July the 5th, 2024 – Summer on Lastovo (Ljeto na Lastovu) celebrates everything Croatia’s southernmost inhabited island can boast of, and trust us – there’s plenty.
This southern Dalmatian archipelago is overflowing with nature and rich biodiversity, not to mention some of the most jaw-dropping beaches and landscapes you’ll ever see. It’s also the country’s southernmost inhabited island, with plenty of traditions that have spanned generations. Summer on Lastovo is the time to celebrate everything this remarkable yet remote southern Croatian island is all about.
As Morski writes, the glorious Lastovo archipelago is known for its stunning natural beauty, but it has an equally special cultural heritage that can be seen through the performances of KUD Lastovo every Friday from July the 5th to August the 16th this year, as part of Summer on Lastovo.
In the same period, the award-winning short film “Lastovski Poklad” will be shown. The doors of the Neo-Renaissance Garbini-Fantela Palace and the Ethnographic Collection in the Church of St. John will swing wide open on Thursday and Saturday evenings from 19:00 onwards. Those who intend to visit beautiful Lastovo to also get to witness Lastovo Municipality Day on September the 26th, where a true local treat awaits – the presentation of the reissue of the Lastovo Statute with an accompanying stage and music programme.
A poetry evening will be held at the aforementioned palace on September the 1st.
The impressive summer music programme which makes up Summer on Lastovo began symbolically on the birthday of one great Lastovo-born local, the late maestro Ivo Dražinić, with the performance of tenor Stijepo Gledja Markos in the Church of Saints Cosmos and Damian on July the 3rd.
The central musical event, the festival “Lastovo – the island of music” from August the 15th to the 18th, is being organised once again this year by LA!UVO – the island’s visibility association. They will perform during the day on Pjevor, and in the evening in the beautiful Mihajla Bay.
summer on lastovo – a celebration of maritime heritage and ecology
Very few things can compare to cinema under the clear, starry, unpolluted Lastovo sky. It only made sense that this year, the island will also host the Eco-film festival. The topic is very appropriate for this incredible location, and on August the 23rd and 24th, films tackling burning topics such as environmental protection and marine ecology will be screened.
The increasingly fragile balance between natural heritage and tourism that still exists on Lastovo is of utmost importance, and we can learn how to preserve it through this popular film medium. Lastovo successfully protects itself from light pollution, and this year we’ll be able to watch the Perseids (the tears of Saint Lawrence) from the heliport on August the 12th. Visitors can also enjoy the clear starry sky and the view of the Milky Way at any time on Lastovo, even from the most populated parts of the island.
Summer on Lastovo will also celebrate fishing, maritime heritage and the island’s farming traditions with two fishing evenings, on July the 14th in the garden on Dolac with a concert by VIS Elektrodalmacija, which will celebrate 40 years of existence, and the Fishermen’s Night for Saint Peter on August the 1st in Ubli.
Given the fact that we’re in an Olympic year, we mustn’t forget about Lastovo’s sporting culture. This Saturday, July the 6th, plenty local and foreign runners will arrive at the 8th Lastovo Trail. Some will compete, and some will enjoy a walk, take in the sights and have fun in Mihajla Bay. Throughout the month of August, the Lastovsko otočje (Lastovo archipelago) nature park organises various competitions on Pasadur, with much more to come.
