Croatia's largest folklore festival runs for ten days in Slavonia, this year under the theme Vlak slavonske ravnice. Jelena Rozga opens it, Tony Cetinski closes it, and in between come a hundred tamburica players, a children's parade and the Sunday procession with horse-drawn carriages.
Checked: 23 August 2026
Vinkovačke jeseni is the biggest festival of traditional culture in Croatia, and the 61st edition runs from 11 to 20 September 2026. It is not a stage show about Slavonia, it is Slavonia: folklore groups from every region, tamburica orchestras, embroidered costumes that families keep for generations, and on the last Sunday a procession through town with horses and carriages. The theme this year is Vlak slavonske ravnice, the train of the Slavonian plains.
The ten days, in order
- 11.09.Opening night: Jakov Jozinović, then Jelena Rozga
The festival opens with a young singer from Vinkovci itself, then hands the main stage to one of the biggest names in Croatian pop. If you come for one evening of music rather than folklore, this is the one.
- 13.09.The children's parade, new to the programme
The 23rd Croatian children's folklore festival joins Vinkovačke jeseni for the first time this year, with a parade of children in costume on the Sunday of the first weekend. Quieter than the big procession a week later and easier with small children of your own.
- 18.09.The official opening on the main stage
The ceremony sits in the middle of the ten days, not at the start, which surprises visitors every year. From here the second weekend picks up speed and the town fills.
- 19.–20.09.The folklore review, and a hundred tamburica players
The second weekend brings the national review of authentic Croatian folklore, the part the festival exists for: groups from every region in their own costumes, singing their own repertoire, not a touring show. Slavonska rapsodija puts a hundred tamburica players on one stage, the first time in Vinkovci.
- 20.09.The Sunday procession, and Tony Cetinski to close
The last Sunday is the day people come for: the procession of all participating groups through Vinkovci, with horse-drawn carriages and riders. Get a place along the route an hour early, the pavements fill fast. The festival ends that evening with Tony Cetinski on the main stage.
Practical
- Vinkovci is in eastern Slavonia, about three hours by car from Zagreb on the A3 and half an hour from Osijek. Trains run from Zagreb via Vinkovci towards Croatia's eastern border.
- The folklore programme and the street events are the heart of it and cost nothing. Individual concerts on the main stage can be ticketed, check before you plan an evening around one.
- Accommodation in Vinkovci is limited and the second weekend books out. Osijek is half an hour away and has more rooms.
- September in Slavonia is warm by day and cool after dark, and the procession happens rain or shine. Bring something for both.
Where next
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