**59th Review of Folk Music and Dance of the Pula Region

59th Review of Folk Music and Dance of the Pula Region

SAKUD Pula, in cooperation with the Municipality of Marčana and the Mate Balota Cultural and Artistic Society, will organise the 59th Review of Folk Music and Dance of the Pula Region, to be held on 11 July 2026 in Rakalj, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the Pula region.

This is the largest, most diverse and most comprehensive review of traditional cultural heritage in Istria. The event will feature eight cultural and artistic societies: the Folklore Group of the Italian Community of Šišan (Comunità degli Italiani di Sissano), the Barban Cultural and Artistic Society from Barban, the Uljanik Cultural and Artistic Society from Pula, the Mate Balota Cultural and Artistic Society from Rakalj, the Rakalj Cultural and Artistic Society from Rakalj, the Vodnjan Cultural and Artistic Society from Vodnjan, the Folklore Group of the Italian Community of Galižana Armando Capolicchio (Comunità degli Italiani di Gallesano), the Ulika Cultural and Artistic Society from Fažana, together with around thirty individual singers and musicians from the Pula region.

The rich variety of traditional forms and expressions will be presented through performances on traditional instruments such as the mih (Istrian bagpipe), roženice, šurle, duplice, the shepherd's flute, and various combinations of these instruments. The programme will also include traditional dances such as the balun, forlana, polka, balo di sedia and šete paši–špic polka, as well as vocal traditions including na tanko i debelo two-part singing, group singing, mantignade, songs accompanied by the mih and roženice, and traditional Italian-Istrian styles known as canti a la longa, a la pera and zota le pive.

The programme aims to preserve the cultural heritage of Istria, including music based on the Istrian scale, traditional dances, folk costumes, customs and language, with particular emphasis on two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scale and in narrow intervals, inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.