Wine Harvest event of Ilok in September
The wine harvest of Ilok, a cultural, entertainment, economic and tourist event, has been taking place traditionally since 1962. It was born out of an old custom originating from the area of Srijem and Slavonia, where people gathered at the beginning of the wine harvest for the purpose of guarding the vineyards, celebrating a good year and harvest, and socializing. This was especially important for the young people who did not have many opportunities to socialize freely in the town or in the vineyards. These days, the wine harvest of Ilok has grown into an important event of ethnographic, wine-making and tourist character which lasts several days and has been attracting an increasing number of guests and visitors of different programmes. The main part of the programme takes place at weekends, with cultural and entertainment events taking place during the day and in the evening. The programmes, which include about 400 participants, are attended by about 8,000 visitors. The exciting programme also attracts visitors from Voivodina.
The patrons and honorary participants of the Ilok wine harvest have been the Presidents of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Presidents of the Parliament and other high-ranking officials, which confirms the importance of this event and provides support to the revitalization of Eastern Slavonia. The sponsors of the event are the town of Ilok and the Tourist Community of the Town of Ilok.
