Prijedor, as a municipality located in North-West part of BiH and on the crossroads of important roads, is a very good area for organising various events. Thanks to this, there are several traditional events gathering large number of visitors. Events held in Prijedor Municipality are of various character and content, for example – sport, cultural, trade, and tourist events. Events in Prijedor Municipality take place throughout the year and have great importance for tourism development in Prijedor.
Tennis memorial “Dr Mladen Stojanovic”
Tennis is one of the oldest sports in Prijedor Municipality.
Dr Mladen Stojanovic, returning from university studies, organised first competitions with tennis players from Banja Luka, Bihac and Novi Grad, and in year 1932, he established tennis section Prijedor. Tennis memorial tournament has been organised since 1967, dedicated to dr Mladen Stojanovic. This tournament is held in June and, in year 2004, was attributed as ATP / FUTURES PRIJEDOR.
Theatre Festival “Kočićeva srpska scena”
Prijedor theatre was established in 1954 by a group of theatrical enthusiasts.
In order to preserve and create new cultural forms in this area, Prijedor theatre started Republic of Srpska Theatre Festival. Each year, in the month of June, theatre festival “Kociceva srpska scena” is held in Prijedor. This cultural event is actually competition of theatres of Republic of Srpska, and is held in City Theatre Prijedor, lasting for several days.
Organiser of the Festival is Prijedor Theatre, and the patrons of this cultural event are Prijedor Municipality and Republic of Srpska Government of, as well as the Ministry of Education. The best plays and performances on the Festival are rewarded in various categories.
St Peter’s Day Parachuting Cup
Each year, in the month of July, a sporting event, St Peter’s Day Parachuting Cup is held. The first parachuting cup started on July 9th 1996, on the stadium of the football club “Rudar-Prijedor”, with support of the Republic of Srpska Aviation and Prijedor Municipality. Organiser of this sporting event is Aero-club Prijedor, established in 1952, where there is also the first verified aviation school in Republic of Srpska for training of parachutists, sailplane and sport plane pilots up to the level of instructor. Parachutists from different countries take part in this event, and competitions are organised in various categories, women, men, juniors and teams. On the fifth Parachuting Cup, held in 2000, there were 22 teams with 95 parachutists from RS, BiH, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Hungary who took part in it.
Art colony “Sreten Stojanović”
Art colony "Sreten Stojanovic" takes place in Mrakovica in September. This cultural gathering lasts for several days, and it gathers painters from different places. The paintings they make at the Colony are exhibited in Prijedor Gallery. This event was named after well known Prijedor sculptor, Sreten Stojanovic. The organizer of the event is Prijedor municipality, which invests a lots of effort to promote Prijedor as 'painters town'.
26 academic painters live in the town on Sana river, and that is a fact that not many towns in BiH can be proud of.
“The summer on Sana River”
Each year, at the banks of Krajina's beautiful river Sana, sports and entertaining event "The summer on Sana" is taking place. Many people come each year to participate in sports events, such as football, volleyball on sand, swimming, and to participate in the entertainment program. The visitors can enjoy swimming and sun bathing at the town beach of Sana river and spend hot summer days enjoying numerous sports events. The river Sana flows through six municipalities, most of its flow is good for swimming and that enriches the tourist offer of Prijedor and other municipalities. Together with Neretva and Una, Sana is one of the most beautiful and clean rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and that enables the development of swimming tourism. There are few restaurants at the town's beach and these add to the tourist offer of Prijedor municipality, for local population as well as for the visitors who spend summer days enjoying the charms of the town on banks of Sana river.
Writers gathering on Kozara
Each year in September, cultural gathering "Writers gathering in Kozara", where works of literal art by local authors are being presented is taking place. The organizer of the event is Prijedor municipality. For decades, the best writers receive awards, named after a famous poet, the late Skender Kulenovic, author of the poem "Stojanka Majka Knezopoljka".
Every September sees well known poets and writers at the plateau in front of Mrakovica Hotel, using the power of their talent to pass the truth about Kozara to hundreds of young people who listen to them sitting at the famous staircases, part of the Mrakovica memorial monument.
Writers gathering in Kozara has become traditional and the most prominent authors of former Yugoslavia participated. Amongst the ones who were awarded are Danilo Kiš, Vasko Popa, Mihailo Lalić, Ranko Marinković, Branko Ćopić, Jara Ribnikar, Mladen Oljača...
“Sana regatta”
In summertime, there is sport and recreational event called “Sana regatta”.
River Sana flows through six municipalities and with its calm flow is ideal for such sporting event. The start of the regatta is in Ribnik, and it ends in Novi Grad. For the most part, it goes through Prijedor Municipality. Organiser of this event is diving club “Sana” from Prijedor.
The first regatta was organised in 2006, and the route is 120 km long. This event lasts for three days and it ends in declaring the winner of the regatta. Diving club “Sana” Prijedor is the oldest diving club in BiH, established in 1975 and carries a number of sport and cultural activities, including diving school.
Motocross “Prijedor”
Motocross is sporting and recreational event held in the centre of the city in July each year. The event gathers a number of motorcyclists from around Europe. Organiser of this sport event is motorbike club “Prijedor”, the event itself lasts for three days and is followed by entertaining and musical events. Motorcycle club “Prijedor” organises motocross gatherings with the aim to reunite all lover of this type fun. Several motorcycle clubs with numerous motorbikes from almost all parts of former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, etc.) take part in these gatherings. This event unites large number of supporters of this sort of recreation, instigated by their love for motorcycles, motorcycle culture, and the main aim of it is developing friendly relations with all similar clubs in RS and beyond.
“Days of Honey”
Trade-tourism event “Days of Honey” (“Dani meda”) Prijedor is held each year in October, along the main street in Prijedor.
The event, lasting for three days, bee-keeper associations present their products and this is also opportunity to sell. Organised by the Bee-keeper Association “First Bee” from Prijedor and “Omarska” from Omarska, the event was held for the first time in 2006. Patrons of this event are Prijedor Municipality and RS Ministry of Agriculture, and the honey fair offers bee-keepers possibility to certify their products and export them abroad, which can contribute to the growth of bee-keeping in this area.
International Street Race
The sporting event represents a competition of juniors, young people and seniors in athletic race through the center of Prijedor municipality every May. Participants to this event are a number of athletes from different countries. It is a part of an event Prijedor Municipality Days and the organizer is the municipality itself. The Street Race is the most visited sporting event in Prijedor municipality which gathers a number of visitors who enjoy this competition.
International Chorus Festival «Zlatna Vila»
This cultural event is held in Prijedor People's Theathre every May and it represents a competition in choral singing. Participants to the festival are choruses from different countries both from ex Yugoslavia and abroad. It is a part of an event Prijedor Municipality Days and the organizer is the municipality itself. It lasts two evenings and represents one of the most visited cultural events in the area of Prijedor municipality which gathers a number of participants and visitors.
Winter Days in Kozara Mountain
This tourist event is held at the beginning of February in the mountain Kozara. It lasts three days and its main aim is to promote tourist potentials of the Kozara mountain. Sporting and gastro competitions followed by a rich entertaining programme are an integral part of this event. Sporting competitions are comprised of team competitions of towns and municipalities of Republic of Srpska in winter games. Gastro competitions comprise of traditional preparation of food in pots so called kotlic as well as broths by Republic of Srpska secondary catering school students. The organizer of this event is the Tourist Organization of Prijedor Municipality.
