Trag u beskraju 2026: Six Days of Music in Vela Luka for Oliver
The eighth edition of the event honoring Oliver Dragojević runs from July 26 to 31, with the central concert on a floating stage on July 29 broadcast by HRT.
The eighth edition of the event honoring Oliver Dragojević runs from July 26 to 31, with the central concert on a floating stage on July 29 broadcast by HRT.
Vela Luka becomes the center of the Croatian music scene this week as the eighth edition of the Trag u beskraju event, dedicated to the memory of Oliver Dragojević who passed away on July 29, 2018, takes place from July 26 to 31, 2026. The six-day program includes four major concert evenings, book promotions, performances by young artists, and cultural content. Last year's edition, held on the waterfront and aboard ships, attracted nearly 20,000 visitors.
The event opened on Sunday, July 26, with a concert aboard a Jadrolinija ferry on the Split-Vela Luka route, featuring Marko Tolja, Iva Ajduković, and Mario Pavlić accompanied by the Ante Gelo Band. On Monday, July 27, the Oliver Dragojević Music School hosted the promotion of the sheet music book Oliver for Guitar by Ante Gelo, Oliver's longtime guitarist and arranger, who provides the musical framework for the entire event.
On Tuesday, July 28, the program is twofold: at 10:00 a.m. in Đardin, young performers take the stage at the Young Sing Oliver concert, and at 8:00 p.m. in the Atrium of the Cultural Center, a promotion of the book Oliver, All the Tender Words of the World by prof. dr. sc. Zoran Curić follows.
The peak of the event is Wednesday, July 29, the anniversary of Oliver's death. On the floating stage in front of the waterfront, Petar Grašo, Zorica Kondža, Nina Badrić, Matija Cvek, Ivica Sikirić Ićo, Jakov Jozinović, Marko Tolja, Iva Ajduković, Ines Tričković, and Klapa Ošjak will perform. The concert is broadcast live on HRT, and after the television portion, the program continues with the Ante Gelo Band. This format, with a floating stage and audience spread along the waterfront and on boats, attracted nearly 20,000 people last year.
On Thursday, July 30 at 9:30 p.m., at the market square in front of the Church of St. Joseph, Dražen Zečić, Alen Nižetić, Giuliano, Hari Rončević, and Pero Panjković perform at a concert titled Prijatelji s baluna. The event closes on Friday, July 31 at 9:30 p.m., when the same space is taken over by Nina Badrić and the Ante Gelo Acoustic Orchestra with Oliver's repertoire in more intimate, acoustic arrangements.
Admission to the central concert on July 29 on the pontoon is free for the audience on the waterfront. Tickets for the Prijatelji s baluna and Nina Badrić & Ante Gelo Acoustic Orchestra concerts are available via the entrio.hr platform. As for getting there, Vela Luka is located on the western end of the island of Korčula. Jadrolinija's ferry from Split and catamaran lines from Split and Dubrovnik are the main connections to the mainland, while by car you can come via the Pelješac Peninsula and the Orebić-Dominče ferry. Accommodation in Vela Luka is reportedly almost sold out, so Korčula, Blato, or Orebić are more realistic bases for visitors coming from outside.
Unlike commercial festivals, Trag u beskraju does not depend on a headliner or sales projections; it is rooted in a specific date and a specific place that was home to Oliver. Ante Gelo, who collaborated with Oliver as a guitarist and arranger, is not a guest here but the musical backbone of the entire program, giving the event a cohesion that is hard to achieve otherwise. Oliver's repertoire, which withstands klapa, jazz, and orchestral arrangements without losing its recognizability, is the only domestic body of work that can sustain such a format for six days without repetition.
