Bokeška noć
Illuminated boats parade the bay before Kotor's Old Town, with concerts and fireworks – free, in late August.
This event has ended
It returns every year – dates for the next edition haven't been announced yet.
The stage is what makes it: the Bay of Kotor narrowing beneath the town's medieval walls, the Old Town lit along the shore, and the water itself as the parade route. Kotor's identity was shaped by the sea, and Boka Night is the summer moment when the town turns back to the water it came from.
The boat parade is the heart of the night: decorated, illuminated boats gliding across the bay in front of the Old Town, competing for the jury's award. Crews spend days decorating their boats for this single evening's parade, and the results – light, colour and invention moving across dark water – are what the crowds pack the shore to see.
The feast spreads well beyond the water: concerts run on the waterfront through the evening, and the night traditionally closes with fireworks over the bay. The rhythm is easy to follow – find a spot on the shore before the parade, stay for the music, and wait for the sky to light up at the end.
It is a spectacle rooted in the bay's maritime tradition, kept alive by the boat crews themselves – one of Kotor's oldest summer feasts, and still one of its most local in spirit even at the height of the season.
Boka Night is held in Kotor in late August, following the festival's late-August Saturday pattern; the 2026 night is expected on Saturday 22 August. The feast, the concerts and the fireworks are all free.
What to expect
Illuminated boat parade
Decorated boats glide across the bay before Kotor's Old Town.
A jury picks the best
The most beautifully decorated boat wins the jury's award.
One of Kotor's oldest feasts
Boka Night is among the town's longest-standing summer traditions.
Concerts and fireworks
Waterfront concerts and a fireworks finale round off the night – all free.
Claim a shoreline spot
The parade is watched from the waterfront – arrive before dark for the best view of the boats.
Late-August finale mood
Boka Night lands near the end of the season – one of the Boka's last big summer evenings.
What happens when
August 22, 2026
- EveningDecorated and illuminated boats parade the bay in front of the Old Town
- Jury awardThe best-decorated boat is chosen and honoured
- On the waterfrontConcerts running through the night
- FinaleFireworks over the bay to close the feast
Photos
Where it takes place
Where to Eat in Kotor
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Plan your stay
Kotor – where to stay and how to get around
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More events
What else is on in Montenegro around the same time.
Camellia Days (Fešta kamelija)
Stoliv celebrates its camellia bloom with flower exhibitions, concerts and the Camellia Ball.
Shooting the Kokot (Perast Votive Day)
Perast marks its 1654 victory with processions, the Boka Navy kolo, mass and wreath-laying.
Boka Navy Day (Dan Bokeljske mornarice)
Kotor's UNESCO-listed Boka Navy dances its kolo in full historic uniform every 26 June.