PHOTOS: Over 8,000 attend best of Croatian culture festival

by croatiaweek
May 8, 2023
in Entertainment

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

From May 5th to 7th, the 5th Festival of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Tourist Events, Attractions, and Destinations “SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ” was held in Vukovar, which this year attracted a record number of visitors – more than 8,000.

The festival is unique in Croatia as it presents protected Croatian intangible cultural heritage from UNESCO’s list, along with the most attractive tourist events and cultural-tourist attractions from across Croatia.

In Vukovar, it has grown into a real city tradition and certainly one of the most significant annual events.

Over 8,000 attend best of Croatian culture festival

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

“Well-executed preparations and organization, as well as the selection of quality programs that showed the diversity and richness of Croatian cultural heritage and tourism offer, made this year’s festival perhaps the best so far. Good promotion of the festival resulted in excellent attendance of all program contents, of which the equestrian spectacle with Lipizzaner horses at the Eltz Castle, which delighted the numerous audience, and the evening concerts that filled the central square and streets of Vukovar, certainly stood out. The feedback from the participants is extremely positive, there is great interest in participating in the festival in the years to come, and we are looking forward to it and starting preparations for the 6th festival,” said Marina Sekulic, the director of the Vukovar Tourist Board after the closing of this year’s festival.

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

Around 600 performers from all over Croatia participated in the rich program that lasted for three full days at several locations in the city.

Festival celebrating best of Croatia opens

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

From folklore ensembles, historical units, street performers, dance programs, and performances by young musicians, to creative children’s workshops, eco-ethnic fairs, and flower fairs, this year’s festival offered a rich program for the whole family.

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

The festival was held as part of the program that marked the Day of the City of Vukovar on May 3rd and started with a solemn opening ceremony in the Republic of Croatia Square on May 5th.

The festival was opened by the mayor of the city of Vukovar, Ivan Penava, and during the opening ceremony, special awards were presented to guests and participants for their outstanding contributions to the preservation of Croatian cultural heritage.

(Photo credit: Darko Kesnjer)

The awards were given to the Sinj Alka Knights Society, the “Kumpanjija” Knighthood Association from Blato, the Milan Begovic Cultural and Artistic Society from Vrlika, the Gorjanec Cultural and Artistic Society from Gorjani, the Babogredci MPS from Babina Greda, and the Croatian House “Materina Prica” from Zagreb.

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

In addition to them, awards were given to the City of Dubrovnik, the City of Vinkovci, the Vukovar Majorettes, and the Parish of Sv. Filip and Jakov, and the winners of this special award included the Vrbovec Tourist Board, the Sinj Tourist Board, the Đakovo Tourist Board, the Varaždin Tourist Board, and other guests and participants who have made an outstanding contribution to this festival over the years, as well as to the promotion of Croatian heritage and tradition.

(Photo credit: Darko Kesnjer)

Mayor Penava also presented an award to Gibonni, who was the honorary ambassador of the festival this year.

Mayor Ivan Peneva and Gibboni (Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

On Saturday, May 6th, the second day of the festival was dedicated to Lipizzaner horses and the equestrian show “Dance of Baroque Horses of Eltz Castle,” which was performed in the Eltz Castle park. Lipizzaner horses and falconers participated in this magnificent equestrian historical spectacle, representing two intangible cultural heritage items on the UNESCO list – Lipizzaner breeding and falconry.

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

The evening ended with a fantastic concert by the Klapa Šufit, who performed in Vukovar as part of their celebratory tour marking their 30th anniversary.

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

The third day of the festival, May 7th, was marked by a concert of spiritual music performed by the musical group “Afterlife” during a holy mass in the Parish Church of Sv. Filip and Jakov. The day was also marked by attractive performances by folklore groups and dance troupes. The festival was closed last night with a big concert by the popular Giuliano and Diktatori, who drew a large and enthusiastic crowd to the main city square.

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

“The program of this year’s jubilee festival was truly richer than ever before, and I sincerely thank all the program participants who, together with us, created activities that turned Vukovar into the center of Croatia for three full days,” said Aleksandar Kovačević, festival producer and creator of the “SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ” concept.

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

The festival was organized by the Vukovar Tourist Board and the Organizers without Borders agency, with the City of Vukovar enabling the organization of all programs that were free for visitors. The concert by Gibonni was additionally supported by Coca Cola, while the Croatian Music Institute – HDS ZAMP was the festival’s special partner for all music content.

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

As we await the sixth edition of the festival in 2024, which will undoubtedly offer even more fantastic and high-quality activities, it is important to emphasize that the Vukovar festival “SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ” has already been recognized as one of the best festivals in Europe and a recipient of the EFFE Label, as well as the significant tourism award “Simply the Best.”