For forty-five days every summer, Dubrovnik's historic fortifications, courtyards, and ramparts become performance venues for theatre, classical music, and dance attracting 100,000 visitors to one of Europe's most architecturally intact medieval cities.
The Dubrovnik Summer Festival has run every year since 1950 and is one of the oldest and most distinctive arts festivals in Europe, operating specifically within the Dubrovnik old city walls rather than in a separate festival venue. Performances take place in the Rector's Palace courtyard, Fort Lovrijenac on the cliff outside the walls, the Revelin Fortress, the Gradac Park, and along the Stradun main promenade. The combination of 14th and 15th century stone architecture and high-quality theatrical and musical performance is unlike anything available at a purpose-built festival. The programme covers Shakespeare productions performed in Croatian and English, classical concerts, opera, ballet, and contemporary dance.
The practical reality is that Dubrovnik in July and August is extremely crowded: the city receives a disproportionate number of cruise passengers and Game of Thrones tourism visitors relative to its small size, and the old town can feel overwhelmed during the middle of the day. The festival's evening performances, typically starting at 9:30pm, are the best time to experience the old city: the day-trippers have left, the light is golden, and the atmosphere around the illuminated walls is exceptional. Tickets for the most popular productions sell out weeks in advance; the festival box office on Placa street opens daily at 9am and holds a small number of returns each morning. Most accommodation within the walls is expensive; hostels outside the Pile Gate and in the Lapad Peninsula suburb run €25–€40 for a dorm bed.
Party hostels within reach of 's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.
Day-by-day breakdown
The city walls circuit opens at 8am and closes at 7:30pm; entering early (before 10am) avoids the worst crowds and the heat. The Banje Beach, just outside the Ploče Gate east of the old town, is the closest swimming beach and has sun lounger hire from €15. The festival box office on Placa opens at 9am and is worth visiting in person for returns on sold-out shows; popular Shakespeare productions and the Fort Lovrijenac performances typically sell out fastest.
Festival performances start at 9:30pm. The Rector's Palace courtyard and Revelin Fortress are the most atmospheric venues; Fort Lovrijenac, a free-standing fort connected to the walls by a narrow bridge, is the most dramatic for open-air Shakespeare. After performances end around 11:30pm, the Stradun and the bars on Od Puča street stay busy until 1am or 2am. The walls are dramatically lit from outside at night; the view from the sea is worth walking to the harbour for.
Pre-booked private transfers and shared shuttles for your arrival.
