Advent in Poreč 2026: free ice rink, four New Year parties

Advent in Poreč runs from 6 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, for the eleventh time and again on Trg Matije Gupca in the old town. The city and its tourist board presented the programme on 2 November: more than 100 events, including over 30 concerts, a free ice rink with free skate hire and four New Year celebrations for different age groups (City of Poreč). That puts Poreč a week behind Pula and a day behind Rovinj.

Opening on 6 December

The opening is on Sunday 6 December: St Nicholas arrives at 16:30, the lights go on together at 17:00, and Marko Kutlić plays afterwards. Mayor Loris Peršurić says the square was chosen because Trg Matije Gupca is sheltered from wind and bad weather and keeps everything in one place. Olga Ban Park gets its own decorations, and parts of the programme take place in the theatre, the city library and the museum (Glas Istre). The full programme is published on adventporec.com.

Concerts and big nights

The table lists the main nights with their weekday. The names come from the city's announcement; we added the weekdays. Local bands, children's shows almost every evening and art school concerts on 15 and 16 December come on top.

Four New Year parties

Poreč sees in the new year four times. Children celebrate on 31 December at 11:00. In the evening there are two stages: Jole sings on Trg slobode with DJ Mr. Johnny B., while DJ HOKY and Jinxie Grooves play on Trg Matije Gupca. On 1 January comes the traditional repeat with Night Express (City of Poreč). The city has not mentioned ticket prices. How Zagreb, Split and the other cities celebrate is in our New Year's Eve overview.

Free: ice rink, Advent train, salt cod

• Ice rink: free, skate hire included. The city has not published rink opening hours yet.
• Advent train: runs free from the large city car park to the Advent site.
• Christmas Eve, 24 December: free bakalar (salt cod) for everyone in the morning, with the Blues Brajders playing.
• HandMade Mercatino: craft market on Trg slobode on 6, 19, 23, 24 and 26 December. At weekends and on holidays, duos and small bands play there from 11:00 to 13:00.
• Istrian supa day, 27 December: cooking contest from 13:00 to 17:00. Supa is the Istrian dish of warm red wine, olive oil and toasted bread.
• For families: Djed Mraz, Croatia's Father Christmas, arrives on 8 December at 10:00, and his office opens on 7 December with the exhibition "Tragom bijelog jelena". BrekDay on 13 December at 11:00 is a day for dogs, with groomers and vets.

What it means for visitors

Poreč starts later than most coastal towns. If you want to combine Advent in Istria over one weekend, the first chance is 5 and 6 December: Rovinj opens on the Saturday, Poreč on the Sunday, and Pula has been running since 29 November. All coastal dates are in our Advent overview. For concerts, the weekends of 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 December are the busiest, with something on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

It gets busy over New Year. Between 29 December and 4 January last season, Poreč counted about 5,000 arrivals and 20,000 overnight stays. According to tourist board director Nenad Velenik, that made it one of the five most visited destinations in Croatia over the holidays, and the only one in Istria. If you are coming for New Year's Eve, book early.

Driving through Austria: the 2027 annual vignette is already valid from 1 December 2026 (2027 vignette). In Croatia, winter equipment is compulsory on designated winter routes from 15 November (winter tyre rule). In Poreč itself, the large city car park is the obvious place to leave the car, as the free Advent train runs from there to the old town. For the morning: our Euphrasian Basilica guide and the Poreč city guide.

Stall prices: according to tourism minister Tonči Glavina, Poreč has capped part of its offer for years (Index.hr). The city gave no amounts for 2026 at the presentation. For comparison, a mulled wine at Pula's city stalls costs at most 3 euros in 2026 (Advent in Pula).