The first edition of the Hvarmony festival officially begins in Hvar on Thursday, 15 October. The four-day event is dedicated to the art of good living, longevity, health, nutrition and mental resilience. The festival runs until 18 October and is organised by the Hvar City Tourist Board (Turistička zajednica grada Hvara).
The programme brings together international speakers, experts and practitioners to discuss themes of slow living, sleep, movement, breathing, wellbeing and healthy ageing. Lectures and panels will alternate with practical workshops, conscious outdoor movement, time in nature, local gastronomy and time for conversation.
Events will take place at venues such as the Arsenal, the Hvar Theatre (Hvarsko kazalište) and Bonj Beach. Entry to most events is free, subject to mandatory registration.
Among the key names on the festival is Carl Honoré, author of the international bestseller In Praise of Slowness and one of the leading global voices of the Slow Movement. Honoré has confirmed his attendance and addressed participants in a video message. Ahead of the opening, he posted a photo from a rehearsal at the Hvar Theatre on Facebook, which he described as the oldest public theatre in Europe. For more than two decades, he has researched what happens when we stop rushing and learn to find the right rhythm of life, and his books have been translated into 36 languages.
Joining Honoré are Kristina Kuzmič, a Croatian-American author and speaker known for winning a show hosted by Oprah Winfrey, and Ivana Paradžiković, alongside a number of domestic and international experts. According to the organisers, it was Honoré and Kuzmič who attracted the most attention.
The festival closes on Sunday, 18 October, at 17:00 with a somatosensory workshop titled “Touch of the Senses | Salt and Sage” by Maja Mačković and Tihana Petrović, in which participants explore their own bodies and senses through movement, sound and the scents of essential oils from Hvar herbs.
The organisers place the festival within the tradition of Hvar’s health tourism: in 1868, the Hygienic Society (Higijeničko društvo) was founded in Hvar, marking the beginning of organised health tourism development on the island.
