A first-hand account of what nightlife looks like in Hvar Town from regional portal Dalmacija Danas on June 26, 2017.
My inbox always gets more interesting every time I write about the Hvar party. Some people think I am against partying altogether, which makes me laugh the most. The majority of emails are from people who seem to agree with the gist of what I write, lamenting how things have sadly changed.
It seems too that the new mayor Hvar Town agreed with me in the run up to the election, sharing one of our articles on the subject on his official Facebook page, so good to know I wasn't inventing all this.
And among all the communications, a rather unexpected invitation, from the owner of Hvar Pub Crawl, a business which was the subject of a recent article, inviting me to come on the pub crawl and see how it all worked for myself.
I haven't been on a pub crawl since the night we took the A57 to Sheffield from Manchester University to the legendary Frog and Parrot in 1990, home to Britain's strongest hand pulled beer called, appropriately enough, Roger and Out. Never was a drink so aptly named.
At first I laughed to myself about the very notion, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought why not. So I am accepting his kind invitation to see peak season Hvar through the eyes of an organised pub crawl. I will choose a night in July when my old friends from The Yacht Week are in town, and let's see how it goes. I only hope that Boy George will not be there again like the last time I did an all-nighter in the town and ended up in the Croatian media.
If anyone would like to join me on the pub crawl, I would be delighted for your company, if only to help this old man keep awake through the night, as well as showing me the VIP etiquette in a club after a pub crawl.
People have different experiences of a destination of course, and I really enjoyed this great article that Tash, our Total Croatia Sailing editor wrote this week. Hvar without The Yacht Week, Hvar as it should be.
There was a wonderful item on the evening news the other day about the Hvar party, as one of Croatia's top journalists was sent in to investigate what the reality was, and all he found was a group of - I think Swedish - ladies, who were doing a zumba class in front of Hotel Palace. Legendary. And for another perspective, Dalmacija Danas published this piece yesterday, or their impressions. I wll report back mine, with a few interviews, assuming I survive my first pub crawl in almost thirty years.
"In the last years, Hvar has profiled itself not only as a famous Croatian party destination, but every year more foreign tourists arrive here looking for a good time. Still, it seems this year will see a turning point. Hvar Town elected in May a new Mayor, whose electoral promise was to deal with “unruly tourists.” Riki Novak promised to return Hvar to its tourism foundations, historical and cultural heritage, as Dalmacija Danas reported on June 26, 2017.
Domestic media gave an unusual amount of attention to an article by the British tabloid The Sun, known for its bombastic headlines and general hunger for sensationalism. A journalist of this tabloid described Hvar as the capital of drugs, alcohol and sex, and concluded the new European capital of fun is a true Sodom and Gomorrah for young British guests.
Hvar residents obviously want changes to the tourism of their town, and the new management cites it does not want to chase anyone away. “There is room in Hvar for everyone, even party people, as long as they conform to rules of decent behaviour which are standard all around the world. Some scenes that took place previously will not be tolerated in our town, and those who will not abide by them will see consequences in the form of financial punishment,” said a future town councilman who wanted to stay anonymous.
In any case, a reportage on the exuberant cultural and historical offer of Hvar Town can be expected soon on our portal, as we spent the past weekend in this tourism pearl of the Adriatic. We wanted to be convinced first hand if the streets of this town turn into Sodom and Gomorrah at night, as The Sun reported.
What is immediately obvious, Hvar has invested significant means into its infrastructure. The construction of boardwalks, renovation of town facades and other offers significantly contributed to the added beauty of the town. The town looks much more modern than it did some ten years ago. At first glance it is noticeable that Hvar Town is one, and the rest of the island another story.
What most don’t know, prices truly are high for Croatian standard. Going out on the town in Hvar means spending many times more than in Split, Makarska, Šibenik… But the law of supply and demand is very simple, Hvar justifies its high prices with high demand, so coffee bars can easily sell water at 15 to 20 kunas, “regular” beer at 30-40 kunas, not to mention the hard liquor. A pizza cut went from 40 kuna at 20h in all bakeries to 50 kuna by midnight. But there was no shortage of demand. Such prices, not a special problem for consumers here, most bakers in Dalmatia can only dream of.
The town itself has several popular bars on the seafront, just like several narrow streets alongside it. A true jam exists there, guests are mostly foreigners, from England, United States, Germany and Scandinavia. Croatian songs, as well as regional ones, are unknown here, replaced by global dance hits. Lots of praise for Hvar clean-up crews, as the entire place is clean as a whistle, while even at the height of the atmosphere in clubs, it is not more obscene than in most places on the coast. The only difference is the share of foreign tourists which dominate here. Maybe we came upon a “quiet” weekend,” but what we came across is not Sodom and Gomorrah, but we were slightly astounded how much the nightlife in town in the middle of the weekend does not differ from the partying in any other well-known club in Dalmatia. Music is moderately loud, clubs close 2 hours after midnight, when those wanting to extend their fun take organised trips to nearby Pakleni Islands."
