Kotor Winter Festival

If you happen to be travelling in Montenegro during mid to late February, then you must make a stop in the beautiful part of Kotor and experience the cultural highlight of the Winter Festival which is a traditional gathering, celebrating the Folk Spirit and Skills of the people in the region.

A unique event which usually lasts around 7 days, visitors can enjoy colourful displays, exquisite masks and costumes, a fabulous mix of music fr om our heritage and a mouth-watering array of cuisines most of which are synonymous with the area.

Absolutely no-one is left out of the festivities and organisers try to create different groups according to certain interests and creative flair, which are then individually responsible for different segments of the programme. The overall aim is to create a team spirit and a sense of collective identity, so no matter wh ere you are from, what you believe in or what you do, you feel a sense of unity & are welcomed with open arms, something which is quite prevalent in today’s society.

There’s a few things that you should look out for, firstly the two Masquerades, the Big Traditional one, and the one just for Children, secondly the street processions which are led by the Majorettes from the ‘Festa Association’ accompanied by a local band, and thirdly is the Carnival Costume Exhibition which takes place during the evening, at the Cultural Centre.

They generally start the Carnival with a traditional ‘Burning of the Festival’ which aims to get rid of all the negative energy from the previous year and start the next 12 months fresh & full of positivity, after which a famous singer from Montenegro or from one of the neighbouring countries is invited to perform at.

Traditionally it will end with a large carnival procession and an orchestral performance, followed by another concert, with plenty of dancing, eating and drinking!

19.03.2021