This Sunday, May 19, saw the closing of yet another edition of the Black Sheep, a festival of lamb meat, individualism, sports, and culture. We enjoyed the festival’s ambitious program and the unforgettable flavors of the Baška lamb prepared in countless different ways.
Sunday was the last day of this year’s Black Sheep, a festival that took place over the weekend in Baška on the island of Krk. It all kicked off with a slice of culture, i.e., a solo exhibition by the Rijeka-based academic painter Predrag Todorović, and ended with a sporting event and the award ceremony for the winner of the Corinthia Cup – Jure Vukasović Memorial Regatta. Everything in between could be described as being bleating amazing!
This one-of-a-kind festival, celebrating lamb, individualism, sports, and culture, drew over 10,000 visitors to the town of Baška. Over the three festival days, the festivalgoers enjoyed a rich program suitable for all ages. Unlike similar festivals, the Black Sheep boasts a plethora of different events connected by the idea of individualism, being different, and promoting the “black sheep” who stand out from the crowd with their talents and actions. Gigs by Vojko V, Krankšvester, M.O.R.T., and Psihomodo Pop, a lecture by Korade Korlević, a stand-up show by Splicka Scena, a bocce tournament, children’s workshops, and many other events once again proved to be major crowd-pullers. Add to that the festival’s culinary offer starring the mouthwatering Baška lamb, and you have an event that the festivalgoers will be happily returning to in the years to come. “The Black Sheep continues to showcase the wealth of our offer, our cultural heritage, and the beauty of Baška to the growing number of the festivalgoers. We can be proud of not only the large attendance of the festival, but also the quality of its program. I am confident my enthusiasm for the festival is shared by all those who spent this past weekend in Baška,” said the Mayor of Baška, Toni Juranić.
Ivana Topić, head of the Baška Tourist Board, agreed with the Mayor, adding that she was already looking forward to the next year’s Black Sheep: “For the past few days, the entire town has had this amazing energy. I am extremely happy to see that the festival, which was launched back in 2006, has remained fresh and modern. All the programs have been a success and we have once again raised the bar for next year. We look forward to those challenges.”
On Sunday, the festival continued with the reconstruction of the Starošćina mrgar, the second leg of the Corinthia Cup, and the baacycle tour, while the exhausted sheep relaxed by doing yoga. Baška welcomed the Riječka Fićo Scena Oldtimer Club, and the youngest festivalgoers enjoyed different reading events.
“The 2024 Black Sheep is slowly coming to an end, but we plan to start working on its next edition as early as Monday, since we wish to remain interesting and exciting to our loyal fans and followers. I would like to thank all the festivalgoers for their trust in us, as well as the Tourist Board, Baška Municipality, and Valamar Riviera, our gold sponsor, as without their help and support, our program would not have been so varied and ambitious. Finally, my biggest thanks goes to the many performers and artists who gave their all to make this weekend a success,” concluded Boris Lešić, festival organizer and general manager at Studio Conex.
