The 71st Split Summer Festival marks a significant artistic step forward, aiming to bring together everything that defines Split – heritage and modernity, classical form and bold exploration, emotion and thought. Rich in content, the festival offers a diverse program including opera, drama, and ballet premieres and revivals, guest performances, concerts, and accompanying events, shaping a vibrant cultural mosaic during the summer in Split.
This year's edition places a special emphasis on the identity of the city – its history, imperial legacy, Mediterranean temperament, passion, and charm, all of which are most vividly expressed in the warm, colorful months of summer.
The festival is dedicated to a double anniversary: marking 130 years since the birth of Ivo Tijardović and Jakov Gotovac, two towering figures who left a lasting legacy in Split’s cultural heritage. In their honor, the program includes new productions, world premieres, revivals, and a rich array of musical events.
The 2025 Split Summer Festival will feature four premiere titles:
Opera Diocletian – Tijardović’s opera fully staged for the first time, in a monumental site-specific production at Peristyle.
Drama Julius Caesar – Shakespeare’s classic in a fresh interpretation, set in the unique space of the Silver Gate, included in the festival for the first time.
Drama The Fox – based on the novel by Dubravka Ugrešić, directed by Ivica Buljan, and performed at the MediLS venue.
Ballet Diptych Chopiniana and Walpurgis Night – an artistic breakthrough for the ballet ensemble of the Croatian National Theatre Split, choreographed by Denis Matvienko and conducted by Mikhail Sinkevich.
Contemporary Ballet Othello – a co-production of the Croatian National Theatres in Split and Varaždin, performed in the intimate setting of the Cellars of Diocletian’s Palace.
In addition to its return to the iconic Peristyle, this year the festival expands further by including, for the first time, the area by the Silver Gate, affirming Split as a city that lives and breathes art in every corner.