Good Food Festival Returns to Dubrovnik
Every October, just as the last golden rays of summer fade and the Adriatic takes on its softer, autumnal hues, Dubrovnik comes alive in a new way. The thrumming energy of summer tourists gives way to a more languid, indulgent rhythm. Tables spill with seasonal produce, winemakers uncork their most cherished vintages, and chefs craft menus that flirt with both tradition and innovation. This is the Good Food Festival, Dubrovnik’s annual celebration of gastronomy, a feast not only of flavour but of atmosphere, culture, and place.
The Good Food Festival 2025 promises to be one of the most memorable yet. Across several days in mid-October, the city will host an array of events: from gala dinners prepared by Michelin-starred chefs to intimate wine tastings, culinary workshops, and the ever-popular “Dubrovnik Table” — a 300-metre-long banquet unfurled through the heart of the Old City. For locals and visitors alike, it is the season’s culinary crescendo, a time when Dubrovnik’s rich heritage of food and wine takes centre stage.
Where Culture Meets Cuisine
While food is the main event, the Good Food Festival also highlights Dubrovnik’s role as a cultural crossroads. Cookery classes introduce travellers to the lore of Dalmatian kitchens; market tours reveal the rhythms of daily life; and lectures trace the city’s long history as a maritime republic that traded in spices and wine.
If summer is Dubrovnik’s season of spectacle, then autumn, with its cooler air, harvest bounty, and the Good Food Festival, is its season of intimacy. This is the time to linger at the table, to listen to chefs tell stories of their grandmother’s recipes, to swirl a glass of ruby-red Plavac Mali while looking out at the islands that nurtured it.
A City as a Living Pantry
During the Good Food Festival, the city you see below is not just a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but a living pantry. The fertile Konavle valley, the olive groves of Pelješac, the vineyards of Korčula, the fishing boats of Cavtat, all converge here, their bounty reinterpreted in dishes that land on festival plates. Taking in Dubrovnik from the heights sets the tone for the days of indulgence that follow: perspective first, then pleasure.
