A Croatian Party This Weekend Not Even Angela Merkel Could Turn Down

On Sunday 30 June the streets of Korcula on the island of the same name on the southern Dalmatian coast will turn into one big dance floor.

No, it has nothing to do with EU entry celebrations which will be going on up and down the country, but it is definitely the party to be at this weekend. Locals on the stunning island of Korcula have been celebrating ‘Half New Year’s Eve’ on 30 June since 2001, and the tradition is growing from strength to strength each year. A masquerade procession pageant parade, attracting hundreds of locals and tourists, takes place around the streets of the gorgeous old town before fireworks, live music and dancing takes over the ‘Plokata’ square till the wee small hours of 1 July as Korculans see in the ‘new half year’. Perhaps this is what is keeping Angela Merkel from attending EU celebrations in Zagreb on the same night.