The games are held in Dubrovnik and its surrounding areas, at swimming centres registered that year, while the finals are always held in the old town port. Aside from this, especially attractive games are held at Porporela, in Pila and at the swimming area Mlini in Župa Dubrova?ka.

If you get a chance to join one of the groups of fans, don’t think twice, good fun is guaranteed. Fans most often go to the game in small boats and dingys, so that each match location is surrounded on all sides by happy fans and their equipment.

Aside from Dubrovnik inhabitants and their guests, this sports event has also been accepted well by numerous public personalities, which as an overture to the big final traditionally play a show game.

Currently qualifications are underway for the main tournament which begins on the 20 July and judging by what has been seen to date, this will be the ‘wildest’ league to date. A total of 44 teams have registered to participate.

If you have the opportunity, don’t miss out on coming to at least one game of the Dubrovnik unofficial league, the ‘most-water-polo’ town in the world.

First in line, on the 26 July, is the Day of the Camp Politin. Of the sports activities which begin at nine o’clock in the morning, we especially recommend the game “?ovje?e, ne ljuti se” (‘Trouble’) in which guests and visitors will be playing pieces, and the game board will be drawn on the terrace in front of the mini club. Aside from this, there will also be table tennis, mini golf, and beach games tournaments.

For those who are not sporting types, we offer stories about autochthonous herbs which can be found in the camp or maybe a presentation on making “surlica”. surlica is traditional pasta, a favourite islander’s meal. They are made from flour, water, eggs and olive oil. On the Island of Krk every locality has its own way of preparing surlica, and visitors at our festivities will be able to contribute in their creation too.

At the same time, children will be able to enjoy a treasure hunt, creative art workshops or fun with balloons, of course with the assistance of our entertainment staff. For children we especially recommend the mule or donkey rides.

If you’ve missed the festivities in the Camp Politin, we suggest you visit the Camp Jezevac, in which the Day of the camp will be celebrated on the 27 July and again on the 12 August. From the programme we particularly recommend the beach volleyball tournament and fishing competition.

The Day of the Hotel Valamar Koralj will be held on the 22 August. Visit us, we guarantee great fun at the pool with a variety of games.

See you in Krk!

And that day will be special because the celebration of Camp Marina Day will begin at 12:00 with fun on the beach, where you will be able to enjoy an open-air breakdancing and hip hop school with experienced dance instructors. You can enjoy the fun until 6:00 p.m. There will even be prizes. We have prepared some games for all water lovers at 3:00 p.m., while those who prefer land can enjoy bowling, darts and sack races from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m. you can test your strength in the rope pulling contest, where the best will meet in the finals at 9:00 p.m.

The children’s entertainment lasts from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. From 8:00 p.m. to midnight you will be able to relax and enjoy live music and dancing. Since no festival is complete without food, the chef also has a surprise in store for 8:00 p.m.

We also wish to announce that the now traditional Ferragosto Party will be held on the spacious terrace of the bistro Plaža na Girandelli on 15 August. Guests and visitors can enjoy a program of activities that includes jogging, aqua aerobics, aqua fun, a swimming school, a mini club, beach volleyball, a show with magic tricks and evening music, all beginning in the morning.

The international public discovered Omara Portuondo thanks to the success of the film, The Buena Vista Social Club, taken from the name of a club in Havana that was a popular gathering place for Cuban musicians in the 1940s. Almost 50 years after the club closed, a project by the same name breathed new life into this piece of history, again brought together many Cuban musicians, and provided the basis for a very successful album in 1996 and the filming of the movie.

Omara sang a duet with Ibrahim Ferrer on the 1996 album, also entitled The Buena Vista Social Club. But that was just the beginning of their collaboration because she subsequently appeared on later albums and in the film. She recorded her latest album in 2008 singing duets with Brazilian singer Maria Bethania. Many of the songs from this album, but also Cuban hits, were heard at this outstanding concert. At every one of her appearances she awakens the deepest emotions among the audience, demonstrating a talent that is rarely encountered.

1. brodet – a traditional Dalmatian fish dish made in folk kitchens, which today is served in many exclusive restaurants. Ingredients: a mixture of different fish (eel, scorpionfish, dentex, bass, mackerel), flour, olive oil, garlic, onion, white wine, parsley, wine vinegar, tomatoes, salt and pepper.

It is best eaten with polenta.

2. pasticada – a meat dish that is made in a variety of different ways in Dalmatia, where each one is a story in itself. Beef loin is the traditional basic ingredient of meat pasticada. However, nowadays we can come across a number of variations that use other types of meat (chicken, game etc) or even tuna or vegetarian pasticada. In order to not get embroiled in the debates about what ingredients should be used in a true pasticada, we will just say that each Dalmatian house has their secret ingredients, and that they are all the best. However, it would be difficult to imagine one without olive oil, onion, parsley, wine (or Prosecco) and a bay leaf.

3. rozata – Dalmatians don’t like to complicate things with their sweets. Rozata, a favourite sweet in southern Croatia, belongs to the category of “simple, effective, tasty”. To make this delicacy, all you need is some sugar, eggs, milk, (eventually) vanilla sugar and a cooked and then well cooled mixture of cream and caramel.

From 10 July to 25 August in the unique ambience of the open-air and enclosed stages of the city of Dubrovnik, there will be numerous drama, musical and dance performances at 14 locations – the Rector’s Palace, Gundulic Field, the Sponza Palace, Lovrjenac Fortress and Revelin – to name just a few of them.

The Dubrovnik Summer Festival is making its contribution to the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the greatest Croatian dramatist, Marin Držic, by staging a premier drama program of his works. Dundo Maroje, Plakir, Skup, and Arkulin, among others, are waiting for you. But, that is not all. There will also be a rich supporting program comprised of exhibitions and book presentations about this great artist.

The Zagreb Solisti with Schlomo Mintz on the violin will open the musical program. Other well-known names that will appear include the great opera stars Inva Mula and Ramon Vargas, pianists Gottlieb Wallisch and Danijel Detoni, cellist Monika Leskovar and many others.

Krk is not just a city of history but also a city of urban culture, as demonstrated by this festival, which the organizers are calling “the festival for advanced ears“.

The festival is being held on the Krk riva and begins at 9:30 p.m. On Friday 18 July the local band Mojo Trip and the band Mildreds, whose members are from Rijeka and Zagreb, will be appearing.

On Saturday 19 July there will be performances by Maja Savic and her quartet and the band Kabalizmo accompanied by Hrvoje Rupcic, the celebated member of the group Cubismo, on percussion.

Entry to Krk Music Live is free and the organizers say that it will really be worth seeing. A great time is guaranteed.

And if you are a fan of domestic ethno music, we recommend the concert of Tamara Obrovac and her Transhistria Electric Band on 19 July. The concert is being held at the old Frankopan citadel.

Tamara Obrovac is a versatile musician. She is a singer, but also a flutist and a composer, who gained popularity by performing Istrian folk music in her own unique style. The quality of her work has been demonstrated by her nomination for the prestigious World Music Awards 2004 by BBC Radio.

Join the all day sports and entertainment programme in the Camp Lanterna which will begin at nine in the morning and go on until the late evening hours.

From the programme we highlight the following:

10:00 Mini Olympic games
12:00 Live music with cocktails
15:00 Games without borders and basketball tournament
19:00 Performance by Sergij Pavata and the group Matrix
21:00 Beach Party – Sunce beach

But that’s not all! The fun goes on! Come to all the other festivities too being prepared for you in Porec by Valamar:

15.07 Naturist Resort Solaris
16.07 Borik beach
17.07 Valamar Club Tamaris
23.07 Naturist Camp Istra, Funtana
24.07 Brulo beach
26.07 Camp 0rsera, Vrsar
02.08 Naturist Resort Solaris - carnival Solaris
13.08 Borik beach
14.08 Valamar Club Tamaris
20.08 Camp Lanterna

The word “klapa” derives from Italian. It means a group of people connected by friendly relationships. The name klapa songs comes from the fact that the songs are sung by a group of singers, the so-called klapa.

Many klapa perform in Croatia, each of which has a rich and varied repertoire. The groups that you will hear and enjoy as they perform their songs in Labin are:

• Klapa Maslina from Sibenik
• Klapa Intrade from Zadar
• Klapa Ikon from Split
• Klapa Kumpanji from Korcula
• Klapa Cambi from Split
• Klapa Teranke from Pula
• Klapa Nostalgija from Zagreb
• Klapa Volosko from Volosko

There will also be some special guests at this Klapa Festival, the well-known Croatian musicians Meri Cetinic and Tedi Spalato.

The Klapa Festival “Labin 2008″ is a part of the rich program of the larger Labin Art Republic, a traditional cultural-entertainment festival that is being held this year from 1 July to 20 August.

Instead, I like small, informal gatherings that have a soul, where you meet people who are not concerned about red carpets or star status and performers who still do their art because they enjoy it.

Fortunately, Istria in July and August is full of such events, and here are my top 5:

Rabac Summer Festival - a festival of electronic music that is traditionally held on Girandella beach on the 26 July. The highlight of the evening is the six hour set by DJ Danny Tenaglia.

United Festival – held the week before the Rabac Summer Festival at Dubrova in Labin, where an excellent musical fusion is expected with names like Nick Warren, Josh Gabriel, Luke Slater, Adam Freeland and other big names from the electronic scene.

Motovun Film Festival - the legendary film festival celebrates its tenth birthday this year, and film lovers can expect a richer program than ever between 28 July to 1 August.

The Dance and Non-Verbal Theatre Festival – in Sanvi?enat near Pazin between 18 to 22 July. This is five days of top dance on stages under the clear skys. There is a strong international line-up, and the showing of films is also planned.

Seasplash Reggae Festival – admirers of the legacy of Bob Marley and other reggae greats, as well as lovers of modern electronic sounds that lean on traditional reggae (jungle, dub etc) should definitely go to Monumenti in Pula from the 17 to 20 July. There they can listen to Prince All, the New York Ska Jazz Ensemble and other groups whose groove to the morning hours cannot fail you.