Time Out Croatia news

Postponed due to the tragedy at the Prečko Elementary School before Christmas, the free screening of a live performance of The Nutcracker ballet will now be shown outside the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb at 7.30pm on Friday, January 3. Performances of Tchaikovsky’s seasonal classic always sell out fast – for the current run of 19 shows, all online tickets were snapped up in two hours. To compensate, in the spirit of Christmas, the Croatian National Theatre and the Zagreb Tourist Board have collaborated to give disappointed families a special treat: a free showing of this year’s production, beamed out to spectators gathered in the open square outside the historic building. The performance features choreography by world-renowned Ukrainian ballet dancer and director Vladimir Malakhov, whose storied career has seen him work in top-level companies across the world, from New York City to Berlin, where he served as the artistic director of the Staatsballett for ten years. The show's running time is two hours. Where: Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Trg Republike Hrvatske 15 When: Friday, January 3, 7.30pm Admission: FREE

Key towns in Istria will be celebrating the New Year keeping pets in mind, replacing loud fireworks with eco-friendly light installations. Every December 31, cats, dogs and other creatures have to cower from the din as explosions burst across the night sky. This year, revellers in Pula, Poreč, Rovinj, Novigrad and Labin can enjoy spectacular displays safe in the knowledge that the fun is not upsetting fellow four-legged guests and residents. Pula is laying on a day-long musical celebration, starting with a big band at the main market at 10am, moving onto family-friendly tunes at Portarata at 11am. The grown-ups can then enjoy a show by popular Croatian singer Petar Grašo from 11pm, the party in the Forum running until 4am. Concurrently, electronica DJs will be keeping the crowd dancing in the Citadel from 11pm. In Poreč, the place to be is the main square of Trg Slobode, where top stars Dalmatino and Istrian favourites Gustafi see in the New Year. Young partygoers get their chance to celebrate at noon. Live acts and DJs perform on central Trg Maršala Tita in Rovinj while Novigrad will bid farewell to 2024 as early as noon with food, wine music and dancing outside the main sports hall, celebrations running until 7pm.

It’s nearly time for the final outing of the year with 2025 just around the corner. In Zagreb, revellers are spoiled for choice – parties and gatherings covering all vibes and genres are vying for your presence during the countdown into the New Year. Here are our picks for six of the most enticing! Musical marathon at Močvara Zagreb's alternative haven, situated by the bank of the Sava, will see DJ Mario Kovač spinning tunes for an incredible eight-hour set. From behind the decks, he’ll guide clubbers through an intriguing and tasty blend of genres and styles, with classic rock from bands like AC/DC and Queen sitting in the mix alongside pop, Eurotrash and ex-Yugo New Wave. Things get going at 10pm, with the strongest going on all the way through the night into the early hours of 6am.Tickets are available for a pre-sale price of €12 here; rising to €16 on the door.Where: Klub Močvara, Trnjanska struga 34When: December 31, 10pmAdmission: €12 pre-sale; €16 on the door Two floors at Tvornica Kulture One of Zagreb’s best nightclubs and concert spaces is offering two vibes in one. Tvornica Kulture (‘The Culture Factory’) will make full use of its two event spaces – the big and small ‘plants’ – as it sees in the New Year. On the main floor, DJs Indy, Kiki B and Sin will spin up a dancing vibe with party pop and rock anthems, while the collective Trepaj il’ Krepaj present the best cuts from the domestic and foreign rap, trap, hip-hop and R&B scenes. Doors open at 8pm, while...

For the 35th year in a row, singers, choirs and orchestras will entertain audiences at Zagreb's Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall (also known as Cibona) in a Boxing Day Christmas concert, kicking off at 8pm. Alongside festive classics in both Croatian and English (including Joy to the World and It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year), visitors will be treated to more modern Christmas-themed songs. A line-up of local icons – including Tajči, who represented what was then Yugoslavia at the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest – will be backed by various choirs and orchestra ensembles including the Zagreb Philharmonic. There are still tickets up for grabs, also available for €11 at the venue from 5pm. This concert has been organised in collaboration between the City of Zagreb, the Travno Cultural Centre, and Croatian Radio and Television, the country’s state broadcaster. Where: Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall, Savska cesta 30When: December 26, 8pmAdmission: €11

To all our readers, partners and sponsors, in Croatia, the UK, US and around the world, Sretan Božić from all the team at Time Out Croatia! We would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and thank you for all your support in 2024! It’s been an amazing year, with Croatia fully recovered from the effects of the pandemic restrictions and tourist numbers getting back to their 2019 best. Visitors have been flooding back to Croatia in droves to head to the country’s brilliant beaches, historic cities and many music festivals. Here’s to much, much more happening in 2025! Remember, Advent markets will be open around Croatia until early January, so you can still feel the Christmas spirit for a fair while to come. Happy Christmas and Sretan Božić one and all!

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without tradition, and in Croatia, this means badnjak, bakalar and fritule – along with the familiar lights and baubles, of course. While those still working on the morning of December 24 gather for a farewell drink with friends and colleagues before heading off to their loved ones, back home, families are decorating the tree, adding a few tempting, dangling sweets to the decorations. Christmas Eve is badnjak, specifically the word for the Yule log. These days, this is usually more symbolic, but in the countryside, homes are still warmed by a flaming log. This is also when presents are exchanged and families gather around the table for the Christmas meal, typically but not exclusively salted cod, bakalar. This may vary but usually fish takes centre stage, often in the form of soup. Eager diners may have already been nibbling at little cakes and biscuits, ceremonially placed on the dining table. Other seasonal goodies are fritule, deep-fried dough balls sprinkled with sugar or irresistible chocolate sauce. After dinner, some families head off to midnight mass, sharing Christmas with their fellow locals in the congregation. Christmas Day is more relaxed affair but this doesn’t cause a halt to the feasting. Roast turkey is accompanied by mlinci, thin strips of flatbread stewed in the juices of the roast meat. The extended family often visit, some perhaps saving the socialising for the day after. Out come more cakes, drinks flow and relaxation...

After bursting onto the scene in 2024, Scotland’s Terminal V festival is returning to the Garden Resort in Tisno next summer. For five days from July 17-21, artists such as 999999999, Anfisa Letyago, Ben Sims, Ellen Allien, Kettama, Kobosil, Mall Grab and Vtss will perform at the second edition of Terminal V Croatia. Tickets go on sale from December 27. “The first Terminal V Croatia Festival was a new beginning for us,” say festival founders Derek Martin and Simon McGrath. “Visitor reactions were overwhelmingly positive, giving us extra motivation to organise the second edition. We also hope to see some Croatian visitors at our Scottish edition which takes place in Edinburgh April 19-20.” Here in Croatia, four venues – Barbarella’s, the more secluded Olive Grove, the showcase Main Stage and the superb Beach Stage – occupy a natural hideaway with a sweeping bay, beside the glistening Adriatic and under the stars. Look out, too, for daily boat parties, afterparties and all kinds of water sports by day. For more details, tickets and accommodation deals, see here.

A night of seasonal partying is promised at Zagreb’s Tvornica Kulture tonight, Friday, December 20, as the London-originated events concept Alive&Live comes to the Croatian capital. It combines clubbing with other forms of art and entertainment with the goal of elevating the nightlife scene.The Christmas bash will be led from behind the decks by DJ Kosta Radman, one of Croatia’s most respected EDM DJs with a respectable resumé of performances across Europe’s top electronic music festivals. His set will be spiced up with live vocals by singer Lu Dedić, adding her own dynamic layer to proceedings.The fun will run from 7pm to 2am, and tickets (€10) are available here. Take note – in the spirit of the season, the dress code is “anything red or green”.Where: Tvornica Kulture, Pavla Šubića 2When: December 20, 7pm-2amAdmission: €10, available here

Every Christmas, a series of performances of the seasonal classic The Nutcracker attracts thousands of families to the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. These tickets sell out quickly as Tchaikovsky's popular ballet has become something of a tradition in the Croatian capital. This year, the situation is no different, with online tickets for the 19 shows being snapped up in two hours. But, in the spirit of the holidays, the Croatian National Theatre (in collaboration with the Zagreb Tourist Board) have decided to give the people of Zagreb a present. A live stream of the production on December 20 will be screened right outside of the theatre, completely free of charge. The performance features choreography from the world-renowned Ukrainian ballet dancer and director Vladimir Malakhov, whose storied career has seen him work in top-level companies across the world, from Vienna and New York City to Berlin, where he served as the artistic director of the Staatsballett for ten years. The show's running time is two hours. Where: Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Trg Republike Hrvatske 15When: December 20, 7.30pmAdmission: FREE

Advent celebrations are lighting up cities and villages across Istria, from Pula and Poreč to little hilltop communities inland. Great seasonal delicacies and fine wines are a given! Pula This year, Pula has really pushed the boat out as far as Advent is concerned, installing an ice rink in the middle of the city’s famous 2,000-year-old Roman arena and inviting Santa to bring his whole family to the main promenade in town. A series of live shows – award-winning US jazz pianist Emmet Cohen on December 20, DJ Alex on December 19 and 20 – is the icing on the cake. See the Facebook page for further details. Events run until January 6. Poreč Round the coast in Poreč, the ice rink is free for younger ones, who can also ride on a Christmas train and visit Santa’s house. Among the many domestic acts booked to entertain the Yuletide crowds, look out for Istrian favourites Gustafi on New Year’s Eve. Events run until January 6. Srečko Niketić/PIXSELL Rovinj In nearby Rovinj, as well as a train, kids can ride on a Christmas carousel, but the star of the Christmas show is an illuminated batana, a traditional boat that’s the symbol of Rovinj and centrepiece of this year’s attractions. DJ parties and live acts feature throughout December and early January. See here for more details. Events run until January 6. Umag At Istria’s north-western tip, Umag has been transformed into UMAGic for holiday events taking place between December 20 and January 1. Among the 20 appearances of live...