Jan Bantic

Zagreb's showcase square of Strossmayerov trg fills with the exotic tastes and bright colours of Asian cuisine from May 6, with 11 stands of culinary delights and a packed DJ line-up.For six days from midday to midnight, guests can enjoy flavours of the city's finest Asian and Asian fusion cuisine, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Indian. Popular restaurant Purple Monkey will be serving from their gyoza bar while the Burger Institute gives their take on the Asian variety. Surrounded by red lanterns and pagoda-inspired decor will be the curry haven of Tuk Tuk Express, while no Asian food festival is complete without sushi, this year courtesy of SOHO. At 2pm on the opening day, Monday, a tuna-cutting show for the benefit of Down Zagreb, a non-profit that works with children with Down Syndrome, provides a unique opening salvo for this gastro event.A DJ line-up throughout the week will be bookended by local club legend DJ Kanca, with Springroll Soul, DJ Alvize, Kurto-Azija and DJ Māntà among the names putting in a shift behind the decks, joined by Sav Thai Jazz and Silk Road Closure.The event runs until Sunday, May 12. Admission is free. For more information, see here.

Just opened at Zagreb's Meštrović Pavilion, the annual Youth Salon is the largest national exhibition of visual artists aged 35 and under in Croatia.  This year’s central theme, Pao sat u bunar (Time Fell Down the Well), explores the relationship between people and time, specifically challenging the dominance of structured time and the concept of living in relation to clocks and watches. Curated by Lovro Japundžić, the show aims to highlight that more creative relationships are possible, and questions the measuring of the various human and non-human rhythms – if they can be measured at all. The Youth Salon was first held in 1968 and has since displayed the works of more than 3,500 artists, a platform to launch new names onto the cultural scene both domestically and internationally. This year, just north of 50 more artists have been added to the tally as things.Also part of the programme, beginning on May 22 and running until June 16, is the Situacija (Situation) exhibition, a more loose showcasing of artists’ work without a centrally defined theme and offering a more freeform exposure of the perspectives of young visual creatives in Croatia. Visitors will find artists presenting their take on the real world, and its challenges, through both societal and introspective lenses, and perhaps come across the output of future big names in the scene. This part of the programme will be held across three locations: the Archaeological Museum (Zrinjevac 19), Gallery AMZ (Pavla Hatza 6)

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

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.

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

With temperatures consistently north of 20 degrees from here on in, locals are turning their social attention to outdoor activities. A popular choice is to throw some food onto the grills at the public barbecue stations in Bundek and Jarun – an annual tradition every May Day. For those visiting the capital this spring and summer, here’s a guide to a successful grill party in the city’s green spaces. Count on competition If you’re shooting for a weekend slot, you’d be well advised to send one of your party to the location earlier on to claim your spot. Bundek has about 20 or so tables. Though a couple of blankets will certainly do the trick, it’s the barbecue fireplaces themselves that are a little harder to guarantee. Having someone occupying the grill while the food gatherers are at the shop is probably a wise move. What you need to bring Aside from the obvious – the food, the drinks, plates and cutlery – here are some things you’ll need to make sure you provide for yourself. First of all, while there are fireplaces provided, grillers will need to bring their own grill rack and charcoal. Further, while there are plenty of regular bins along the walkways of Bundek, the amount of rubbish you’re likely to generate means that bringing your own bin bags is a must. The old adage applies: leave only footsteps! Josip Regovic/PIXSELLBarbecuing at Bundek The best location at Bundek Particularly for families or for any group who likes a bit of space to play some badminton or casual f

A new festival is coming to the capital with Zagreb Underground, a three-day wine tasting & party event in the Grič Tunnel. From April 12-14, guests can sample over 200 Croatian wines covering all regions of the country, as well as dried and cured meats from local producers and family farms, through the 350m stretch of the passageway. Visitors enter in half-hour slots, sampling the tasty options in the Wine & Walk festival. Musical entertainment will come courtesy of DISCO MAGIC tribute band, performing hits by Abba and Hot Chocolate, while DJ MacGregor spins Studio 54 classics in between. Tickets for this debut event, sold for individual days and specific time slots, are available on Eventim from €25 for all slots before 5.30pm and €30 for all slots after. Tickets will also be available on the door, but for €30 and €35 respectively. Where: Tunel Grič, Pavla Radića 19/Mesnička ulicaWhen: April 12-14

Two years since he last performed here, Manchester-born blues legend Norman Beaker is returning to Zagreb. On April 11, the Norman Beaker trio, completed by Croat Slavica Tucakov on bass and Marco Mattietti from Trieste on drums, will be playing at Hard Place – a venue that bills itself as the 'biggest little rock and roll club in town'. This intimate venue will be a unique experience for concertgoers, who will get the rare opportunity to see a respected veteran of his scene performing in close quarters. Those in attendance will also be in for a treat, with some surprise guests lined up to join them on the stage on Thursday. Norman Beaker began his musical career by playing clubs in the north of England, having taught himself how to play the guitar when recuperating from a bad accident. Now 73, he’s one of only eight British artists to have been inducted into the American Heritage Society’s Blues Hall of Fame, having worked with Chuck Berry, B.B. King and Van Morrison. Tickets to see Beaker are available here. When: April 11, doors 8pmWhere: Hard Place, ulica Hrvatske bratske zajednice 4Admission: €10 (and €1 booking).

Returning for the 20th time, ZagrebDox will run from April 14-21 at the Kaptol Boutique Cinema in the Croatian capital. While the final schedule and ticket information are yet to be confirmed, a full list of the whopping 102 films to be screened have been announced, including some that have claimed top prizes at the world’s major festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, Berlinale and DOK Leipzig. A New Kind of Wilderness won best documentary at Sundance. This Norwegian film follows a family upended from their idyllic lifestyle away from society following a sudden tragedy and forced to attempt to integrate into the modern world. It will be facing stiff competition in the feature-length international category from the French-Senegalese-Beninise co-production Dahomey – the winner of the Berlin International Film Festival’s Golden Bear – which explores the story of 26 artworks taken by colonial France from the Kingdom of Dahomey and displayed in a museum in Paris, and the struggle for their return to their home in Benin. Davorin Visnjic/PIXSELLNenad Puhovski, ZagrebDox organiser One to look out for in the Festival Hits category is No Other Land, the documentary which ruffled a few feathers after its win at the Berlinale film festival. Co-directed by an Israeli and Palestinian collective, it covers the resistance to displacement from the West Bank.Alongside a host of high-profile documentaries, ZagrebDox proudly promotes local works in its regional competition, which includes films

From renovated 13th-century fortifications turned museums to ruins sitting on mountain tops, the historic landmarks around Zagreb are waiting to be visited and explored.  Luka Stanzl/PIXSELLTrakošćan castle Trakošćan Castle (Trakošćan) Built in the 13th century as a defensive fortification in the north-western part of today’s Croatia, Trakošćan was first mentioned in written records in 1334. Perched upon a hill overlooking Trakošćan Lake, this is perhaps the most visually striking castle in Croatia, its position giving it a prominent and regal air.  Having changed ownership many times throughout its history, Trakošćan has been the property of the Croatian state since its final private owners – the Drašković family – left the country for Austria in 1944. In 1954, it was opened to the public as a museum containing historical objects and is protected as a national treasure. Aside from the lake, it is surrounded by a garden, a forest park and additional buildings that complete the protected complex. About an hour’s drive from Zagreb, Trakošćan Castle is an easy day trip. This English-language pamphlet available from the website shows a bird’s eye view of the grounds and offers greater detail on the castle’s history. Note that the lake is currently dry until June due a cleaning operation. Open: Daily 10am-6pm (Apr 1-Oct 31); daily 9am to 4pm (Nov 1-Mar 31). Admission €7; under-18s €4. Veliki Tabor castle (Zagorje) Located in the Zagorje region of Croatia, about an hour’s drive f

In mainly Catholic Croatia, Easter is a time of tradition, family and food. The most immediately colourful and eye-catching example is the dyeing, hand-painting and decorating of hard-boiled eggs. Known as pisanice, these are then brought to the family dining table on Easter Sunday, gifted as a symbol of love and brightening up the breakfast spread. Particularly fun is the tradition of egg battles, where each person takes an egg, pairs off and lightly taps theirs against their opponent’s. The victor is the one whose shell remains intact – or the least damaged. Dusko Jaramaz/PIXSELL'Egg battle' for Easter Ham is the main star of the first meal on Easter Sunday, usually a whole joint that has been smoked and boiled to delicious results. Paired with spring onions and horseradish, it is often supplement in many families with a spread of sliced cured meats and, of course, those colourfully boiled eggs, though customs may vary. More observant Catholics will often take their Sunday breakfast foods to be blessed by their church the night before. After this hearty breakfast, various traditional Easter breads make an appearance. In Istria and Dalmatia particularly, the sweet, rich pinca is the likely choice, while the savoury vrtanj is more common in the Zagorje region. Dusko Jaramaz/PIXSELLPinca bread and pisanice It’s not just Easter Sunday that has its traditional meals. In classic Catholic fashion, Good Friday sees fish take centre stage on the dining table. The type depends la