Drina Regatta: where, when and what it is
Hooray! The Drina Regatta is coming up very soon — it's set to be the main water event of the year! This colorful and fun event has been held every year for more than 20 years in Serbia on the Drina River. It's famous for its water carnival and as one of the most unusual river events in Europe.
📍 It takes place in the town of Bajina Bašta, Serbia (on the Drina river, at the foot of Mount Tara).
If open sources are to be believed, finding accommodation around Bajina Bašta right now is next to impossible. But you can come with a tent or just for a day, on your own or, for example, with a group from Balcanoutdoors.
When: 14–20 July
Founded: in 1994.
Regatta route length: about 25 km, from Perućac to Rogačica.
🎉 Fun facts
Participants decorate their rafts, boats and even homemade contraptions — from mini houses to pirate ships.
The platforms come with music, flags and even DJs. The event's unofficial motto:
“No paddle, no brain!” (in Serbian: „Bez vesla i bez uma!“) — which highlights the fun, reckless spirit of the regatta.
Some participants build unique contraptions in advance, which often become stars of social media and local news. Right on these *ships* they grill roštilj, drink rakija themselves and treat their neighbors, light fires, swim and sing songs. In short, it's never boring)
The regatta draws more than 20,000 people every year, including tourists from Europe and other countries.
After the daytime part there are concerts and parties — the festival goes on late into the night.
The regatta is traditionally attended by famous athletes, artists and politicians.
There's a competitive part too:
Awards are given for the most creative and funniest contraptions.
Although everything happens in a playful atmosphere, safety is ensured by rescue services and police on boats.
Here's the latest information about the 31st Drina Regatta 2025 in Bajina Bašta:
So, 14–20 July 2025 is a week-long festival with events every day.
The main descent (the regatta) will take place on Saturday, 19 July 2025, meeting and registration until 10:30 at Perućac, rafting starts at 11:00 (according to other sources — 08:00)
🛶 Programme for the key days
Monday, 14 July — opening of the “Bašta Bazar” (a crafts and food fair); in the evening — a concert, for example by Kaliopi.
Tuesday, 15 July — concert by Željko Šašić.
Wednesday, 16 July — Mashup Fest and activities for children.
Thursday, 17 July — fish čorba contest at Perućac and a party.
Friday, 18 July — concerts by Dulet Lušin and Haris Džinović on Rača beach.
Saturday, 19 July — the regatta (rafting from Perućac to Rogačica), evening concerts: Zrenjaninska filharmonija and a “Bijelo dugme” tribute.
Sunday, 20 July — closing concerts and festive events.
📌 Practical tips
Registration until 10:30 at Perućac, start around 11:00 (though some sources say 08:00).
The local safety authorities require life jackets on all boats.
Concerts in the evenings: Kaliopi, Željko Šašić, Haris Džinović and others
Well, what can we say — we love this kind of thing, let's float!🛟
Published 9 July 2025 · Open the post in Telegram ↗
How it went: the Drina Regatta through a participant's eyes
#howitwent
This year a record 40,000 people from different countries took part in the regatta. Some of our compatriots were there too. Read useful tips and impressions of the regatta from a member of our channel.
🛶🛟⛵️So what exactly are you, Drina Regatta?
If you're afraid of water, sun and overly cheerful people, this event may not be for you.
In every other case, it's a celebration of life on the water where everyone is a “braća”, music plays all around, people swim, sing, grill roštilj right on the rafts (even the inflatable ones 🙈) and treat you to cold drinks. It's freedom and madness) And it's definitely worth being there!
But to make sure the regatta leaves you with only warm memories, there are a few important points:
1. The start
The official starting point, where the whole party kicks off, is right here. You can get there by car until about 8–9 am; after that come traffic jams, chaos and a tiresome search for parking along the road.
Registration is polako (nice and slow) and very loose: they'll ask how many boats you have and give you stickers. If they stick, great; if not, nobody will mind.
2. Your vessel
You can float on literally anything, from a raft, inflatable boat, kayak or SUP board to an air mattress or a flamingo.
If you need to rent one, Belgrade has reliable rental places, for example Top Ride (not an ad, they just helped us out).
3. Regatta finish.
The official finishing point is right here, about 20 km downstream. A relaxed float takes roughly 2–2.5 hours. The only infrastructure at the finish is two tent cafés with tables that sell beer, and a few stalls grilling pljeskavica and the like. Basically it's just a convenient spot with road access close to the water and a big car park.
But bear in mind that you can only drive up close to the water in the morning. After that it becomes impossible, though fortunately there are car parks nearby (see photo).
So by the time the participants, already well worn out by the heat and beer, reach the shore, total chaos breaks out. Some people are hauling rafts out of the water, some are trying to drive out, others to drive in, and people ride in car boots and on trailers, or walk along the verges or even down the middle of the road. It's easy to lose a couple of hours in all this.
💡 Life hack: you can avoid all of this by floating a bit further downstream, where there are also spots with a decent way out of the water and access by car. For example here, here or even here if you want to extend your trip down the river.
4. General recommendations.
Be prepared for it to be hot, and for spending several hours in direct sunlight, so stock up on shade (an awning, umbrella, hat or panama, as you prefer), drinking water and sun cream.
Valuables, phones, keys and so on must go into a waterproof dry bag, and that bag should be securely tied to your boat.
As for footwear, hiking sandals or water shoes work best. In short, something that won't float away and will come in handy when you step onto the pebbly shore at the finish, wherever it may be.
To sum up: the Drina Regatta isn't just a river float, it's a celebration of wild fun, freedom, sun and water. Join in, but use your head!
Share your photo/video impressions in the comments⤵️
Published 22 July 2025 · Open the post in Telegram ↗
How to prepare for the Drina Regatta: tips from a subscriber
🚣♀️ Just over a week left until the Drina Regatta!
If this year you've finally decided to make it to the craziest water festival in the Balkans, here are some tried-and-tested tips from a subscriber of our channel who did the regatta last year.
Spoiler: they could save you a few hours, a few nerves and maybe even your phone!
1. The start. Arrive early
The official starting point and the beginning of the whole party is right here. You can get there by car until about 8–9 am; after that come traffic jams, chaos and a tiresome search for parking along the road.
Registration is very much "polako" and pretty loose: they'll ask how many boats you have and give you stickers. If they stick, great; if not, nobody will be upset.
2. Vessel
You can float on literally anything, from a raft, inflatable boat, kayak or SUP board to an inflatable mattress or a flamingo.
3. Regatta finish.
The official finishing point is right here, about 20 km downstream.
A relaxed float takes roughly 2–2.5 hours.
The only infrastructure at the finish is two tent cafés with tables that sell beer, and a few stalls grilling pljeskavica and the like. Basically it's just a convenient spot with road access close to the water and a big car park.
Bear in mind that you can only drive up close to the water in the morning. After that it becomes impossible, though fortunately there are car parks nearby (see photo).
So it turns out that when the participants, already well and truly wilted from the heat and beer, float up to the shore, total chaos begins: someone is pulling rafts out of the water, someone is trying to drive out, someone else is trying to drive in, people ride in car trunks and on trailers, walk along the roadside or even right on the road. And in all this it's easy to lose a couple of hours.
💡 Life hack: you can avoid all of this by floating a bit further downstream, where there are also spots with a decent way out of the water and access by car. For example here, here or even here if you want to extend your trip down the river.
🧴 4. General recommendations, or what you absolutely must take with you
Be prepared for it to be hot, and for spending several hours in direct sunlight, so stock up on shade (an awning, umbrella, hat or panama, as you prefer), drinking water and sun cream.
Valuables, phones, keys and so on must go into a waterproof dry bag, and that bag should be securely tied to your boat.
As for footwear, hiking sandals or water shoes work best — basically anything that won't float away and will come in handy when stepping onto the pebbly shore at the finish, wherever it ends up being.
In short:
✔️ sunscreen;
✔️ a hat;
✔️ plenty of drinking water;
✔️ a dry bag or waterproof pouch for your phone, documents and keys;
✔️ water shoes or hiking sandals.
All in all, the Drina Regatta is not about sport)
It's about freedom, letting loose, fun, summer, the river, music, friends — in short, about the Balkans, which know how to party like no one else.
In this chat people are getting together to go on their own, so if you haven't found company yet, go join them
https://t.me/drinskaregata
By the way, they're the ones who shot some of the videos at last year's regatta.
Who's going this year? Share in the comments. And those who've already been — write your life hacks, they'll definitely help the newbies. ⤵️
Published 8 July 2026 · Open the post in Telegram ↗
Rafting on the Ibar, Maglič fortress and Gruža Lake
Everyone knows about the Drina Regatta, but Serbia has another float that's famous in certain circles — the “Veseli spust” (Merry Descent) on the Ibar River. The town is Kraljevo. It's considered the oldest and one of the biggest river regattas in Serbia. And that's where members of our channel headed on a scouting trip. An all-male crew.
Expedition results:
✅ The "Funny Descent"… we missed it.
✅ We rafted down the Ibar anyway.
✅ We climbed up to Maglič Fortress.
✅ We paddled around Gružа Lake.
✅ We came back happy.
✅ We hardly took any photos.
That last point is an absolute classic. Men. The trip was either a success or carefully classified. We literally had to pry the photos out of each of them, one or two at a time. 😄
Why did we miss the float itself? Because the "Funny Descent" turned out to be a bit too funny. There was practically no information. Somewhere it said the descent would be on Sunday, and it took place… on Saturday.
Balkan-level organisation: if you're not a local, figure it out yourself. It felt like the festival is put on exclusively for insiders, and everyone else finds out, if they're lucky, somehow.
On the plus side, we got to scout the Ibar itself.
Compared with the Drina, the Ibar is less striking in terms of water colour and scenery. There are rapids and small riffles. It's not worth even trying on a SUP board; the guys in kayaks had to carry them by hand from time to time. The ideal option is rafts. You can definitely say that rafting on the Drina is more fun. So the next day we went kayaking on Gruža Lake, which is nearby.
All in all, the expedition can be considered a success. Everyone is alive, and so are the kayaks. Next year we'll find some other rare regatta)
Photos of the float participants: film shots by EdShots, mobile photos by @dnkononov and the sunset by @Anton_K21
And a little about the Ibar River, in case you decide to make it there.
If the Drina is a turquoise beauty, the Ibar is a river with character. Fast, turbulent in places, surrounded by gorges, medieval fortresses and monasteries. It was along the Ibar that the Serbian state was born, which is why this region is often called the Valley of Kings.
Facts
• The Ibar rises on Mount Hajla in Montenegro.
• It is about 272–276 km long.
• The river flows through Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia, and near Kraljevo it joins the West Morava.
Interesting
The Ibar is called one of the most “historic” rivers in Serbia. If you look at the map, an incredible number of medieval monuments are concentrated along its banks. In essence, traveling along the Ibar is a trip through both beautiful nature and the country's history at the same time.
Published 16 July 2026 · Open the post in Telegram ↗
Sunset over Lake Gruža 💗
The lake appeared in the 1980s, when the Gruža River was dammed to supply Kragujevac with drinking water. Today it's one of the largest artificial lakes in Serbia: about 10 km long with almost 40 km of picturesque shoreline.
According to our travelers, all in all it's just a lake, nothing special.
On the plus side:
It's easy to paddle a kayak here, the water is calm. You can drive to many of the coves practically right up to the water, have a picnic or just spend the evening on the shore.
And get this — an asphalt road disappears under the water on one side of the lake and comes out on the other)
Around the lake there are lots of fishing huts, and plenty of fishermen too: they catch carp, catfish, zander, pike, perch and bream here, and fishing competitions are regularly held on the shores.
And the sunsets here are beautiful. When the sun hides behind the hills of Šumadija, the water turns golden
Photos by channel members and float participants: film shots by EdShots, mobile photos by @dnkononov
Published 17 July 2026 · Open the post in Telegram ↗
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