May Day Rafting Regatta on the Tara

The May Day Rafting Regatta is Mojkovac's traditional opening of the season on the Tara. Every 1 May, a flotilla — recent editions have drawn around a hundred rafters in ten or more boats — pushes off at Sjerogošte and rides the upper Tara downstream to Mojkovac, the centrepiece of a three-day May Day programme on and around the river.

The upper Tara here is a different river from the famous canyon stretch downstream: broader and greener, running between wooded banks rather than sheer walls, and perfectly suited to a mass flotilla. In spring it is also gloriously loud — the snowmelt gives the rapids a voice that carries up the valley.

Spring is when the Tara runs high and fast with snowmelt, and the regatta catches the river at its liveliest. Kayakers join the rafts on the water, while mountain tours extend the programme onto the surrounding slopes for those who prefer dry land.

The social heart of the event is the communal lunch at the stone Old Bridge — the moment the flotilla comes ashore and the whole gathering sits down together by the water. It gives the regatta the feel of a big riverside picnic as much as a paddling event, in the best May Day tradition.

For visitors the regatta is the friendliest possible introduction to the Tara: the crews are local, the mood is festive rather than extreme, and the day ends at a shared table rather than a takeout ramp. Dress for cold water and spring sunshine in the same hour — the Tara valley routinely delivers both.

Watching from the banks is free; places in the boats are arranged through the participating rafting crews. The three-day programme runs around 1 May, with the regatta itself descending the Sjerogošte–Mojkovac stretch of the upper Tara.