Adriatic" differs from most conventional summer programs because of its direct connection with the shrine and the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. Its significance lies not only in the performance of a well-known artist but also in combining musical tradition with a place that carries religious and emotional meaning for many visitors. It is precisely this combination that will probably shape the atmosphere of the evening more than a standard concert production.
A musical evening between tradition, heritage and a contemporary city program
The performance by Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade on Trsat comes at a time when the ensemble has more than four decades of activity behind it, while the location itself has more than seven centuries of pilgrimage tradition. That difference in time clearly illustrates the different layers of the event: a contemporary concert draws on a musical genre rooted in Adriatic tradition while taking place within a historic shrine whose identity extends far beyond music itself. For audiences familiar with Intrade, it will be an opportunity to hear a familiar repertoire in a different setting; for visitors coming to Trsat for the first time, the concert can become an entry point for discovering its cultural and spiritual significance. The organizational cooperation between the tourist boards, the City of Rijeka and the Franciscan Monastery also clearly shows that the event is viewed as a combination of culture, tourism and local heritage, rather than merely as an individual concert date. Free admission further emphasizes the public character of the program.
On Saturday, September 5 at 8 p.m., the focus will therefore be on music, but the backdrop of the park and the proximity of the shrine will inevitably shape the experience of the evening. Three days later, on September 8, Trsat will enter the Feast of the Nativity of Mary itself, when the Catholic tradition celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The concert can be viewed as a cultural introduction to those days, but also as an independent event for visitors wishing to spend a September evening on one of Rijeka's best-known hills. Regardless of the reason for coming, the key information remains simple: the venue is the park of the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat, the start is at 8 p.m., and admission is free. Combined with the recognizable voice of Tomislav BraliÄ and the multipart singing of klapa Intrade, such a format gives Trsat another evening in which its religious, historical and cultural roles meet in the same place.
Sources:
- Rijeka Tourist Board - official announcement of the Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade concert on September 5, 2026, including the time, location, free admission and event partners (link)
- Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat - history of the shrine, tradition of the Holy House of Nazareth, the Frankopans and the Franciscans (link)
- Visit Rijeka - information about the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat, pilgrimage tradition, the gift of Pope Urban V and the visit of John Paul II (link)
- City of Rijeka - history of the Trsat Steps and the information that they have 561 steps (link)
- Scardona - biography, history of activity and awards of Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade (link)
- Croatian Radiotelevision - interview with Tomislav BraliÄ marking 40 years of klapa Intrade and a review of the importance of the Festival of Dalmatian Klapas in OmiÅ” (link)
- City of Rijeka - program of the 21st Summer at Gradina 2026 and the June performance by Tomislav BraliÄ and klapa Intrade on Trsat (link)
- Visit Rijeka - information about Trsat Castle, the historical position of Trsat and arrival by city bus line 2 (link)
- Informative Catholic Agency - report on the 2025 celebration of the Nativity of Mary at the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat and the context of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (link)