International Folklore Festival

The international festival of majorettes and folk dance fills the Herceg Novi waterfront each July with ensembles from across Europe. The 2026 dates are confirmed by the organizers (OFFHN): the festival runs from 11 to 16 July, with a second run following from 17 to 22 July.

Herceg Novi's waterfront is built for exactly this. The town's long seaside promenade links squares, jetties and café terraces at the foot of the old town, and in July it is already the busiest public space on this stretch of coast. The festival simply moves in: parades along the seafront, performances on the promenade squares, and an audience that assembles itself out of whoever happens to be strolling past.

The format is simple and spectacular: visiting ensembles parade along the seafront and perform on the promenade squares — majorette troupes with their choreographed routines alongside folk-dance groups from across the continent, each bringing their own costumes, music and steps. Over a festival day the programme rolls through several ensembles, so no two performances look alike.

Because the stages are the town's own public spaces, the festival belongs to anyone on the waterfront: you walk into performances rather than buy a ticket for them. Families with children, evening strollers and beachgoers heading home all end up in the audience — summer street culture in the most literal sense.

And with two back-to-back runs, the parades and performances keep Herceg Novi's promenade animated for nearly two weeks at the height of summer — a first wave of ensembles from 11 to 16 July, and a second from 17 to 22 July.

The festival runs 11–16 July 2026, with a second run on 17–22 July, on the Herceg Novi waterfront. All performances are free; the promenade squares are the places to be as the parades come through.