Meetings under the Old Olive Tree
Children's poetry and art celebrated beneath Bar's 2,000-year-old olive tree each November.
The tree itself is a place of quiet pilgrimage year-round: a vast, gnarled trunk within its small protected enclosure among the olive groves of Bar's hinterland, older than the nations and empires that have come and gone around it. In early November, with the harvest under way across the surrounding country, its setting is at its most alive.
It is an international festival of children's creativity: each year a theme is set, and a literary competition draws around a hundred entries from young writers, while art exhibitions display children's work inspired by the same theme. The old tree, which has watched over two millennia of harvests, makes a poetic patron for the youngest imaginations.
The pairing is the festival's genius: the very old and the very young, permanence and beginnings. Generations of children have grown up around these competitions since 1987, and for many local families the festival is a touchstone repeated across decades.
The festival culminates in the crowning of its laureates — a ceremony that has honoured generations of young poets and artists over almost four decades.
Entry is free. Early November is olive-harvest season in Bar, the town's defining agricultural moment, and the festival offers travellers a gentle, meaningful reason to visit the coast's olive country out of season — see the ancient tree, then follow the harvest through the groves around it.
What to expect
A 2,000-year-old host
The festival gathers beneath the Stara maslina of Mirovica, one of the world's oldest olive trees.
Since 1987
The 37th edition ran 6–8 November 2024 — nearly four decades of children's creativity.
Literary competition
About 100 entries arrive each year on the festival's annual theme.
Laureates crowned
Young writers and artists are honoured in the closing ceremony.
Harvest-season visit
Early November is Bar's defining olive-harvest moment — the groves around the old tree are at their busiest.
Free and out of season
A gentle, meaningful reason to see the coast's olive country when the beaches are long forgotten.
What happens when
November 4 – 6, 2026
- Three days, early NovemberInternational festival of children's creativity beneath the 2,000-year-old Stara maslina in Mirovica
- CompetitionLiterary contest on the annual theme, with around 100 entries from young writers
- ExhibitionsDisplays of children's art
- ClosingCrowning of the festival laureates
Photos
Where it takes place
Plan your stay
Bar — where to stay and how to get around
Live offers from local hosts on our booking platform. Nothing is charged online — you pay the host on site.
Booking requests are confirmed by the host; payment on site. Offers come from the Travel to Montenegro booking platform.
More events
What else is on in Montenegro around the same time.
Autumn Folklore Festival
Regional folk ensembles, vocal groups and majorettes fill Herceg Novi over five free autumn days.
Mimosa Festival
Traditional winter festival in Herceg Novi with mimosa, fish and wine, carnival and concerts along the riviera.
Night of Fortresses (Noć tvrđava)
Free night access, concerts and tours in Ulcinj's fortress every 9 May, Day of Europe.
