Camellia Days (Fešta kamelija)

Fešta kamelija — Camellia Days — is the spring festival of Stoliv, a small village on the Bay of Kotor, held in honour of the flower that colours its hillsides every March. The camellia arrived here centuries ago, brought home from Japan by Boka seafarers, and the village has celebrated it ever since; the 2026 festival was the forty-first edition, with the central event on Sunday 29 March.

Stoliv is a sliver of a village on the quieter shore of the bay — a line of stone houses between the water and the steep green hillside, with camellias flowering in gardens and along the paths above. In late March, when the Boka is at its quietest and greenest, the bloom turns the village into the bay's unofficial botanical event.

The heart of the programme is a juried exhibition of camellia bouquets and floral arrangements, with awards for the finest entries, alongside concerts and art shows. In Kotor, the festivities culminate in the Camellia Ball, where one lady is crowned Dama kamelije — the Camellia Lady — for the year.

It is a genuine village fešta rather than a staged spectacle: locals, flowers, music and the bay in early spring. Visitors wander the exhibition, listen to the concerts and stroll the waterfront between events — a slow afternoon in a village that sees few crowds the rest of the year.

The tradition's roots give it its charm: a maritime souvenir turned local identity, celebrated by the village for generations. The 2026 edition carried extra weight, as Stoliv also marked 700 years since its first mention in written records.

The festival takes place in late March in Stoliv, with the ball held in Kotor. Entry is free, and the village is an easy shoreside stop on the way around the bay.