Dubrovnik Summer Festival

Dubrovnik Summer Festival

Mid-July to mid-August

Centuries of artistic legacy come to life each year in Croatia at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, an international festival of music, dance, and theater. Approximately 80 performances, including opera, ballet, drama, art exhibitions, and poetry readings are offered during the course of the festival. They are staged at a variety of open-air and indoor venues, bringing to life the beautiful Renaissance and Baroque architecture of Dubrovnik.
As early as the 1920s, attempts had been made to organize an arts festival in Dubrovnik that would take advantage of the region's rich cultural heritage and its many fine stages. Many performances took place, but planning for a full-fledged festival was not realized at that time. In the aftermath of World War II, there was an upsurge of interest in the arts, as people sought healing and a new identity following the horrors of the war years. As a result, many arts festivals were established at that time, including the Dubrovnik Summer Festival.
The first full festival season in Dubrovnik took place in 1950, and it included orchestra and choral performances, five plays, and an evening of poetry. In 1956, Dubrovnik's annual Games were accepted as a member of the European Festivals Association. In the early years of the festival, the material was almost exclusively Croatian, but as the years passed, the festival expanded to include classics from the wider European tradition, including Shakespeare, MoliÅre, Goethe, and the Greek tragedians. In 2007, performers at the festival included artists from approximately 20 countries, including the United States, Brazil, India, and China.

CONTACTS:
Dubrovnik Summer Festival
Od Sigurate 1
20 000 Dubrovnik, Croatia
www.dubrovnik-festival.hr
Croatian National Tourist Board
Iblerov trg 10/IV
10000 Zagreb, Croatia
www.croatia.hr