Jelsa’s Children’s Festival now has its own anthem: ‘The Little Wave’
Jelsa, 9th June 2026. After nearly three years of intensive work, the song and videospot titled ‘The Little Wave’ has now become the official anthem for Jelsa’s Children’s Festival.
The Festival has been running for five years now, giving the island’s children literature, imagination and artistic expression, under the auspices of the Jelsa Municipality Tourist Board and Ibis Graphics. The project to create an anthem for the festival brought together artists, children and the local community for the sake of a simple but powerful message – that every child’s dream should have a chance.
The project is extra special because it was created by people with particular links to Jelsa, either through birth or through love for the town. The song’s lyrics were written by author Andrijana Grgičević, the music was arranged by Luka Barbić from the TBF group and the tenor Vladimir Garić is the guest singer for the anthem. Ana Miljak is the conductor for the Jelsa Elementary School Children’s Choir who perform the piece under a new name ‘The Little Wave’.
The music was recorded in the Deva STudio in Split, while the video was made by Marko Mandić of the Mandić Films company. The project is the result of several years of planning, recordings and joint creativity.
The video spot was filmed in some of the most beautiful locations on Hvar Island, Jelsa, Vrboska and Soline. The whole community was involved in its creation: residents, the local library, the cultural-artistic group, home and business owners, and here and there someof the island’s four-legged furry inhabitants make surprise guest appearances in front of the cameras..
‘The Little Wave’ is not just a song. It is the story of a place which believes in its children and invests knowledge, talent and time in the new generation. The videospot portrays images of carefree childood, friendship, play – and a single secret message which is disclosed to viewers through the telling.
“We’ll get there all in good time”
The opening line proved to be quite prophetic as the project was created. The organisers faced many challenging hurdles, from waiting for recording appointments, illness among the choir members, unfavourable weather conditions and logistical problems with unpredictable conditions in the field.
In the words of the author of the text, Andrijana Grgičević: “The second line states that the little wave is determined and totally obstinate. So were we, thank God, we did not give up. Indeed, how could we, when we had such strong support from the local community? We give heartfelt thanks to everyone. This is all thanks to you and it was worth it.”
The film-maker Marko Mandić has highlighted how the project proved to be exceptionally demanding because of the long delays and organisational challenges, but that now he is deeply proud of having taken part in creating memories which the children will look back on throughout their lives.
The choir’s conductor Ana Miljak laughingly added that a whole album could be recorded with this team and she thanked all the contributors for their commitment and enthusiasm.
The anthem had its premier on June 9th 2026 in the Summer Cinema, on the occasion of Jelsa’s Elementary School Day. From the first moments, the public clapped along to the rhythm together with the choir, while the videospot was simultaneously transmitted on Youtube.
The happy, warm, infectious melody of ‘The Little Wave’ captured public approval from the first moment. It looks as though this anthem will become Jelsa’s musical symbol and a prime feature of summer on Hvar Island.
