Four Days When the Old Town Becomes the Stage
It starts at Piața Ovidiu just after dusk, when the string orchestra warms up and the first crowd drifts in from the pedestrian stretch of Str. Ștefan cel Mare. By nine the square is full, the presenter Cătălin Dezbrăcatu is working the microphone, and the peninsula's side streets are carrying the smell of grilled food from the direction of Bd. Tomis. This is Zilele Constanței — Constanța Days — the city's annual festival, running 21–24 May 2026 and organised by the City Hall. Everything below sits within walking distance of the harbour, so you can plan a day around one square and let the evening pull you to the next.
Free Museums, a Mosaic Floor and the Painted Tomb of Tomis
Across the four days, entry is free at the Museum of National History and Archaeology (MINAC), including the Roman Mosaic Building and the Painted Tomb of Tomis; at the Art Galleries, where the exhibition "Constanța – memorie și identitate" is on show; at the Museum of Art; at the Museum of Folk Art; at the Natural Sciences Museum Complex; and at the County Library "I.N. Roman". At the Natural Sciences complex, the Planetarium runs shows at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00, and the aquarium offers a virtual tour alongside the Micro-reservation and Exotic Birds exhibits.
- Walk the peninsula with a guide. Dr. Cristian Cealera leads free walking tours on the theme "Pe străzile mai puțin cunoscute ale Constanței vechi" — the lesser-known streets of the old city. Meet at Lupa Capitolina at 18:00 on 21 and 22 May, or 11:00 on 23 and 24 May.
- Follow the murals. "Pe Wall: Old Town Edition" is a guided street-art and mural tour of the Old Town, meeting at Zbor Hub, Bd. Regina Elisabeta 2A, at 10:30 and 16:30 on 23 May and again at the same times on 24 May.
- Book the children in early. MINAC runs creative workshops for ages 5–12 on 21 May, 10:00–14:00, at str. Arhiepiscopiei 7 on the theme "Orașul în antichitate". They are free, but registration closes 19 May 2026 at 12:00 via comunicare@minac.ro.
Where to Eat and Drink Your Way Along Bd. Tomis
The festival's food hub is the Food Truck Festival on Bd. Tomis, along the Miga–Lupoaică stretch. It opens at 12:00 on 22 May and at 11:00 on 23 and 24 May. If you'd rather browse than queue, the Târg de meșteri populari — the folk craftsmen's fair at the Museum of Folk Art — runs 10:00–18:00 daily from 21 to 24 May, and the museum pairs it with tastings of Dobrogean craft traditions, temporary exhibitions on Romanian folk dress, an experimental costume show and a traditional șezătoare. On 21 May at the same museum you can also catch "Copacul etniilor" by local artisan Carmen Moraru at 13:00, a vernissage on Romanian folk dress and the Dobrogean school at 16:00, and photo sessions in Dobrogean folk dress between 10:00 and 15:00. The Artup contemporary art exhibition sets up on Faleza Cazinoului near the Armenian Monument Hacikar at 11:00 on 22, 23 and 24 May.
Concerts on Piața Ovidiu and the Casino Esplanade
The main stage is in Piața Ovidiu, and the programme builds each night. On 21 May: The College String Orchestra & Puls Percussion at 19:00, Trupa Nado at 20:00, 3 Sud Est at 21:00. On 22 May it turns to DJs — Discoteca at 20:00, DJ Andrei K at 21:00, and DJ MK 33 at 22:00 with a multimedia show. On 23 May, Elena Gheorghe takes the stage at 20:00 and Florin Ristei at 21:00.
Down at the Casino esplanade the mood is brass and strings rather than pop:
- 21 May, 17:00 — the Naval Forces Military Music fanfare plays by the Eminescu statue on Faleza Cazino.
- 22 May — pupils of the "Regina Maria" National Arts College give a street concert at 17:00 in the Str. Ștefan cel Mare pedestrian zone; the Lamia Municipal Philharmonic of Greece performs itinerantly on the Casino esplanade at 17:00; Fanfara "Muzica Apelor" plays at 18:00; and Alexandra Ungureanu & Band perform in front of the Casino at 19:00.
- 23 May — Fanfara "Muzica Apelor" at 12:00 on Faleza Cazino, Equinox Quintet & Iasmine Demir at 18:00 on Faleza Cazinoului, and the Lamia Municipal Philharmonic in concert in front of the Casino at 19:00.
Museums Night, the Parade and the Dobrogean Finale
Set aside the evening of 23 May for Noaptea Muzeelor. The Museum of Art stays open 12:00–22:00 with a children's workshop and temporary exhibitions including "Sinestezii vizuale" (Ilie Boca and Ovidiu Ungureanu), Florin Mocanu's painting and "Armonii de altădată: primele pagini ale muzicii constănțene". The Casino opens 18:00–23:00, MINAC 18:00–24:00, and the Museum of Folk Art 18:00–24:00. At the Natural Sciences Museum Complex, European Museums Night brings astronomical observations on the Planetarium platform from 20:00 to 22:30 — roughly 30-minute sessions at 20:00, 21:00 and 22:00, capped at 35 people, and moved indoors if the sky clouds over.
The festival closes on 24 May with the Parade of Constanța's ethnic communities in traditional costume, stepping off at 15:00 along the route Str. Ștefan cel Mare – Cazino – Piața Ovidiu and accompanied by the Romanian Naval Forces Military Fanfare. A show of Dobrogean ensembles follows at 17:00 in Piața Ovidiu, presented by Ionuț Dulgheriu.
Between the headline events, the streets fill in: living-statue performances on 22 May at 18:00 in Piața Ovidiu ("Pe străzile Parisului"), at 13:00 on 23 May on the Casino esplanade ("Tablou vivant – La margine de Copou"), and at 18:00 on 24 May in the Str. Ștefan cel Mare pedestrian zone ("Femei ale Marii Uniri"). Performances for the National Day of Aromanians run at 17:00 on 23 and 24 May along Bd. Tomis between Capitol and Bd. Ferdinand. Children's activities run at Faleza Cazino at 18:00 on 21 and 22 May and 19:00 on 23 May, Jazzy Young workshops at 11:00 on 23 May on Faleza Cazinoului, and Zbor Hub hosts a "Constanța – Orașul ideal" moodboard workshop at 18:00 on 21 and 22 May. On stage indoors, the State Theatre Constanța on Bd. Ferdinand 11 has "Comedy Show" on 21 May at 19:00, "Machinal" on 23 May at 19:00 and "Memoria apei" on 24 May at 19:00, while "Căluțul de Mare" Children's and Youth Theatre performs "Prințesa Purcelușă" at 10:00 on 21 and 22 May and 10:30 on 24 May.
Know Before You Go
21 May coincides with the Orthodox feast of Ss. Constantine and Elena — the city's name day — and the County Cultural Centre "Teodor T. Burada" opens the programme at 09:00 with a talk on the May holidays, the Ascension and the two saints. The County Library "I.N. Roman" adds its own history talks: "Băile de la Vii" at 15:00 and "Rememorări ale Constanței de odinioară" at 15:30 on 21 May, then "Stațiunea Mamaia. 120 de ani de istorie" at 12:00 on 22 May. Venues cluster tightly around the peninsula and Old Town — Piața Ovidiu, Faleza Cazino, Str. Ștefan cel Mare, Bd. Tomis, Bd. Ferdinand and Bd. Regina Elisabeta — so you can string a full day together on foot. Two things need planning: the MINAC workshops, which close registration on 19 May, and the Planetarium sessions, which hold only 35 people each. The complete programme is published on the Constanța City Hall website under the events section "eveniment-pmc".