Time Out Croatia news

Zagreb's spectacular Festival of Lights returned last night, transforming Zagreb's Upper Town into electrifying alternative worlds with projections, light installations and light-based performance.  The excitement of the evening began long before reaching the launch venue, the Zagreb City Museum, as the whole of Opatička was bathed in pretty blue light. Many visitors to the city stood at the top of Kamenita Vrata to admire the sight. Making your way up Opatička, the whole of the courtyard in front of the Croatian Institute of History, and the front facade of the institute itself was drenched in floral pinks, yellows and reds, contrasting to the blue of the street, but representing the official colours and design of this year's Festival of Lights.Croatian Institute of History At the Zagreb City Museum, hundreds of guests waited in the courtyard. That all could enjoy such a mild spring evening reminded us that the festival itself marks the beginning of this season, a rebirth after the cold winter. Four dancers in mirrored costumes emerged and took to places centrally in the courtyard where they moved, almost like a dance in slow motion. The flashes of light coming from mobile phones and press photographer cameras sharply reflected back off the dancers mirrored suits, back into the eyes of the audience. Speakers at the official opening event included the head of the Zagreb Tourist Board, the Mayor of Zagreb and His Excellency Hu Zhaoming, Chinese ambassador to Croatia. In his

Legendary guitarist and songwriter from The Smiths has been added to the lineup for INmusic 2019 Former Smiths founder, composer and current alt-rock guitar god Johnny Marr has worked with a who’s who of musicians throughout his magnificent career. Since The Smiths’ disbanding he’s spent every year as a fully-fledged member of at least one band, from The Pretenders to Modest Mouse and The Cribs, as well as serving as Noel Gallagher’s mentor and even helping Hans Zimmer score Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.” INmusic will be held at Zagreb's Lake Jarun from June 24 to June 26 2019.

Does it feel like Spring yet? It sure does for Klepetan, one half of Croatia’s most famous couple. With its peer Malena, this stork has made headlines nationwide for over 17 years. Yes, you read it right. Klepetan and Malena are no average human Joes. This is aviary touching love story.  It all began on a rooftop in Brodski Varoš, a small Croatian village. Malena, injured by an Italian hunter some 20 years ago, is no longer able to fly. The touching story of the two storks from Eastern Croatia isn't over yet, as Klepetan arrived home to Malena on Monday. We’re inspired by Klepetan’s commitment as the stork migrates to South Africa each year and comes back, usually between March 24, to reunite with its partner. How do we know all this? Because Klepetan isn’t the only one who cares about Malena. Stjepan Vokić has been looking after both animals since Malena’s injury and prepares a bucket of fish to welcome Klepetan on its arrival each time. Only this year, it looks like Klepetan couldn’t wait to come back to Malena as Stjepan noticed its arrival a week earlier than expected. The more cynical among us might put it down to climate change, but whatever the reason, Klepetan has successfully made his trip back from the warmer south to rejoin with its Malena every year. Check for yourself: see the video the Croatian Tourist Board made in honour of this peculiar love story.

The 16th Mediterranean fair of Healthy Food, Medicinal Herbs and Green Entrepreneurship is currently taking place in Dubrovnik. It will held in the Hotel Tirena (pictured) and its grounds in Babin kuk, Dubrovnik.More than 130 producers, exhibitors, experts and enthusiasts will gather and together welcome the public as they present eco-friendly and traditional products made in Croatia.Hybrid and electric vehicles, ecologically sound furniture and clothing are among the featured displays this year as the exhibition focuses its attention on innovative new products. Lectures, presentations, discussion, workshops and a gastronomic programme all form part of this year's event, with the cuisine sourced from sustainable origins and marked by its health-bringing qualities. Dubrovnik-Neretva County's Joško Cebalo, the President of the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture Mladen Jakopović, the President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Dubrovnik Terezina Orlić, the deputy head of the Fair Matea Kraljević and Nika Labaš from Valamar Riviera are among the VIP guests who will greet and address the event's guests. The event runs until 17 March.

Void is the name of the new exhibition by Nenad Šaljić which has just opened at Kranjčar gallery in Zagreb. The fascinating exhibition occurs in two volumes. In the first, Šaljić presents epic black and white photographs of caves. In the second, the cave mouths are reduced to minimal black on white pieces of art, bereft of the shades and textures seen in the first part. A highly thought-provoking work, Nenad Šaljić offers us a timeless perspective of caves, these natural shelters being among the first homes of man on earth. Did early man peer up at the sky and the light in much the same way we do when looking at Šaljić's work? It's easy to imagine that the shadows which grant such rich texture to the shots would have looked equally as beautiful and transfixing to eyes many thousands of years ago. Perhaps such sights helped to inspire early man to express himself through the art of cave paintings? The exhibition is presented in large photographic prints, the photographs hung on the wall as paintings, inviting the viewer to dwell before them and form their own thoughts. The absence of movement or action within the photographs, despite several depicting cave climbers dangling from ropes or beneath equipment, also helps the viewer sustain their attention. Šaljić places his camera within the caves, looking out. Light invades the enclosed spaces, the scarring of millennia profoundly displayed in the shadowed crevices of the cave walls. Though significantly less detailed than the

Time Out Croatia was happy to this year be able to compete in the annual skraping competition on island Pašman. Our five-man team was the first we have sent to the competition, which took place between Ždrelac in the north of the island and finished in Tkon. The team was led by Andrej Jaić (2nd from the left in the main picture), our daredevil representative for marketing and promotion. Škraping (or skraping in English) is a multi-discipline sport that involves climbing, jumping, running, walking and hiking. Competitors undertake the sport on the rocky slopes, paths and cliffs which are located next to the sea, making Croatia, and in particular island Pašman, an ideal location for the sport. A competition has occurred on island Pašman every year since 2006. The annual event on the island is not only a competition. The sport runs harmoniously with natural assets and holds a strong theme of ecological awareness and impact. Running out of season and attracting international competitors, it also extends tourism possibilities on the island. As with previous years, money raised from the entrance fees to the competition went towards charitable causes. This year, they were training guide dogs for the blind in Croatia and for children's charities in Africa.

Zagreb's Mimara Museum hosts the launch of a new exhibition by Croatian artist Hrvoje Marko Peruzović at 7pm on Wednesday 13 March. Entitled 'The Draft For Retrospective', the exhibition will display around hundred of Peruzović's paintings, which were culled from his entire 25-year career to date, from his days as a student to his most recent artistic endeavours. Born in 1971 in Zagreb, Peruzović graduated from the graphics department of Split's School of Applied Arts and Design. He went on to graduate in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1995 before continuing his studies in Paris, Milan, Venice and Vienna. The exhibition displays all of Peruzović's main motives and interests, from a strong theme of religious images to animals, plants, humans, many in abstract form. In addition to painting, Peruzović is a graphics artist, an illustrator, sculptor and photographer. Some of the exhibition holds works of oil on canvas, however, the bulk is made up of the painter's favoured use of acrylics. Hrvoje Marko Peruzović is actively painting and sculpting to this day and has exhibited internationally many times. He lives and works in Zagreb. The exhibition is open until the end of March.

The world's largest bouncy castle will spend much of this summer in Croatia. 'The monster' is almost 300 metres long and has 42 obstacles including the 18 metre Mega Slide and The Bouncy Cage of Doom! The inflatable will spend from Monday 24 June to Sunday 4 August at the Falkensteiner Punta Skala resort, next to Petrčane, just outside Zadar. Our sister publication, Time Out London, called The Monster 'The number 1 thing to do in London this summer!' when it spent all of summer in the UK capital. This will be the inflatable's first trip outside of the UK. Falkensteiner Punta Skala is a family-themed resort and so the inflatable will be aimed towards all ages during its time in Croatia. Animators will be on hand to help children around the huge course of the inflatable. Entrance to The Monster is free to all those staying within the Falkensteiner Punta Skala resort. Currently, the plan is to charge non-residents 25 Euros for three hours on the inflatable.

Croatia has been ranked the 31st healthiest nation in the world. New York-based media and data outlet Bloomberg composed the new rankings for 2019, based on figures provided by the United Nations, World Bank and World Health Organization. The index is comprised of 169 nations who were ranked on factors including life expectancy, obesity, tobacco use, air quality and access to clean water. Croatia's ranking at number 31 is an improvement of four places from last year, which is good news. However, examining the most healthy countries in the world indicates that something significant is holding Croatia back. The top two healthiest countries in the world are Italy and Spain. Diet is thought to have a highly positive impact on the health of people in Spain and Italy. According to numerous studies, including one lead by the University of Navarra Medical School, a 'Mediterranean diet, supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, had a lower rate of major cardiovascular events than those assigned to a reduced-fat diet'. Croatia's diet is easily comparable to both Italy's and Spain's, so why should the country lie so much further down the list? The difference in national healthcare is likely one key factor. Spain's healthcare system is mostly funded publicly, by taxes. It runs on a highly ethical system that offers free access to all in need, regardless of their ability to pay. Everyone in Spain is therefore entitled to the same high level of care, no matter how much money the

A new upmarket camping village resort is being constructed in Lika. The 15 million euro Tesla's Nest resort will have 72 treehouses, wooden villas and glamping domes and aims to attract tourists throughout the year. Tesla's Nest is being planned and constructed with an eco-friendly ethos, with particular attention paid to the materials used in construction and the resort's impact on the environment around Lovinac where it will be based. All transport occurring inside the resort will be via electric cars. It will be built around an artificial lake, with wooden villas reaching out across the water's edge. Treehouses will be set back from the water but will have views across the whole resort. The resort, which will cover a sizeable 13 and a half hectares of land, will open later in 2019. Premium properties within the complex will be rented at costs varying between 400 and 3,000 euros per day. Camping options will also be part of the complex, making the resort accessible to visitors who have varying budgets available for their holidays.Lika Lovinac is surrounded by seven of Croatia's national parks, so the new resort will be a great place to stay for those interested in outdoor pursuits such as bicycling, hiking and mountain climbing. It also lies less than 20 kilometres from the sea. The resort will have two picturesque restaurants, a bar, a wellness area, pool, saunas and jacuzzi, making it the perfect base for returning to after a day of activities.