Novalja has many traditional performances, that are organized outside of the tourist season and they enrich town’s social life in that part of the year. These events contribute to preservation, advancement and more quality presentation of the original domestic cultural treasure, customs and tradition.

Those are:

- Carnival - it is organized in the middle of January (Tuesday before Ash Wednesday- the beginning of Lent). On Saturday evening there are carnival shows, on Sunday afternoon there is a children’s carnival, and an interesting thing is that in the afternoon of the last day performances are organized on the main town square (Basilica square or as people in Novalja like to call it- Plac).

- Easter breakfast - it takes place on Easter Monday, on the main square in late morning hours together with songs and good mood visitors can enjoy in the offer of various home- made meals and specialties characteristic at Easter. This event has been celebrated since 2001 and it is a kind of a welcome to our first pre- season guests.

- May festivities - it is a gastronomic and ecological event which is organized around the first of May holidays and it offers the most delicious home- made meals and delicacies prepared by Novalja’s caterers. Garden flowers seedlings are given to the citizens so they could decorate their gardens as best as they can. The whole event would be unthinkable without music and song.

- Novalja fuštan - it is a fashion show with ethnographic elements (fuštan- is a piece of the old Novalja women’s clothing.) This event has been organized in the second half of May since 2004.

- Children’s music festival Antonja - it has been taking place since 1998 before the St. Anton holiday, on 13 June, which is also celebrated as the Day of the town Novalja. School children perform at these events.

- Island Pag festival of nakanat sonhs - it has been organized since 2003 at St. Catharine holiday- patron of Novalja parish (25 November). Nakanat singing is traditional folk singing in two voices so that singing couples from all over the island participate in this festival. Rerun of the festival is organized during summer season, at the holiday of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

- Novalja’s singing Christmas - it dates from 1997 between Christmas and New Year. Many harmony- singing groups from the island, guest groups and choruses participate in this event.

Economical events

These events are a cluster of characteristic and important economic activities of this area- cattle breeding and olive growing, ethnology and tourist promotion. Organization of these events helps the advancement of above mentioned activities and better product presentation which are our recognizable domestic gastronomy trademarks.

The events are:

- Pag sheep and Pag cheese exhibition - the first exhibition was held in 2001, and it is still an annual event on the first weekend in July. The exhibition has also a competitive character by the end of which the breeders get the best sheep award and cheese manufacturers win a prize for the best cheese. There are also many expert seminars organized as a part of this exhibition so that stock breeders could improve their breeding techniques. At the end of the exhibition there are cheese tasting stands for visitors and a cultural- entertainment programme.
The aim of this event is to bring the Pag cheese closer to visitors, which is, along with the lamb and Pag lace, the most world known Croatian trademark.

- Lun olive festival (Lunjska maslinada) - every spring since 2005 this performance is held in Lunj and it is a contribution to the development and popularization of olive growing culture, which is becoming more and more important in the last 10 years. Lunj olive oil is well known and appreciated for its exceptional quality evidence of which are many recognitions that local olive oil manufacturers have won at various competitions and olive oil exhibitions. Even though only recently founded, this exhibition has the ambition of becoming a significant olive exhibition, which would gradually gather the olive growers from other parts of Croatia.

Culture | Art | Entertainment

From the rich cultural and entertainment offer we present:

- Novalja culture summer

Novalja culture summer begins before Antonje- the Day of the town Novalja (St. Anton’s holiday, 13 June). It is a several- day cultural, entertainment and sports performance.
Many interesting events occur during Novalja culture summer- art exhibitions, classical music concerts, presentations of harmony- singing groups, ensembles, folklore troupes, promotions and sales book exhibitions, theatre shows, cinema premiers in the open, entertainment music concerts, show programmes and so on.

As separate events during Novalja culture summer we especially stress the Novalja music summer with classical music concerts and Novaljski trijatar (Novalja theatre) which brings all theatre shows together.

A special place within Novalja culture summer takes Era gallery which is a place where for more than 20 years various exhibitions of renown domestic and foreign artists have been organized.

The most visited performances are the ethno evenings where, besides Dalmatian songs, visitors can get some of home- made delicacies- frite, hrostuli, mendulati and dried figs.

Novalja is also one of the host towns for the musical- entertainment festival Melodije Istre i Kvarnera which takes place in the second half of June.

These performances take place at Pastoral centre, Town museum, Era gallery, St. Catherine parish, Our Lady of Rosemary church (Mala crikva), Briščić square (in front of the Tourist community), town promenade, Basilica square, summer stage and Dr. Franje Tuđmana square (in front of the town administration building).

Together with many quality programmes the ambient is also one of the factors that make visitors come back over and over again.