54th “Naš Kanat je Lip” Choral Festival
The 54th edition of the amateur choral festival “Naš Kanat je Lip” will take place in Poreč on 12 and 13 June 2026. Established in 1973, this long-standing cultural event is dedicated to preserving and promoting the Istrian scale, the Chakavian dialect, and the region’s rich choral heritage.
This year’s gathering, held in the historic Istrian Assembly Hall, will bring together approximately 400 singers from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Germany. The festival’s primary aim is to showcase traditional music and the distinctive two-part singing in narrow intervals, a musical practice inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Festival Programme
On both days, the programme will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a joint performance by all participating choirs on the steps of the Poreč Public Open University. At 7:00 p.m., the performances of choirs and vocal ensembles will continue in the unique setting of the Istrian Assembly Hall.
The festival combines both non-competitive and competitive elements. In the competition section, performances will be evaluated by a professional jury, and cash prizes will be awarded for the best performances of compositions by Croatian composers inspired by the Istrian scale, in separate categories for choirs and vocal ensembles.
A special highlight of this year’s programme is the presentation of the 18th Collection of New Compositions, a biennial publication featuring previously unpublished works based on the Istrian scale and the Chakavian dialect. This initiative continually enriches the repertoire and contributes to the preservation and development of the region’s traditional musical expression.
The festival is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the Istria County, and the City of Poreč-Parenzo. It is organized in cooperation with the Poreč Branch of the Chakavian Parliament, while the Croatian Composers’ Society (HDS) provides the cash awards for the competitive section of the festival.
