Here's a selection of what we think are the best events that are to take place in Croatia this year. We add to this list all the time (as new events or additional details are announced), so do check back regularly!
January ...in Zagreb...
An exciting FIS Skiing World Cup slalom event - the Snow Queen Trophy - takes place in Sljeme (above Zagreb) on 3rd & 5th January 2012, with both womens (3rd January) and men's (5th) competitions. It is a rather unique event contested on a specially created run that isn't too far from Zagreb - and therefore has the distinction of being the only World Cup event that takes place in a capital city. Moreover, the Snow Queen Trophy is amazingly well attended, with crowds of up to 25,000 people. Take part in the fun!
...in the Kvarner Riviera...
The Rijeka Carnival takes place from mid-January to mid-February with parades and concerts, exhibitions and balls. The carnival easily attracts over 100,000 spectators, making it one of the larger carnivals in Europe. The first major event of the carnival is the Rijeka Queen Carnival Queen Pageant and Handover of the Town Keys on the 20th January 2012; other highlights are the Children's
Carnival Parade on 11th February 2012 and the International Carnival Parade on the 19th February 2012.
...all over Croatia... On Friday 27th January 2012, from 6pm to 1am, the "Night of the Museums" takes place at various towns and cities all over Croatia - over 100 museums, galleries and other similar institutions across the country are expected to take part. 2011's event saw 160 places in 67 towns and cities in the country open up their doors to around 310,000 visitors, so it's a very popular event. Entry to all these places is free, so you can enjoy their fine exhibits; many also host additional workshops and other events on the night. You can find some further details at the Croatian Museum Association website.
February ...in Zagreb... The Zagreb Indoors tennis tournament is a men's ATP Tour event which usually attracts a
smattering of well-known players, as well as (understandably) a
reasonably large bunch of the top Croatian players. This year's event
takes place from 28th January to 5th February 2012 in its usual home,
the Dom Sportova, in west Zagreb.
...in Dubrovnik...
The Festival of St Blaise (who is Dubrovnik's patron saint) takes place each year on 3rd February, and
includes a number of ceremonies (which normally start the day before) in which the people of Dubrovnik pay
their respect to the saint. The day is also considered a "City of
Dubrovnik Day", and events are also held to celebrate this.
...in Zagreb... Restaurant Week (or Tjedan Restoran in Croatian) actually takes place over a week and a bit in Croatia's capital city - this year it will be from 24th February to 4th March 2012. A number of restaurants will be taking part, with each offering a special Restaurant Week menu for a special price. More details on the website.
March ...in Zagreb... Zagreb Dox,
an international documentary film festival, is now in its 8th year this
year. Taking place at the MoviePlex in the Kaptol Center, there are
several themed programs as well as a competition for the best
documentary. It is to be held 26th February to 4th March 2012.
April ...in Zagreb...
The Zagreb Wine Gourmet Weekend (previously known as the Zagreb Wine & Gourmet Festival) has expanded to become a three-day event for 2012, as well as moving month from February - it will be held from 13th to 15th April. There's also a new venue this year - the Glyptotheque Museum in the Upper Town.
...in Split... Unsurprisingly, given its location, Split is home to the annual Croatia Boat Show.
A large number of boats are exhibited by being moored in the city's
harbour and a spectactular parade of boats is held on the final day of
the show. This year sees the 14th such event, which will be held from 17th to
22nd April.
May ...in Split...
The
Festival of Flowers is held each year in the cellars of Diocletian's
Palace at the beginning of May, usually with a high number of
exhibitors showing displays to a particular theme. A gorgeous visual event, be sure to check it out if you're in the city this month!
...in Split...
Split's patron saint, Saint Domnius (Sveti Duje in Croatian) is celebrated with a feast day held each year on 7th May.
...in Istria...
The Vinistra exhibition in Porec allows wine-lovers to come and sample local
specialties. The exhibition is being held this year from 11th to 13th May, and also features olive oils and brandies -
over 100 exhibitors will show wines, oils and spirits.
...in the Markarska Riviera... Mafest in Makarska is an annual comic book festival held over four days at the end of May. Various exhibitions and lectures on comic books will take place.
...on the islands... Events on Korcula include a celebration of the times of Marco Polo (who was - supposedly - born on Korcula) at the end of May, when the streets of Korcula Town are decorated to look like a 13th century town.
June ...in Split...
Picigin, a popular game played on the beaches of Split (read more about it here) has a "world" championship event held each year in early June - lots of fun to watch! (It's not at all a world championship in any traditional sense, but there are some competitors from other Mediterranean countries!)
...in Istria...
The Summer Sensual Days will take place from 15th to 17th June 2012 in Rovinj, featuring top world artists in over 40 hours of workshops, beach and pool parties.
...in Istria...
The Croatian Summer Salsa Festival will run from 19th to 25th June 2012, bringing together dancers and lovers of Latin music in the beautiful setting of Rovinj. Daily workshops will teach dancing from beginner right to advanced levels, with a range of styles of salsa and dance techniques - all taught by some of the top dance instructors in the world! In the evenings, dance events will be held in different locations for everyone to participate in, and famous Latin bands, DJs and salsa artists will also perform. A great dance event in a beautiful location on Croatia's coast!
...in Zagreb...
Lake Jarun is home to the T Mobile INmusic Festival, a two day music event in this pretty setting in southwest Zagreb, with a host of international bands and stars performing. Held on 29th and 30th June this year, last year's stellar line-up included Arcade Fire, TV On The Radio, The Streets, Jamiroquai and Cypress Hill.
...in Istria...
"Porec Summer"
will take place starting from mid-June (normally to September) with a wide
variety of events including music, dance and more. Check locally for
up-to-date listings.
...on the islands...
After a crazily successful first year in 2011, the Hideout Festival, returns this year, taking place from 29th June to 1st July 2012 at a number of the open air clubs on Zrce Beach in Novalja on the island of Pag. Check Hideout's website for latest line-up news - no doubt it will be even better than the cracking line-up seen last year.
July ...in Istria...
The Pula Film Festival is now in its 59th year this year, making it the oldest festival of its
kind in Croatia. Held from 14th to 28th July 2012, Croatian and
international films are shown at various locations in Pula, including in
the stunning amphitheatre (the Arena) in the town.
...in the Kvarner Riviera...
The Liburnia Jazz Festival in
Opatija is the largest jazz event in Croatia, with the 12th festival
taking place in 2012. Held over three days, there are a number of jazz
concerts at various locations across the town.
...in North Dalmatia... July sees an absolutely cracking line-up of music festivals take place on the Croatian coast - and this year they have a new venue! Previously held in Petrcane, north of Zadar, this year's events will be in the town of Tisno which is halfway between Zadar and Split. The way these festivals are lined-up, you could get over a month of solid partying! They are the Garden Festival (4th - 11th July 2012); Electric Elephant (12th - 16th July 2012); Soundwave (20th - 23rd July 2012), SunceBeat (29th - 31st July 2011). Stop Making Sense also takes place here in the following month (2nd - 6th August).
...in Istria... The 23rd Croatia Open ATP Tennis tournament takes place 5th to 15th July 2012 (note - earlier in the month this year) in Umag. A
clutch of top men's players, including some of the top Croatian
players, take part. Last year's winner was Ukrainian player Alexandr Dolgopolov. A number of other fun events also normally accompany the tournament, making it quite a fun event!
...in Split...
The Split Summer Festival runs for about a month from mid-July to mid-August. Much like the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, this one features open-air theatre, music and dance performances at various special venues around the city, including in and around Diocletian's Palace.
...in Dubrovnik... The famous Dubrovnik Summer Festival starts mid-July and runs until the end of August. Each year, the Festival includes theatre, opera, music and dance events at various open-air venues around the city.
...on the islands...
Kazaliste Ulysses (Ulysses Theatre), co-founded by famous Croatian actor
Rade Serbedzija, is situated on Veliki Brijuni island (of the Brijuni islands) and runs each summer with some wonderful plays - past seasons have seen Hamlet and King Lear. The Theatre is open and holds performances from mid-July to mid-August each year.
...in Istria... Another film event in Istria is the well-established Motovun Film Festival.
Although held in a small (but very pretty) hilltop town in inland Istria, the event is considered
one of the premier film festivals in Croatia. A variety of features
from across the world are shown, from documentaries to full-length
films; 2012's event will be held from 27th July to 1st August.
...in North Dalmatia...
The wonderful Full Moon Festival takes place on the Riva in Zadar at the end of July each year. Locals
turn off their lights, and head to the candlelit waterfront to enjoy
music and food. A must if you're in the region at this time of the year!
...in North Dalmatia...
The 6th Millennium Jump takes place in Zadar at the end of July 2012 in which locals (and any other willing participants!) gather on the waterfront to all jump into the sea at the same time! Around 1,500 people take part each year; here's a video from In Your Pocket explaining a bit more about the event. Fun to join in with if you're there!
August ...near Split...
On the first weekend of August each year, a very famous and historic horseback tournament takes place in the town of Sinj, near Split. Now in its 296th year (that's not an error!) the Sinjska Alka (or Sinj Alka) sees competitors on horseback armed with lances, aiming to hit the inside of a metal ring (the alka), with points awarded according to which part of the ring they hit. The Sinjska Alka was entered onto the UNESCO Intangible World Heritage List in 2010 (read more on the UNESCO site), and is well worth attending if you're in the region in early August.
...in Istria... The Street Art Festival in
Porec showcases all kinds of street performances, from dance to
theatre, art to acrobatics, at the beginning of August each year.
...in North Dalmatia...
Returning for its third year and also moving to the town of Tisno (between Zadar & Split - see details as per the festivals listed in July), Stop Making Sense Festival will be held from the 2nd to 6th August 2012.
...in the Kvarner Riviera...
The Liburnia Film Festival in Icici, near Opatija, will take place towards the end of August and will showcase Croatian films.
...in Zagreb...
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are to play the Hippodrome in Zagreb on 29th August 2012, with tickets available from Eventim.hr.
September ...in Dubrovnik... Each year, the Julian Rachlin & Friends festival of chamber music features world-renowned musicians led by
Austrian violinist Julian Rachlin. Founded in 2000, the festival
features a series of concerts each year at wonderful landmarks across
the city. The festival takes place end of August/beginning of September.
...in Istria...
The four-day Outlook Festival takes place in Punto Christo, Pula from 30th August to 2nd September 2012.
Labelled as "Europe's largest bass culture and dubstep festival", the
event is now in its fifth year.
...in Split...
The Split Film Festival runs for eight days from 15th to 22nd September 2012, showing new films
from across the world from a variety of categories, themes, genres and
styles.
October ...in Zagreb... The Zagreb International Chamber Music Festival is only a few years old, but already attracts a number of artists. Various classical concerts take place over a week in mid-October.
...all over Croatia... International Cravat Day is to be celebrated on 18th October 2012, with assorted events in honour of this Croatian invention across the country. See more details on Academia Cravatica's site.
...in Zagreb...
The Zagreb Film Festival in October showcases films from debut or new film-makers from around the world, with prizes awarded in several categories.
...in Istria...
Starting in September, though mainly taking place in October and the beginning of November, the "Day of Truffles" events are actually a succession of truffle-themed days taking place every weekend at various towns in Istria. Check locally for planned events, and enjoy tasting various food and dishes flavoured with truffles.
November ...in Dubrovnik...
The annual Dubrovnik Gastro Table event takes place in mid-November, with a number of hotels, restaurants and other local businesses taking part. Held on Stradun, visitors can sample a wide variety of treats and dishes - in 2011, food cost around 15 Kuna per portion, whilst local wine was 10 Kuna a glass.
...in Zagreb... The 7th VIP Zagreb Jazz Festival is due to take place in mid November 2012, with a number of top international jazz artists. All concerts taking place at the Zagreb Youth Theatre.
...all over Croatia... 17th November 2012 is Theatre Night in Croatia (having expanded, it also takes place in several other neighbouring countries). In 2011, 70 venues in 27 towns and cities in the country participated, welcoming over 40,000 attendees. Theatres will hold free (or cheaper) performances, with additional workshops, tours and similar.
December ...all over Croatia... Almost all towns in Croatia, however small, will have festive decorations put up to celebrate Christmas. Some, especially the larger towns and cities, will have Christmas fairs and other events to celebrate the time of year. This is also true for New Year's Eve - head to the main square of the town/city you're in, and you can probably enjoy an evening concert until the early hours, which normally has a pause for fireworks at midnight!
