Perast

The International Klapa Festival is an event held annually during the last week of June, weather permitting. The festival gathers vocal groups (klapas) from Montenegro and across the region, including Croatia, Bosnia, North Macedonia, and Slovenia. It takes place over three consecutive nights at St. Nicholas Square, under the open sky. The first night features performances by female klapas, the second night by male klapas, and the third night brings both together for a joint performance.

Every year on May 15th, the people of Perast commemorate their historic victory over the Ottomans in a rather unusual way: by shooting at a rooster. A real rooster is placed on a floating wooden plank, 300 meters from the shore. Only men who register for the competition are allowed to shoot, using rifles from the shore. The contest begins before sunset and can last for hours—sometimes even postponed to the next day if night falls before the target is hit. The event opens with members of the Boka Navy, followed by the men of Perast, and finally visiting guests—if the rooster hasn’t been hit already.

Decorating the Madj tree is a centuries-old celebration. While many coastal towns along the Adriatic used to observe this tradition, in Montenegro today, only the town of Perast continues to celebrate it. The event takes place on May 1st. The "madj" is a specially decorated tree, traditionally adorned with small bottles of wine and koromani (hard, round bread). According to custom, the most recently married man in Perast is responsible for decorating the tree and placing it in the town’s main square, where it remains for 15 days.

FORTECA (meaning "fortress") is an international film festival. It is a relatively young event that showcases numerous new film projects from across Europe. The festival takes place during the last week of July each year and lasts for a total of seven days. Film screenings, held at the St. Nicholas Square and the Perast City Museum, are free of charge.