Perast is famous for its summer events. The most famous events organized in the city of Perast are: Adornment of the Mage, hunting rooster, Perast music festival, Fasinada and international film festival where all visitors have the opportunity to watch newest European moves for free.
Adornment of Mage is a festivity celebrated ever since ancient times. It is known that almost every place on the Adriatic coast respects this tradition, but in Montenegro, only Perast still celebrates it.This event takes place on May 1st. The mage is actually an ornate tree, which is set up on the main city squar. The tree is adorned with bottles of wine and coromans (hard round bread). The rule is that the last groom from Perast must adorn the tree and set it on the main square for 15 days, after which the locals and guests.
May 15th is the day when the people of Perast celebrate a great victory over the Turks, in a somewhat unusual way. Specifically, a real rooster is placed on a floating piece of plank 300 meters from the shore. Only men who sign up for the competition can try to shoot the rooser from the coast. The shooting starts before sunset and can sometimes last for hours, so it may even be delayed for the next day in case it gets dark. The shooting starts off by the members of the Boka Navy, then the Perastans get their chance and finally the guests, unless the rooster is hit earlier.
An ancient Perast manifestation, Fasinada, is as old as the island Our Lady of the Rocks itself. It takes place on July 22 every year, before sunset. The locals come to Perast with their small wooden boats, which are ornated with branches of apple trees and filled with stones. Before sunset, loaded and rope-bound boats, from the entrance to Perast, head towards the island, while locals are singing old songs from Boka. When the boats reach the island, they make a circle around it and throw their cargo into the sea.
The International Music Festival is a wandering event that, if the weather permits, is held annually in the last week of June. The festival brings together groups from Montenegro and the entire Balkan region (Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia). This festival is held 3 nights in a row, at St. Nikola sqaure, under the open sky. The first night there is a female singing group, the second night a male singing group, and on the third night both male and female groups singing together. Entrance to the festival costs 5 euros, but it can also be for free. It depends on the authorities of the city of Perast. Their regulations regarding this festival change every year.
The international film festival in Perast is called Fortezza. It is a relatively new event, featuring many new film projects from Europe. It is held in the last week of July every year and lasts for seven days. Watching the films, which are shown at the St. Nikola sqaure and at the Museum of Perast, is free of charge.
