Hvar Summer Festival is an annual event which has occupied some of the town’s most prominent historical locations since 1961 when it was first organized. Apart from the Franciscan monastery, Hanibal Lucić’s summer residence, Veneranda summer stage, Hvar fortress (Fortica), the Cathedral of St. Stephen, and St. Stephen’s Square, it also delivered performances to the nearby villages of Velo Grablje and Malo Grablje. Organized by the Town of Hvar, this festival has a long tradition of offering exceptional cultural events, particularly music performances, for which it has been recognized both locally and internationally. With performances traditionally beginning soon after Easter and ending in mid-October, this festival has been the longest-lasting festival on the Adriatic coast. During the period of almost six months, the festival has featured renowned Croatian and international performers, offering musical and theatre performances to the people of Hvar and their guests. As such, it has been an oasis of carefully selected, premium-quality music and plays, which make an integral part of the overall cultural repertoire in the summer months in Hvar.

Hvar Summer Festival’s stage has been equally open to renowned (mostly, but not exclusively classical) musicians from Croatia and other countries, and to young professional musicians, who choose either the Franciscan monastery or the Cathedral as the venue of choice for an important step in their careers. Our Festival also pays special attention to the preservation of Croatia’s musical heritage, so it frequently features pieces written by Dora Pejačević, Boris Papandopulo, Igor Kuljerić, Mladen Tarbuk, and Hvar’s own Sandro Zaninović, Dinko Fio, and others. By incorporating a cappella performances by Dalmatian klapa groups – a form included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, by inviting local groups that nurture traditional song and dance, and enabling the staging of works written by Croatian Renaissance authors, this festival also caters to talented amateur enthusiasts. Between 1974 and 2015, the festival’s concept was devised and executed by its director for many years, Prof. Milan Lakoš, who deserves immense credit for organizing and preserving the festival.