Biograd Boat Show 2026 (28th edition)
- Date
- 21 – 25 October 2026
Every October yachts and motor boats fill the pontoons of Marina Kornati in Biograd na Moru for five days. Dates of recent editions, the 2026 programme, tickets, entrances, travel and the 2027 status.
Checked: 21 October 2026, 09:00
Every October, yachts, catamarans and motor boats tie up along the pontoons of Marina Kornati in Biograd na Moru. Visitors walk the docks and step aboard. For five days, Wednesday to Sunday, the marina becomes the Biograd Boat Show. The organisers call it the largest boat show in Croatia. The tourism company Ilirija d.d. runs the show and manages the marina. The 2026 edition, the 28th, runs from 21 to 25 October.
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Biograd Boat Show 2027
As of 20 October 2026, the organisers have published no date for the 2027 show. Neither the official site bbs.com.hr nor the events calendar of the Biograd na Moru tourist board lists one yet. The last three editions all ran from Wednesday to Sunday in the second half of October:
- 2024: the 26th edition, 23 to 27 October. It opened on Wednesday 23 October and closed on Sunday, morski.hr reported.
- 2025: the 27th edition, 22 to 26 October. State secretary Monika Udovičić opened it on 22 October, Antena Zadar reported.
- 2026: the 28th edition, 21 to 25 October, according to the organisers, the Biograd tourist board and Zadarski list.
These dates show a pattern, and the 2027 date still needs official confirmation. In 2026 Zadarski list reported the dates in late August, about two months before the opening. News appears first on bbs.com.hr and in the tourist board calendar on discover-biograd.com. Confirmed dates for next year are collected in our Croatia festival dates for 2027.
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Biograd Boat Show 2026
The 28th edition runs from Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 October 2026 in Marina Kornati. The official opening is on Wednesday at 12:00 in Hall B. The organisers announced more than 400 exhibitors and 500 vessels. The 8th Croatia Charter Expo, a trade event for charter fleets, brokers and suppliers, runs on 21 and 22 October in Hall D, for registered participants only. The Croatian Chamber of Economy holds its 10th Croatian Nautical Days from 21 to 24 October, with panels and talks in the Captain's Club congress hall and in Hall B.
The official event calendar lists these events for the public:
- Every day from 14:00 to 15:00: the Rocketman flyboard show by Christian Buchmair at the Marina Kornati bridge.
- Thursday to Sunday in Hall B: Festival izvornosti, a fair of authentic Croatian products.
- Friday to Sunday in Hall D: the third Croatia Luxury and Adventure Travel Show, with free entry, run with the Zadar County tourist board.
- Friday 23 October at 18:30: Ivica Vuksan Zembo opens his exhibition “Neka bude more. I bi more!” in Hall C, with free entry. At 19:00 the City Art Gallery shows Vinko Pešić's photographs “Lunjske masline”, the olive trees of Lun.
- Friday 23 October at 21:45: Daleka Obala Jakše i Hrepe play in Hall B, with free entry, followed by an afterparty.
- Saturday 24 October: the Orion fireworks at 21:30, then Cubismo in concert at 21:45 in Hall B, with free entry.
The ticket page of the show lists a day ticket at 12 €, while the visitor FAQ still shows 10 €. Children under 12 enter free. Tickets are sold at the north and west entrances of the marina and online on Entrio. The doors open at 10:00. The official pages give closing times between 18:00 and 18:30, with an earlier close on Sunday.
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Boats in the sea, stands on the quays
Marina Kornati sits in the centre of Biograd and has more than 800 berths, Ilirija says. During the show, boats lie in the water along the pontoons, and more stand on land. The official site lists engines, equipment, marine electronics, nautical clothing, service firms, charter agencies and marinas among the exhibits. Croatian boatbuilders and makers of marine equipment have a strong presence. The congress programme, B2B meetings and the evening concerts run alongside.
The show has two entrances: the main reception in the north of the marina and the west entrance next to the ferry dock. Hall B stands in the west, Halls C and D in the north. The Marina Kornati restaurant is at the north end, a bar near the pontoon bridge stays open after closing time, and Hall B serves food and drinks. Dogs may come along under their owner's control. Photos and video are allowed, drones are not.
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From a local fair to five shows in one
Ilirija first held the show in the late 1990s, the official site says. Its roots go further back. In 1976, Zadarski list reported, Biograd got its first port built for nautical tourism, and 40 charter boats set sail from it. Ilirija's chairman Goran Ražnjević said at the 2025 opening that the fair began almost three decades earlier as a small local event. Today the show is a Gold Member of IFBSO, the international federation of boat show organisers.
Recent editions grew around the marina. In 2024 the show spread into the town's passenger and fishing harbour, and online tickets arrived on Entrio. Žarko Tušek, state secretary at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, opened that edition. In 2025 the organisers sold the space out two months ahead. Ražnjević counted more than 400 exhibitors and 500 new boats at the opening. Antena Zadar listed world premieres from Croatian yards, among them the More 50 Luxe from More Yachts in Split and the Kufner 38 sailing yacht. That year the show ran as five fairs in one: the exhibition, Biograd B2B, the HGK Nautical Days, the Croatia Charter Expo and the Croatia Luxury and Adventure Travel Show.
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Getting to Biograd na Moru
Biograd na Moru lies on the coast between Zadar and Šibenik. Ilirija gives these routes to the marina:
- From Zadar, 30 km: the coastal road D8 south, about 30 minutes.
- From Šibenik, 50 km: the D8 north, about 45 minutes.
- From Zagreb and Split: the A1 motorway to the Benkovac exit, then the D503 road to Biograd, about 15 minutes from the exit.
- Zadar Airport is 25 km away, about 25 minutes by car. Split Airport is about 110 km away, around an hour and a half.
- By bus: Biograd's bus station has regular lines from Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and other cities and lies about a 5-minute walk from the marina. From Zadar Airport, take city transport into Zadar and change to a bus for Biograd.
Parking inside Marina Kornati is closed during the show, so drivers leave the car in town and walk to the north or west entrance. Ilirija's sales department handles hotel offers for show visitors in its own hotels, villas and camp.
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Around Biograd
Zadar is half an hour up the coast. Our guide to what to see in Zadar covers the old town, and the day trip to Ugljan without a car starts at its harbour. South of Biograd lies Šibenik with its stone cathedral, and the waterfalls of Krka are close to it. Ilirija puts the Kornati national park 15 to 30 minutes by boat from the marina. The Zadar city guide has more for the region.
Croatia has a second autumn boat show. The Rijeka Boat Show fills the pier on the Riva in Rijeka for four days in late September or early October.
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About the event
Biograd Boat Show 2026 (28th edition)
The largest nautical fair in this part of the Adriatic, with boats on land and in the water at Marina Kornati in Biograd na Moru.
The biggest boat show on this part of the Adriatic
The 28th Biograd Boat Show fills the Marina Kornati from 21 to 25 October 2026, with boats both ashore and in the water. Autumn is when this market does its business: the season is over, the fleet is out, and what does not sell now overwinters. That makes it a working fair rather than a showroom, and the difference is visible in who is walking the pontoons.
Biograd out of season
Biograd na Moru was a royal seat in the eleventh century and was destroyed by Venice in 1125; what stands today is later and smaller. It faces the Pašman channel with the island directly opposite, and in late October the town has its own people back. The Kornati islands, whose name the marina borrows, are a national park, reached by boat from the marina.
How a visit works
Over 400 exhibitors take the berths and the hardstanding at Marina Kornati, and around 500 vessels are on display, most of them afloat. You walk the pontoons, choose a boat and ask to step aboard. On 21 and 22 October the Croatia Charter Expo runs alongside as a trade fair for charter fleets, brokers and suppliers, separate from the public show. If you plan to charter in 2027, the fleets that operate in Croatia bring the boats that will be on the water next summer, and October is when those deals are done. A day ticket costs 12 € at the north and west entrances or on entrio.hr, and children under 12 go in free. The show is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00.
Where to stay
Book as soon as your dates are fixed. Biograd has beds to spare in October, but show week is the exception, and the trade visitors on 21 and 22 October take a large share of them. The hotels beside the marina sell out first. Private apartments make up most of the town's accommodation and nearly all are within a 15 minute walk of the pontoons. If Biograd is full, Sveti Filip i Jakov is 3 km north and Pakoštane 7 km south, both with apartments open into late October, and Zadar, 30 minutes north, has the widest choice of hotels.
Beyond the marina
The old town sits on a small peninsula 10 minutes on foot from the marina. The heritage museum there holds the cargo of a Venetian merchant ship that sank off the islet of Gnalić in 1583: glass, textiles, spectacles and brass, all raised from the seabed. The museum is currently temporarily closed, so check its website before planning a visit. The car ferry to Tkon on Pašman leaves from the harbour beside the marina, a short crossing. Inland, Vransko jezero is the largest natural lake in Croatia and a nature park, with a cycle track along the shore and a bird reserve at the northern end, a few km from town.
| Place | Distance | How to get there |
|---|---|---|
| Zadar | 30 km north | Bus or car, about 30 minutes |
| Šibenik | 50 km south | Bus or car, about 45 minutes |
| Pašman island | Across the channel | Car ferry from Biograd to Tkon |
| Krka national park | About 55 km | Car, about 60 minutes to Skradin |
Eating and practical notes
The waterfront and the streets behind it have restaurants that stay open through the show, most serving grilled fish, squid and meat with local wine. Some places close for the winter at the end of October, so do not count on every door being open on the last days. Late October is mild, with daytime temperatures usually between 15 and 20 degrees and the sea still warm enough to swim, but rain is more likely than in summer and the bura wind can make the outer pontoons cold. Croatia uses the euro and cards are accepted almost everywhere, though small konobas and parking meters may want cash.
- Flat, soft soled shoes: crews often ask you to take off hard soles or heels before stepping aboard.
- A waterproof and a warm layer, the wind on the outer pontoons is colder than in the streets.
- Passport or ID card if you intend to sign a charter contract on the spot.
- With children, keep hold of small ones on the pontoons and leave the pushchair at the hotel, gangways are narrow.
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Frequently asked questions
- When is the Biograd Boat Show 2027?
- As of 20 October 2026, the organisers have published no date for 2027. The last three editions ran Wednesday to Sunday in the second half of October: 23 to 27 October 2024, 22 to 26 October 2025 and 21 to 25 October 2026. The date appears on bbs.com.hr.
- Where does the Biograd Boat Show take place?
- In Marina Kornati in the centre of Biograd na Moru, between Zadar and Šibenik. Boats lie in the sea along the pontoons and stand on land, and the halls B, C and D hold stands and events. The entrances are at the main reception in the north and next to the ferry dock in the west.
- How much is a ticket?
- For 2026 the official ticket page lists a day ticket at 12 €, while the visitor FAQ still shows 10 €. In 2025 the ticket cost 10 €. Children under 12 enter free. Tickets are sold at the north and west entrances and online on Entrio.
- Where do I park for the show?
- In town. Parking inside Marina Kornati is closed during the show. Drivers park in Biograd and walk to the north or west entrance. The bus station is about a 5-minute walk from the marina, with lines from Zadar, Zagreb, Split and Rijeka.
- What is the Croatia Charter Expo?
- A two-day trade event inside the Biograd Boat Show for charter fleet operators, brokers and suppliers. In 2026 it runs on 21 and 22 October in Hall D, with paid registration. Registered participants also get entry to the boat show for all five days.
Official sources
- Biograd Boat Show: official site, 21 to 25 October 2026
- Biograd Boat Show: about the show
- Biograd Boat Show: event calendar 2026 (PDF)
- Biograd Boat Show: tickets
- Biograd Boat Show: FAQ for visitors
- Biograd Boat Show: Croatia Charter Expo 2026
- Biograd Boat Show: the 2026 show opens on Wednesday
- Biograd na Moru tourist board: events calendar
- Ilirija: how to reach Marina Kornati
- Zadarski list: Biograd prepares the 28th show, 21 to 25 October 2026
- Antena Zadar: the 27th Biograd Boat Show opens, 22 October 2025
- Zadarski list: the 27th Biograd Boat Show opens
- Morski.hr: the 26th Biograd Boat Show opens, 23 October 2024
- Morski.hr: the 26th Biograd Boat Show closes
- Morski.hr: the 27th Biograd Boat Show closes
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