Top 7 festivals and cultural events in Montenegro in 2019
27.11.2023 - 09:47
/ traveldailynews.com
/ Tatiana Rokou
If you’re booking a holiday to Montenegro this summer, read on to discover seven festivals that should be on your radar.
Aside from having some of the most jaw-dropping scenery, best beaches and picturesque coastal towns in the whole of Europe, Montenegro also has a rich cultural scene and a jam-packed festival calendar during the summer season each year. Visitors to the country are increasingly planning their trips around these festivals, giving them the opportunity to experience amazing music, culture and art in unique and stunning settings.
Fascinada
Perast, July
No list of festivals in Montenegro could skip Fascinada – the country’s longest running festival, dating back over 500 years. The event takes place in Perast, an old town on the Bay of Kotor, and celebrates Our Lady of the Rocks, the church situated on a man-made island just off the shore.
When the sun sets on the 22nd July each year, a convoy of elaborately decorated fishing boats make their way along the coast and out to the island, accompanied by local acapella singers. When they reach the island, rocks are thrown into the sea to signify the island’s resistance against the power of the ocean. The whole event makes for a magical and uniquely Montenegrin experience!
Bokeljska Noc
Kotor, August
Often referred to simply as Boka night, Bokeljska Noc is Kotor’s most popular summer festival. Tourists and locals flock to the bay to experience all-night parties and spectacular fireworks and to watch elaborately decorated boats and floats compete against each other for the top prize.
The evening begins with the boats sailing along the Kotor waterfront and continues with a huge free, open-air concert near the old town, with thousands of people partying until the sun rises.
“As with so many of Montenegro’s cultural events, the Boka night tradition dates back hundreds of years but proves ever-popular today as locals proudly keep traditions alive and display the country’s rich heritage to its foreign visitors,” says owner of the nearby Aman Sveti Stefan hotel, Petros Stathis.
Sea Dance Festival
Budva, August
Taking place at the beautiful Buljarica beach in Budva, Sea Dance is an annual three-day festival that attracts over 80,000 people from all over the world. It is the younger sister of the hugely popular EXIT Novi Sad festival in Serbia.
Voted best European medium-sized festival, Sea Dance has hosted megastars such as The Prodigy, Jamiroquai, Underworld, Rudimental, Róisín Murphy, Skrillex, Hurts, Lost Frequencies, John Newman, Sean Paul and Fatboy Slim, and this year features a typically impressive line-up of more than 100 of the hottest international music stars.
The stunning Montenegrin white, turquoise and green shoreline surrounded by