5 Best Performing Arts in Southern Dalmatia, Croatia

For an incredibly entertaining cultural show that the whole family will enjoy, catch a performance of the Moreška, a colorful medieval sword dance—using real swords—that has been performed in Korčula for more than 400 years. The word Moreška means "Moorish" and is said to celebrate the victory of the Christians over the Moors in Spain, told through the story of a clash between the Black King and the White King over a young maiden. The dance itself is not native to Croatia and was once performed in many Mediterranean countries, but the tradition has disappeared elsewhere and nowadays only remains here. The hour-long performance involves traditional a cappella singing, a live brass band, and the energetic sword dance, performed only by males from local families. Performances take place at 9 pm Monday and Thursday in July and August and Thursday in May, June, September and October. They happen on an open-air stage just outside the city walls next to the Land Gate, with a spectacular performance held on July 29, the feast day of Korčula's protector, St. Theodore.

The city's cultural highlight is the annual Dubrovnik Summer Festival, which runs from mid-July to late August and attracts thousands of artists from around the world. A variety of open-air classical concerts, ballets, and plays are held at various venues within the walls, and the city becomes a riot of folklore, traditional dresses, midnight performances, and music. The most prestigious event of the festival is the performance of Hamlet at Fort Lovrijenac. Tickets can be purchased online or at the festival box office.

From the end of November until the first week of January, the Old Town makes a spectacular backdrop for the Dubrovnik Winter Festival. Expect all the trappings of a traditional European Christmas market, with mulled wine and rakija, wooden booths selling handmade goods and sugary delicacies, concerts, and a giant skating rink. The Winter Festival is a much more relaxed and local affair than the Summer Festival and is another way the city is trying to attract visitors to Dubrovnik in the off-season.

Watch a movie outdoors with either the city walls or the Adriatic Sea as your backdrop at Dubrovnik's two open-air cinemas, which show predominantly English-language films in their original versions nightly throughout the summer. Kino Slavica is located in a walled garden on the main road between the Old Town and Lapad, while Kino Jadran is right in the Old Town, completely hidden from sight.

This 10-day Baroque music festival takes place in September in venues across Korčula Town, including the Cathedral and the atrium of City Hall. Established in 2012, it has become one of the most important festivals on the island, attracting musicians and visitors from around the world.