What's on in Korčula, Croatia through the year

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, Winter (Christmas) holidays in Croatia

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: The island out of season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: The island out of season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Spring (Easter) holidays in Croatia, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Easter

  5–6 AprClosures

  Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are public holidays: most shops close, churches overflow for Holy Week services, and families gather for long lunches. On the coast many restaurants and guesthouses open for the season around this weekend, while others stay shut until May. Source ↗

Still on: The island out of season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Easter, Spring (Easter) holidays in Croatia

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Easter (5–6 Apr), The island out of season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Busy — Summer holidays in Croatia, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Moreska sword dance

  1 Jun – 30 SepArts festival

  A staged battle between two armies of swordsmen that the town has performed for four centuries. It runs weekly through the season at the open-air cinema, and in full on 29 July for St Theodore. Source ↗

• Season

  Sea warm enough to swim

  15 Jun – 5 Oct · usually

  The swimming is off the rocks below the walls or on the south-coast beaches at Pupnatska and Zavalatica, half an hour over the ridge. September is the better half of the season.

Peak crowds — Day-boat season, Summer holidays in Croatia

• Season

  Day-boat season

  1 Jul – 31 AugDay-tripper crushCrowded

  Excursion boats from Dubrovnik and Hvar unload into a walled town the size of a few streets, and the Marco Polo house queue forms by eleven. Evenings, once they have gone, are the reason to stay.

Still on: Moreska sword dance (1 Jun – 30 Sep), Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 5 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Day-boat season, Assumption Day, 15 August

• Holiday

  Assumption Day, 15 August

  14–16 AugNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  15 August, Velika Gospa, is a public holiday at the height of summer. Churches hold processions and masses, many shops close, and it makes one of the busiest weekends of the year on coast roads, ferries and in accommodation, so book crossings ahead. Source ↗

• Season

  Grk and posip harvest

  25 Aug – 5 Oct · usually

  The island grows two white grapes almost nobody else does, grk on the sand at Lumbarda and posip inland at Cara and Smokvica. The cellars are open and working through September.

Still on: Moreska sword dance (1 Jun – 30 Sep), Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 5 Oct (usually)), Day-boat season (1 Jul – 31 Aug)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Moreska sword dance (1 Jun – 30 Sep), Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 5 Oct (usually)), Grk and posip harvest (25 Aug – 5 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 5 Oct (usually)), Grk and posip harvest (25 Aug – 5 Oct (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  The island out of season

  1 Nov – 15 Apr · usuallyOff-season shutdownClosures

  The catamarans thin to a sailing or two a day and most of the old town's restaurants shut, though Korcula keeps more life than the smaller islands because people live here. Bura cancels boats without warning.

Peak crowds — Christmas closures, Winter (Christmas) holidays in Croatia

• Holiday

  Christmas closures

  24–26 DecChristmas & New YearClosures

  Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day on the 26th are public holidays. Most shops and many restaurants and museums close, public transport runs a holiday timetable, and Christmas Eve is a family evening with shops closing early. Source ↗

Still on: The island out of season (1 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))