9th World Olive Harvesting Championship
Postira, Brač – [Oct 8 – Oct 11, 2026] – Olives, tradition, team spirit, and a wonderful Dalmatian atmosphere will once again come together in a unique event that has grown from the small Brač town of Postira into an internationally recognized tourism story. Postira will soon host the 9th World Olive Harvesting Championship, an event that uniquely blends the centuries-old tradition of Brač olive growing with modern, creative tourism.
Since its inaugural edition in 2017, the championship has brought together teams from various parts of the world, including countries with no long-standing olive-growing tradition. This is precisely one of the event’s special features; within just a few days, all participants become part of the Dalmatian story of the olive, the land, togetherness, and island life.
This year’s 9th edition will gather 12 international teams, including national teams from Croatia, Ireland, Sweden, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, the USA, the Czech Republic, Poland, and an international Digital Nomads team.
Four Members, 45 Minutes, and as Many Olives as Possible!
The harvesting day is Friday, October 9, 2026, at the St. Joseph olive grove above Postira, starting at 10:30 AM.
The competition is simple yet demanding. Each team consists of four members – two women and two men, and the goal is to hand-pick as many olives as possible within the given time.
Participants do not use modern machinery; instead, they harvest the traditional way, by hand, using sakets – traditional jute aprons – from which the olives are transferred into team crates. The competition takes place in the authentic St. Joseph olive grove above Postira.
It is precisely this blend of serious competition and authentic experience that makes the championship special. Here, competitors do not merely race in kilograms of harvested olives – they experience a way of life that has been shaped on Brač for centuries.
From Tradition to an International Tourism Story
For Postira, the World Championship is much more than a sporting competition. The event has become an important part of promoting the town, the island of Brač, and Croatian olive growing on the international stage.
Postira is a traditional olive-growing and fishing village, and the olive is deeply intertwined with the identity of the island of Brač. Through the championship, this heritage is presented in a modern, accessible, and fun way, allowing guests from all over the world to experience it firsthand rather than just observing it as local tradition.
This very approach contributed to the World Olive Harvesting Championship winning 1st prize in 2019 in Madrid from the international Creative Tourism Network, in the category of best creative tourism experience, competing against more than 160 entries from around the world.
The Olive as a Symbol of Connection
A special feature of the championship is the fact that it brings together people from completely different cultures and parts of the world. Over a few days, competitors get to explore Postira and Brač together, participate in traditional activities, taste local products, and forge new friendships.
In previous editions, participants included representatives from countries without their own olive-growing tradition. For instance, the Lithuanian team won the championship in 2024—despite coming from a country without olives—while France took victory in 2025.
“The World Olive Harvesting Championship shows how much a small island community can achieve on the international stage when it turns its authenticity into an experience. Our goal is not just to bring guests to Postira, but to let them experience our way of life, our people, our traditions, and what makes our island special. The olive is a perfect symbol for this—rooted in our soil, yet connecting people from all over the world,” says Ivana Jelinčić, Director of the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Postira.
Every year, public attention is also drawn to the Croatian national team, whose members in past editions have included prominent figures from Croatian public life. Actors, athletes, television personalities, journalists, artists, and other well-known individuals have accepted the challenge, swapping their everyday roles for traditional jute aprons.
The participation of famous personalities has further contributed to the championship’s popularity, bringing olive-growing traditions closer to a wider audience. In the St. Joseph olive grove, there are no stars and no spectators—everyone has the same task: to harvest as many olives as possible in 45 minutes while demonstrating team spirit, speed, and agility.
This year’s edition will also bring new familiar faces into the olive grove to try their hand at one of the most authentic Dalmatian traditions—this time not in front of television cameras or on stage, but among the olive trees, with hands full of fruit.
Dalmatian Marenda
A special highlight of the event is undoubtedly the end of the competition in the olive grove, where, following the winner announcement, the gathering continues with a traditional Dalmatian marenda (mid-morning meal) and music—yet another example of how competition turns into an unforgettable experience.
Postira will thus once again become a meeting place for different cultures, generations, and stories connected by one common thread: the olive.
ORGANIZER: Tourist Board of the Municipality of Postira
WITH THE SUPPORT OF: Municipality of Postira, Agricultural Cooperative Postira, Aldura Sport d.o.o.
