Pržno Fishermen's Feast (Ribarska fešta)

In mid-to-late May, the fishing village of Pržno — the pretty crescent bay just around the headland from Sveti Stefan — holds its Ribarska fešta, a fishermen's feast that marks the true start of the village summer.

Pržno is one of the riviera's smallest and prettiest corners: a curve of sand and pebbles backed by a row of old stone houses, fishing boats drawn up on the shore, pine-covered headlands closing the bay at both ends. It has kept its fishing-village character despite the fame of its neighbour, and the fešta is when that identity is most visible.

The formula is the Budva riviera at its simplest and best: grilled fish straight off the fire and local wine, served right on the beach among the boats. The smell of the grill drifts across the sand, plates are passed over shoulders, and the line between hosts and guests dissolves within the first hour.

Klapa singers and folk musicians play through the evening, and a kids' programme keeps families in the mix, so the little beach fills with all generations eating, singing and lingering as the light fades over the bay.

Feasts like this once marked the fishing calendar all along the coast; in Pržno the custom still does what it always did — gathers the village around its boats and its catch before the summer work begins. Visitors are welcomed into that moment rather than sold a version of it.

Entry is free — pay only for food and drink. May is a gorgeous, quiet month on the riviera, and the fešta pairs perfectly with a walk along the coast toward Sveti Stefan before the evening's first plate of fish. Come early: the little beach fills quickly once the grills are lit.