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The Ice Cream Festival in Njivice, Krk Is the Sweetest Reason to Visit This Summer
There’s a very specific kind of joy that comes from standing on a waterfront promenade in 30-degree heat, trying to decide between pistachio gelato and a chimney cake stuffed with ice cream, with the Adriatic Sea sparkling in the background.
That’s the entire premise of the Ice Cream Festival in Njivice, and to be honest, I don’t think a better excuse to visit this side of Krk exists.
Hi! I’m Olivia, a US-born Croatian who’s been living in Croatia full-time since 2014. I’ve spent over 30 years exploring the country, from childhood visits to now traveling every corner as my job.
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I’ve been to Njivice many times before, but this was my first time visiting during the Ice Cream Festival, and it did not disappoint! To be fair, I tried to go last year but showed up a day too early.
So this year I was especially excited to actually make it for the 9th edition of the festival!
Nine years is a long time for a food event to hang on to its charm without turning into a tourist trap, but Njivice seems to have figured out the formula: keep the ice cream serious, keep the atmosphere relaxed, and let the small town do the rest.
Where is the Ice Cream Festival in Njivice?
This year’s edition runs from July 6th to 12th along Njivice’s Ribarska obala, the Lukobran, and parts of Aminess Resort.
✅ Stay: Aminess – cozy, comfortable, and close to the town center
✅ Eat: 7 Seas Restaurant & Bar
✅ Drink: Dundo by FRATELLI
✅ Best Time to Visit: July, when the Ice Cream Festival takes place!
✅ How to Get There: The easiest way to reach Njivice is by renting a car
Why Njivice, of all places?
Njivice is a small, unpretentious town on the northwest side of Krk Island. Here, the waterfront promenade is the main event and nobody’s in a rush.
According to Andrea Orlić Čutul, director of the Omišalj-Njivice Tourist Board, the festival has become the unofficial start of summer here.
Local accommodation books up specifically around this week, which tells you something about how seriously people take their gelato on Krk.
What’s actually worth eating
The festival spans roughly 17 points around town this year, with producers from across Croatia setting up shop alongside a few international guests. Here’s what stood out to me while going through the lineup.
Storia Gelato, a Rijeka brand, is making authentic Italian-style gelato: no shortcuts and no artificial flavor bombs. Their philosophy is based on the idea that real gelato should not hide its quality behind overpowering flavors and artificial additives.
Instead, each flavor is created from carefully selected ingredients and recipes inspired by Italian tradition. The result is creamy, full-flavored gelato reminiscent of small, family-run gelaterias in Italy.
Then there’s Liogrizki, a Slovenian freeze-dried fruit brand that brought freeze-dried ice cream to the festival this year. You don’t lick it, you nibble on it, and whatever’s left over can be taken home with you! That’s a rare thing at a food festival, where most of what you eat is gone before you’ve left the block.
The most photographed dessert of this year’s festival has got to be from Pop’s Sweet Shop, who combines traditional kurtoš, also known as chimney cake, with creamy handmade gelato.
The kurtoš is baked on site, so the smell of warm dough fills the air, making it hard to resist. After baking, it’s filled with ice cream and toppings. The flavors are inspired by popular desserts including Ferrero, Raffaello, Kinder and pistachio, while the apple pie version is by far the most popular.
It’s the contrast of the warm, crispy kurtoš and the cold, creamy gelato that makes this dessert a special experience. Many visitors often share it, but after the first bite, you’ll regret not ordering your own.
Šmek&Snack by Marija Gregurić is worth a stop too, partly because she’s one of the few women running a street food brand on this scene, and partly because her gluten-free Ice Soft has become a go-to for anyone wanting a lighter dessert option.
In addition to Ice Soft, she also offers refreshing lemonades, milkshakes and bubble waffles – crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, filled with creamy ice cream, and topped with premium toppings and fresh fruit.
For something that takes you straight back to childhood memories, Tonkine fritule is where you’ll want to go. Her fritule (tiny, fried balls of dough similar to a donut hole) are made from an old egg-free Kvarner recipe and served with homemade cream and fresh fruit.
They’ve picked up a few modern fillings over the years, but the base recipe hasn’t changed, and that’s exactly why they work.
Beyond these, you’ll also find stalls from Bourbon, Vijon, Passage, Stric, Fratelli, and Fontana, plus Aminess Hotels & Resorts serving their own handmade Frozzie ice cream and running an Affogato Morning Experience for anyone who wants their coffee and dessert in the same cup.
Where to sit down between scoops
If you want an actual meal to break up the ice cream (a controversial but occasionally necessary idea), 7 Seas restaurant sits right on the water with one of the most beautiful terraces on this part of the Kvarner coast.
It’s the perfect place to catch a front row seat to the sunset, enjoy modern Mediterranean dishes, and sip on local wine.
If you’re looking for a great spot for a date, it doesn’t get much more romantic than this. Just look at this table…what a dream!
After dinner, you can just walk down the waterfront promenade back to the festival.
It’s not just ice cream
In addition to creamy festival also runs a full program of live music, street performers, and kids’ workshops through the week.
This year’s lineup has included Pia Matković and Franka Žužić, both from The Voice Kids, along with their mentor Marko Tolja, and the festival still has performances from Domenica, Ante Cash, and the band Vatra to come before it wraps up.
My take
Krk gets a lot of attention for its beaches and not nearly enough for its food scene, so I love that Njivice built an entire identity around something this specific and stuck with it for 9 years!
A festival like this could easily coast on the novelty of “free ice cream samples,” but the lineup here is pretty great, and you can tell the organizers care about who they’re inviting back each summer.
If you’re planning a trip around the Ice Cream Festival in Njivice, go on a weekday if you can, start at one end of the promenade and work your way to the other.
And most importantly: don’t fill up on one stall’s offering before you’ve scoped out what else is there!
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Croatia Travel Planning Guide
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As of January 1st, 2023, the official currency of Croatia is the Euro and NOT the Kuna (which is also the name of the national animal of Croatia).
🇭🇷 What language do they speak in Croatia?
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💦 Is it safe to drink the water in Croatia?
Tap water in Croatia is completely safe to drink, so bring your reusable water bottle and fill up!
🪪 Do I need a visa for Croatia?
Depending on where you are coming from you may or may not need a visa to enter Croatia. Check the official Republic of Croatia Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for more information on who should apply for a visa.
