Croatia's beer festival takes over the star-shaped old town of Karlovac for five days. Entry is free, half a litre of draught Karlovačko costs 2.50 euro, and a festival train runs from Zagreb and back.
Checked: 23 August 2026
Karlovac was built in 1579 as a fortress in the shape of a six-pointed star, and for five days at the end of August that star fills up with beer tents and two stages. The 39th Dani piva runs from Friday 28 August to Tuesday 1 September 2026. Entry to everything costs nothing, which is unusual for a festival with this line-up, and the price of the beer is fixed for the whole event.
The three things worth knowing
- Half a litre of draught Karlovačko costs 2.50 euro, the same price at every stand for all five days. There is no queue system built around premium pricing here.
- A festival train runs Zagreb to Karlovac and back, plus free transport within town. That solves the one real problem of a beer festival for anyone arriving by car.
- Two stages: the main one carries the big names, the Gastro stage runs alongside the food. Severina opens the festival, Petar Grašo and Klapa Šufit are among the rest.
Where it happens, and what else is there
Everything happens inside the Zvijezda, the star, which is the historic centre and small enough to cross in ten minutes. Karlovac sits where four rivers meet, an hour from Zagreb and an hour from the coast road, which is why it calls itself the town of meetings. If you arrive early, the freshwater aquarium on the Korana is a good hour before the stages start.
Where next
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