Barcolana: the sea festival takes Trieste by storm

For sailing enthusiasts, next weekend will see the ‘Barcolana presented by Generali’, an international regatta now in its 58th edition. The Barcolana brings the summer regatta season in the Gulf of Trieste to a close and, over the years, has earned the title of ‘the world’s biggest regatta’, not only because of the number of boats and the thousands of sailors taking part, but also because of its huge following amongst enthusiasts. The Barcolana’s patron, Mitja Gialuz – president of the Barcola Grignano Sailing Club, which organises the Barcolana and counts three athletes from the Luna Rossa team amongst its members – speaks of two worlds: on the one hand, cutting-edge technology and the competition between nations at the very highest level of competitive sailing; on the other, the celebration of the sea and the participation of thousands of sailors who make the great Trieste regatta a unique event. Social media channels will enable both audiences to discover the various facets of sailing, ranging from cutting-edge competition to collective and popular experiences. This collaboration will continue right up to Barcolana 59. In recent years, the regatta has also become a widespread event across the region, extending to towns in the hinterland and along the coast through a joint effort between the Region and the organisers.

Next week, 500 events are scheduled across more than a hundred venues, and even now over 1,500 athletes are taking part simultaneously in various disciplines across the region. In this way, Barcolana is taking root in the neighbourhoods and villages, and in local businesses and venues. In Borgo Cavana and Borgo Teresiano alone, 109 organisations have joined the Be Community project. This is a sign of how this major sporting event has become a local initiative, and the city and its surroundings are expected to be packed to capacity. In keeping with tradition, the flag-raising ceremony took place on Friday at the Barcola and Grignano Sailing Club to mark the start of Barcolana58. The main event, ‘Aquileia, Gateway to the Mediterranean’ – a walk organised by the Aquileia Foundation, a gold partner of Barcolana – is the main event, ‘Aquileia: Gateway to the Mediterranean’ – a walk organised by the Aquileia Foundation, a gold partner of Barcolana – is fully booked. In Trieste, the second Barcolana Skate Up has kicked off: skateboarding, cycling and rollerblading around the city.

“Around two thousand vessels will be out on the waters of the Gulf, including those taking part in the regatta, support vessels and spectators. This means over 17,000 people at sea, 15 per cent of whom are from abroad, with Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Germany and Switzerland among the most represented countries,” emphasises Sergio Emidio Bini, Regional Councillor for Economic Development and Tourism. ‘The last edition attracted an estimated audience of 483,000 people, with over 1,200 workers directly involved in the organisation.’ A study by Bocconi University carried out for the 50th edition estimated the economic impact on the city at over 71 million euros. Since then, interest in the regatta has grown, whilst prices have risen by at least 35 per cent due to inflation; as a result, the impact on the local area can now be estimated at at least 96 million euros. “The data collected by PromoTurismoFVG on overnight stays in the city’s hotels confirms the event’s impact, with just over 147,000 overnight stays in October 2025 – a 4.2 per cent increase on 2024,” continues the councillor. “In 2025, visitor numbers from Germany and Austria, Eastern Europe and new destinations have increased, thanks to new routes from Trieste Airport, such as those to the United Kingdom. Barcolana is an event capable of generating longer stays,”

“Barcolana58 presented by Generali has got off to a very positive start. We’re seeing strong participation in Barcolana Young, Barcolana SUP and Barcolana Nuota, whilst entries for the Coppa d’Autunno are also continuing to rise,” comments Mitja Gialuz, president of the Barcola and Grignano Sailing Club. As is the case every year, a significant proportion of registrations come in during the final few days, and we estimate that on Sunday 11 October we will have a fleet of between 1,700 and 1,850 boats (as of Friday, 1,300 boats had already registered editor’s note), in line with recent editions and last year’s figure of 1,865 boats. In 2025, we recorded a total of 483,000 visitors, and this year too we expect hundreds of thousands of people to choose to experience Barcolana and Trieste during the ten days of the event. It is a massive movement, which starts from the sea and gradually engulfs the whole city and, increasingly, the Friuli Venezia Giulia region.” For around ten days, the spirit of the regatta takes over the city, and Gialuz loves to emphasise that this is precisely what makes Barcolana so powerful: ‘starting from the sea and a regatta to set an entire region in motion’.

Hotels are fully booked because ‘Trieste’s hotel capacity is close to full at the moment,’ warns Maurizio Giudici, president of Federalberghi Trieste. ‘Tourist demand extends well beyond the city’s boundaries, reaching the entire Upper Adriatic region.’ Federalberghi’s figures, updated on Friday, show “an occupancy rate of 88 per cent for Friday 9 October and 96 per cent for Saturday 10 October, the eve of the regatta. “Demand today is already higher than that recorded during the same period in 2025, and the figures are still rising,” continues Giudici. In the nearby towns of Koper and Portorož, occupancy rates are in line with those of the provincial capital, whilst in the province of Gorizia and the Grado area, ‘bookings stand at 80 per cent of available rooms’. The response from hospitality businesses is to expand their offering. “Over the next three years, around 500 new rooms are expected to be added in new four- and five-star hotels, which will help to expand and enhance the quality of the accommodation on offer, as well as the entire tourism sector, and increase the value generated,” adds Giudici.