Kotor Festival of Theatre for Children

The Kotor Festival of Theatre for Children has been turning Kotor's Old Town into a stage for young audiences every July since 1993, and holds the status of a cultural event of national importance. The 2026 edition — the thirty-fourth — runs from 2 to 10 July under the slogan "Jeste li čuli… lete laste, pozorište raste".

What makes the festival special is how completely it takes over the town. Shows and events spread across the Summer Stage, the Cultural Centre "Nikola Đurković", Cinema Square, the Creative Hub in the old prison building and the squares of the Old Town itself, so for nine days children genuinely own Kotor's stone streets.

The 2026 programme brings fifteen theatre productions, twelve of them in competition, from Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Spain. Around the performances runs a dense accompanying programme: films, exhibitions, concerts, dance and daily workshops where children make things rather than just watch them.

For families, the festival is the easiest possible introduction to Kotor. A day flows from a morning workshop to an afternoon show to an evening event on a square, all within the walkable Old Town — and the audience of local and visiting children mixes naturally along the way, turning the stone squares into one shared playground.

Longevity has made it an institution: running every July since 1993 and holding national-importance status, it has grown up alongside generations of its audience. The 2026 slogan catches its spirit — playful, local and quietly ambitious.

The thirty-fourth festival runs 2–10 July 2026 across Kotor's Old Town. Most of the programme is free of charge, while some performances are ticketed with the proceeds going to charity; details are published at kotorskifestival.me.