Time Out Croatia news

In 2011, UNESCO officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day and since then, countries around the world have organised concurrent events to celebrate the genre. The Croatian Musicians’ Union (HGU) has just announced this year’s concerts taking place across the country next Tuesday. Zagreb will stage shows in four attractive streets and squares in the city centre, each with a line-up of four to five acts playing a 40-minute set. A full timetable can be found here (in Croatian but the listings should be clear to all). Things kick off on Cvjetni trg and Bogovićeva ulica at 4.15pm, then performances get underway on Tkalčićeva ulica and Europski trg at 5pm. The outdoor concerts will conclude at around 7.30pm, just as the sun starts to set. © Tomislav Šilovinac In Osijek, three gigs will take place throughout the day. The earliest is a five-strong billing of jazz musicians and bands in front of Kino Europa from 10.30am to 1pm, followed by Big Band Osijek entertaining at the cultural centre from 6.30pm. Closing things off nicely will be a Jazz Jam Session at Club Oxygene from 8.30pm, admission free. Split is organising a show by the Oridano Gypsy Jazz Trio at Concert Hall Ivo Tijardević. From 8pm, visitors will be treated to original tunes as well as covers from the repertoire of Romani jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Tickets at €18 are available here. At Dom umjetnosti Arsen in Šibenik, a first-come-first-served performance by Big Band Šibenik starts from 9pm, while

The youngest conqueror of Oceans Seven, Croatia’s most famous long-distance swimmer is taking on a challenge far closer to home: her native Dalmatia. The only Croatian to have completed the crossing of seven of the world’s most arduous channels, Split-born Dina Levačić has announced that she now has Dalmatia’s 104 islands and islets in her sights. Previous notable swims include Japan's Tsugaru Strait in record time, passing beneath the 20 bridge of Manhattan in seven hours and 33 minutes, and taking a bronze medal in Canada's famous Lac St Jean race when only 19. Completing her doctorate in rehabilitation education from Split and Zagreb universities, Levačić is not only a record-breaking endurance swimmer but a committed humanitarian. Every year since 2016, she has organised a swim to help the disadvantaged, such as her recent one for youngsters with mental health problems. ‘104 Dalmatinca’, as her latest adventure is called, will also benefit a leading issue or charity.

This Friday, April 26, partygoers and house music fans will be taking over the central court at Maksimir tennis centre courtesy of BSH’s Zagreb Open event. Starting in the early evening, a line-up of six DJs will entertain behind the decks as the day fades into night, with Dutch DJ and producer Chris Stussy headlining.  Stussy and BSH have collaborated before, where the Dutchman energised the crowds at the 2022 Zagreb Open event in SRC Šalata. Since then, his star has only continued to rise having repeatedly performed from some of the biggest stages across the world, including Glasto. His return to the Croatian capital is eagerly anticipated. Also performing are Slovenian DJ Aney F and local boy Marin Biočić. Croat DJs Yakka and Pablo Panda share the stage in a B2B set, with Francescu rounding out the line-up. Final call tickets are available here, from €25 for general admission, with VIP and backstage tickets from €38 and €44. Note that the event is 18+, VIP and backstage access 21+. Where: Tennis Centre Maksimir, V. Ravnice 10When: Friday, April 26Tickets: From €25, available here.

The largest ship to feature in the fleet of Croatia’s state-run ferry company Jadrolinija has just docked in Rijeka, before being prepared for service. Dalmacija, as she is now called, has a huge capacity of 1,800 people and 350 cars, ideal for plying the popular Dubrovnik-Bari route once it is decked out in the company’s signature colours of white and blue. The team at Rijeka’s Viktor Lenac shipyard will be getting to work on a vessel that was built in in a Norwegian shipyard. The former Oslofjord was reconstructed in Finland in 2014 and will making up to ten trips a week in high season between the coasts of Croatia and Italy. On board will be two restaurants, three bars, a grill bar, and a children’s play area. Open decks allow passengers to take in the sea air and enjoy those views of the blue Adriatic.  "Maintaining international lines for Jadrolinija is a long tradition. Since the time of Jadrolinija cruises, up to today’s connections with Italy, travellers are happy to return to us. However, we still have to think about our competitiveness on the international market and adapt to the trends and needs of passengers,” said David Sopta, President of the Jadrolinija Management Board.

Opened in September 2023, Restaurant Krug near the waterfront in Split is gearing itself up for its first summer. Seasonal and organic underscores the concept here, thanks to a local farm which supplies the vegetables. The fish is line-caught from the Adriatic, the meat exclusively Croatian. So far, so good. But another factor here is size. While many restaurants in the major Dalmatian resorts try to cram in as many tables as possible, Restaurant Krug ranges a dozen seats around the counter, around the open kitchen, in fact, where your dish is prepared. The team is equally small, five, including three chefs, bound by their worldwide gastronomic experience and their desire to create something unique in their home town of Split. Time Out Croatia spoke with chef/owner Karlo Kaleb about the crew behind Krug and the freedom of a daily changing menu. Time Out Croatia: Please tell us about the team behind Restaurant Krug. Karlo Kaleb: Krug is a small team with five of us working in service, including three cooks, Ivan Barać, Leo De Stefani and myself, Karlo Kaleb. In charge of wine and drinks are Jure (‘Jurica’) Delić and Marie Charlotte Leblond. I worked with Ivan for years on a yacht. When we went our separate ways, he started to work with Leo De Stefani. When I went to work in Copenhagen, I met Jurica and his girlfriend Marie. This is how it all started. Restaurant Krug I believe we provide a more modern approach to service, with an open kitchen and a very cohesive team. I thin

Returning for its 12th season, Drive In Kino Zagreb will show four films for free across this weekend and next, organised by the Croatian Students' Association. Kicking things off is a screening of Finding Nemo on Saturday, April 20, followed by the cult classic fashionista film The Devil Wears Prada on Sunday, April 21. The following weekend, April 27-28, will see the Croatian-language film Svećenikova Djeca (The Priest’s Children) and Fight Club, an all-time movie top-list regular feature, on Saturday and Sunday respectively.The drive-in cinema will be held in the car park of Tržnica Borongaj, the market close to the Borongaj tram stop in the Maksimir quarter of Zagreb. It opens from 6pm, giving people plenty of time to arrive and settle into their spots before screenings begin at 9pm. Those who wish to attend without a car will be able to watch from designated lounge zones. While waiting for the film, the event's sponsors will provide entertainment, though it should be noted that the organised events will be in Croatian – grab a local to come along with you to make the most of it.Note that the screenings on April 20 and April 27 (Finding Nemo and The Priest’s Children) will be in Croatian and without English subtitles.Where: Car park at Tržnica BorongajWhen: April 20-21 and 27-28, open from 6pm, screenings at 9pmAdmission: FREE

Zagreb's Museum of Contemporary Art is currently running a parallel exhibition of works by two of Croatia's most notable artists of modern times, selected from its own archive. Julije Knifer and Josip Vaništa were artistic contemporaries and collaborators (of a sort) in the 20th century. Alongside other artists and art theoreticians, they formed the avant-garde Gorgona Group collective, active from 1959 to 1966. This group was unconventional in that it was not based on a particular style nor did it have a platform or manifesto behind which it stood. Instead, it was conceived as a collective of kindred spirits in which each member had complete creative and stylistic autonomy. The group’s most public-facing activities were exhibitions at Zagreb’s long-gone Studio G and the publication of the so-called ‘antimagazine’ Gorgona, where each issue featured was made up entirely of one artist’s work. Julije Knifer was an abstract artist whose pieces largely focused on a meander, a geometric style formed from a continuous line – though this was certainly not the only form his creations took, as the prominently featured self-portrait series demonstrates. The striking artworks were created with a variety of techniques, from acrylic and oil to print and collage. Josip Vaništa was stylistically difficult to pin down. The painter often produced strikingly simple pencil sketches, alongside paintings and physical installations, as well as a considerable body of essayistic texts. Vaništa had t

A new interactive exhibition at the venerable Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka takes visitors behind the scenes of this illustrious institution. Known as the Zajc Theatre Gallery, this unique attraction filling the stairways and upper floor reveals the inner workings of this cultural landmark. Set designs, costumes, lighting and archive items illustrate the activity and history of the theatre, due to celebrate its 140th anniversary next year.   Fittingly, the top tier is called the Klimt Viewing Platform, so called because the famous Viennese artist created designs for the theatre’s vaulted ceiling, which will soon be returned to their original location. Croatian National Theatre, Verdieva 1, 51000 Rijeka. Next visit Sat Apr 20, 10am. Admission €5.50; 6-14s €3. For more information, see here.

On the eve of this week’s Croatia Rally, a memorial was unveiled to Irish driver Craig Breen, who lost his life at last year’s event. The ceremony took place outside Lobor, north of Zagreb, the site where the 33-year-old driver crashed during a testing session for the 2023 race. Croatia Rally 2024 begins on Thursday, April 18, with a presentation of the 68 crews from 35 countries at the ceremonial start outside the National Library in Zagreb. The four-day race passes through the Croatian capital and five surrounding counties, finishing on Sunday, April 21. Hyundai cars will carry the colours of the Irish flag in honour of Breen, and will contribute a number of items up for auction to raise money for the Craig Breen Foundation to support young drivers in Ireland. For tickets and further information about this year’s Croatia Rally, see here.

Croatia and UN Tourism have just agreed to create a research institution to help develop sustainable tourism. Chair of the UN Tourism Committee on Tourism and Sustainability until 2023, Croatia is the perfect location to establish a joint platform to broaden a green approach to the industry. Based in Madrid, the World Tourism Organisation, known as UN Tourism for short, is a UN agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It comprises 160 member states and 500 affiliate members. Working with the Croatian government and Zagreb University, UN Tourism will be investigating ways to reduce the environmental impact of tourism, increase use of renewable energy, accelerate adaption to climate change and safeguard the cultural heritage of local communities. A timeframe for the project has yet to be announced.