January in Split is a quiet city of grey stone and cold bura wind, but on the morning of January 9 the Riva fills with a different kind of noise. Flags snap along the waterfront, school choirs rehearse under the palms, and the smell of roasted chestnuts and fritule drifts from the stalls near the ferry terminal. This is Međimurje Unification Day, the annual commemoration of the 1918 assembly in Čakovec that voted to separate Međimurje from Hungary and join the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. It is a public observance across Croatia, and Split marks it with the small, civic pleasures of a winter Saturday: food stalls, music, and a city that has briefly shaken off its off-season stillness.
Watch the Flag Ceremony on the Riva
The Riva is the natural stage for the day's public observances. On January 9, 2027 — a Saturday — expect the waterfront promenade to host a flag-raising and a short programme of speeches and music. The Međimurje flag, red and white with the kuna and star, is raised alongside the Croatian tricolour. Arrive by mid-morning; the ceremony itself is brief, but the crowd lingers, and the coffee bars along the Riva stay busy well into the afternoon.
- Walk the full length of the Riva from the ferry port to the eastern end, where the ceremonial flagpoles stand.
- Look for the brass band and the choir — school and veterans' groups typically perform.
- Warm up afterwards with a bijela kava at one of the Riva cafés, where the terrace heaters stay on through January.
Eat Your Way Through the Winter Market
The January 9 programme brings food stalls to the Riva and the nearby Pjaca, the main square inside Diocletian's Palace. This is where Split's winter eating happens. Look for fritule, the small brandy-spiked doughnuts dusted with sugar, fried to order in front of you. Roasted chestnuts come in paper cones. Sarma — cabbage rolls — and pašticada with gnocchi appear on the menus of the konobas tucked into the palace's side streets. The stalls are temporary, so the exact lineup changes year to year, but the pattern is reliable: sweet, fried, hot, and eaten standing up in the cold.
- Start at the Pjaca, then work outward through the palace's narrow lanes toward the Peristyle.
- Pair fritule with kuhano vino — mulled wine — sold from the same stalls.
- For a sit-down meal, book a konoba inside the palace walls; January is quiet enough that you can often walk in without a reservation.
Hear the Evening Concert and See the Fireworks
The day's public celebrations typically close with an evening concert and a fireworks display over the harbour. The Riva and the western end of the waterfront give the clearest view of the sky above the port. Concerts — usually a mix of klapa singing and popular Croatian acts — are staged on the Riva or in the Pjaca. Because the exact 2027 programme is confirmed closer to the date, check the city's official channels in the weeks before January 9. What you can count on is the shape of the evening: music from early evening, crowds thickening along the water, and fireworks after dark.
- Claim a spot on the western Riva near the ferry terminal for the fireworks.
- Dress for the bura — the wind off the harbour is sharp at night in January.
- Stay for the post-concert stroll through the palace cellars, which stay open late on event nights.
Make a Day of It in Varoš and the Palace
Međimurje Unification Day is a single-day observance, so build the rest of your weekend around Split's quieter winter pleasures. Varoš, the old fishing neighbourhood on the slopes of Marjan, is a ten-minute walk from the Riva and worth an afternoon: stone houses, cats on walls, and konobas serving gregada — fish stew — and grilled sardines. Climb Marjan hill for the view over the harbour, then descend to Matejuška, the small fishermen's port, where the boats come in through the morning.
- Walk the Marjan forest path to the top; the round trip takes about two hours.
- Eat lunch in Varoš — gregada and a glass of local white.
- Visit the palace cellars and the Peristyle in the late afternoon, when the tour groups have gone.
January 9, 2027 falls on a Saturday, which means the whole weekend is yours: the ceremony and market on the day itself, and the quiet streets of Varoš and Marjan on either side. Book a room inside or just outside the palace walls, pack a warm coat, and plan to spend the evening on the Riva with the fireworks overhead and a paper cone of fritule in your hand. Check Split's official event listings in December for the confirmed 2027 programme, then start planning around the date.