Nikolas Pfanner

Advent festivities have hit Zagreb big, with nearly every street and public space decorated and filled with stands selling gifts, street food and much more. Here's a glimpse at the biggest Advent celebration ever staged in the city. 

For a small country, Croatia has a cultural scene that punches way above its weight. Examples include globally influential artists such as modernist sculptor Ivan Meštrović, and up and comers like award-winning filmmaker Juraj Lerotić and the painter Stipan Tadić. Tadić is one of the rising stars in the Croatian visual arts scene. His moody but vibrant cityscapes expose a clear authorial voice, where dynamic and colourful human figures and shimmering distant lights contrast with gloomy streets. His out-of-balance and expressionist style uniquely combines emphasised lines of perspective with flat but deeply coloured textures.  Recently returned to Croatia from a residence in New York, the artist now has his work being shown in his home country again after his long exile. Titled The Apple Shrinking, 18 urban scenes are on view until February 5 at the Josip Račić Gallery beside Cvjetni trg in central Zagreb. For more details, see the gallery website.  Address: Margaretska ulica 3. Open: Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat-Sun 10am-1pm. Admission: €6.50.

Known for his intense and realistic style, Michael Mann has body of work that includes some of the best crime films of the 1980s and '90s. 1995's Heat is probably his most widely seen feature, with a career high-water mark performance by Al Pacino. The climax, a shootout after a bank robbery in central Los Angeles, is the stuff of legends for its edge-of-your-seat tension and incredible sound design, which utilised the real sound of blanks on set. His films are more than schlocky action and violence though, with strong emotional cores, well rounded characters, and each with a tightly tuned colour palate and visual style. Beginning Wednesday, January 25 and running for the next week, Heat, along with eight other Mann films, including Manhunter (1986), The Insider (1999), Miami Vice (2006) and Thief (1981), will show at the Kino Tuškanac, as part of a portrait of the filmmaker's work. Tuškanac is one of Zagreb's best art theatres, and this series should not be missed by any lover of film.  For the full schedule, visit the theatre's website. Films are screened in English with Croatian subtitles. Tickets for each showing cost €4 and are sold in the lobby at Tuškanac 1.

New Year's is fast upon us, and to help you celebrate one more circuit around the Sun, here’s our list of best options to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Croatia. Meštrović Pavilion, ZagrebThe Zagreb arts centre will host its annual NYE bash starting at 9pm. Renowned Croatian cellist Ana Rucer will perform alongside a line-up of Croatian DJs, who will be taking the party into the morning. Regular tickets include unlimited drinks, while VIP tickets add a table. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page. BSH events Sljeme, ZagrebIf you're looking for a more chill place to experience New Year's in Zagreb, consider Sljeme, the mountain just the north of the city. The panoramic views from the peak are a perfect place to watch the fireworks without the crowds.  Trg slobode, Poreč, IstriaIf you’re a fan of Yugoslav New Wave and are in Istria on the 31st, head to Poreč, where legendary Croatian 80s' band Prljavo kazalište are playing a free concert.  Istria Tourist Board Stradun, DubrovnikThe New Year's party starts early in Dubrovnik, with local klapa, brass and rock bands kicking off the party in the Old Town at 11am. The following day at noon, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra play their traditional free concert on Stradun. Korzo, RijekaRijeka's main street Korzo welcomes a who's who of Croatian alternative rock bands and rappers for New Year's Eve, including Nord, Whiteheads and Vojko V. Trsat Castle, which has been lit up for Advent celebrations, will also host a Chil

With only a week and a half until Christmas, Advent celebrations in Zagreb are in full swing, and this Sunday, December 18, the city's revered retail hub will close for a massive street fair, Project Ilica. Starting at 9am, this historic thoroughfare will host dozens of events and hundreds of street vendors. Zagreb's prestigious Academy of Fine Arts will open its doors to all visitors for a free exhibition of student sculpture and painting. A shortlist of local bands and DJs will perform live. Zagreb police and fire departments will run a youth workshop, local artisans will sell their work, and cafés and restaurants will open out onto the pavement. With over a kilometre of the city's busiest street reclaimed for pedestrians, Project Ilica is one of the most unique and lively Zagreb events. For more information and Sunday's schedule, visit their website.  Where: Ilica, between Gundulićeva and Franje Tuđmana Park When: Sunday, December 18, 9am-3.30pm

So you've already eaten the sausages and drank the mulled wine, maybe you've skated on Trg kralja Tomislava. Think you've seen everything this year's Advent in Zagreb has to offer? Think again! Streets will be closed to traffic throughout central Zagreb this Sunday, December 11, for the yearly Advent Fun Run. Open to both professional and recreational runners, this charity event will donate all proceeds to the non-profit Udruga Veliko srce malom srcu, a foundation for healthy hearts in children.  Both beginning and ending at the Westin Hotel in the south-west of the city, the route snakes past several landmarks, including main square Trg bana Jelačića and the Meštrović Pavilion. Zagreb Advent Run There are 5km and 10km events happening simultaneously, with the 10km splitting off at Medveščak and doubling back near Mirogoj Cemetery.  The registration period to participate has passed, but if you want to see Santa or the gingerbread man running through the streets of Zagreb, don't miss the fun! Start time: noon, December 11. Start & Finish: Westin Hotel, Kršnjavoga 1.

A new exhibition at Zagreb’s Ethnographic Museum focuses on a unique Christmas decoration few outside the region may know of. Recently added to the official Croatian list of intangible cultural assets, kinč is a Yuletide ornament found throughout Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. Often comprising intertwined fir, spruce or pine branches, kinč can also be made of ivy, mistletoe, juniper or holly. It is usually attached to the ceiling above the table in the corner of the room and decorated with coloured-paper ornaments, mostly roses and chains, Christmas apples, gold- and silver-painted walnuts, straw decorations, parlour candy and biscuits – similar to those used for the Christmas tree itself. Nikolas Pfanner | Time Out Croatia A striking example of this unique Christmas-time phenomenon is on display on the second floor of the Ethnographic Museum. The museum is one of Zagreb’s better kept secrets, so while you’re there, with the same ticket, check out the temporary exhibition of hats and head coverings or the permanent collection of artefacts from across the world, including a set of genuine samurai armour.  Zagreb Ethnographic Museum Trg Antuna, Ivana i Vladimira Mažuranića 14 (facebook.com/etnografskimuzej). Open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 10am-1pm. Admission 30kn.

Advent festivities are transforming the whole of Zagreb until early January 2022, and nowhere more so than the Grič Tunnel. Originally built as a bomb shelter during World War II, this passageway is frequently used by locals as a useful shortcut to bypass the Upper Town above. But Grič is much more than a pedestrian walkway – its central location and the large cavern-like space in the middle have made it a unique location for numerous music performances and art installations.   Nikolas Pfanner | Time Out Croatia This year's Advent celebrations in Zagreb are the biggest ever, leaving few spaces in the city untouched. Accordingly, the impressive new installation in the Grič Tunnel is called Polar Dream.  Composed of hundreds of pieces of hanging fabric, lit by ever shifting coloured lights and a subtle ambient soundtrack, the piece creates a strong impression, making it one of the most unique places to visit during this year's festivities. A banner in front of the entrance instructs visitors to use the artwork to reflect upon themselves and the year now passing. So if you need a break from the crowds and excitement of the street vendors and the ice skating, or perhaps if you just want to get out of the cold, check out the Polar Dream exhibit.  Address Radićeva ulica 2. Open until January 7. Admission free.

The Irish-American artist Sean Scully attended the opening of a new retrospective on his career at Zagreb’s Museum of Contemporary Art this week. With a body of work stretching over 50 years, Scully has created in many mediums and periods, from geometric minimalism and Rothkoesque abstract expressionism to monumental stone sculpture and much more. His work has placed him among the most significant painters active today. Scully has won the Guggenheim Fellowship and twice been nominated for the Turner Prize. He has been featured several times at the Venice Biennale, and his 2000 show Follow the Heart: The Art of Sean Scully was the first major exhibition by a western artist in China. Nikolas Pfanner | Time Out Croatia Before the retrospective opened, Scully spoke for more than an hour, remembering his career and the development of his interests. He spoke about a visit he made to Dubrovnik in the 1960s and the strong influence that the forms and spaces of the Lovrijenac Fortress had on his work, particularly his 1980 painting series Fort. Scully also discussed his process and the tools he uses in his work such as aluminium as a painting surface and spray-paint guns in relation to his working-class background. Nikolas Pfanner | Time Out Croatia After the lecture, the doors to the gallery spaces opened and attendees were free to walk through the exhibition. The works here are representative of Scully’s whole career, with sketches from his youth all the way through to his lates

Famous British comedian Jimmy Carr is playing Zagreb’s prestigious Lisinski Theatre for one night on Tuesday, November 15. Carr is known for hosting the Channel 4 hit 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, other appearances on popular British talk and game shows, and his provocative stand-up specials. Carr's 2021 Netflix special His Dark Material was the most streamed comedy show of the year. Hot off his Netflix special, Carr's latest Terribly Funny 2.0 tour is all new material and will also take in London's huge O2 Arena and many stops around Europe. Tickets are sold out. Where: Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, Trg Stjepana Radića 4 When: 8pm, November 15  

Communist countries are not usually remembered as hotspots of avant-garde arts and culture, but for a brief time in Yugoslavia in the late '70s and into the '80s, a young music scene flourished and produced a raft of legendary punk and new wave bands. Drawing influence from the music coming out of the UK and the US, new groups sprouted across Yugoslavia, Zagreb the hub of one of the most vibrant scenes. The city was the home town of acts such as Prljavo kazalište, Haustor and, probably most famously, Azra. Many bands satirised the Socialist government in their lyrics, with little censorship as Yugoslavia was a comparatively more open society compared to its neighbours. The state even sometimes supported the burgeoning scene, calling it a “useful and friendly critique”.  Nikolas Pfanner / Time Out Croatia The music from that period is still cherished in Zagreb today, and a new museum has just opened in the city centre paying homage to the bands, clubs and years of cultural awakening. The museum offers a glimpse of what it felt like to live through that vibrant moment in Zagreb before the collapse of Communism and the war that followed.   Its opening on Friday, November 4 saw a queue of people stretching into the street to see the wealth of memorabilia, photos and song lyrics. The New Wave Museum is a must-visit for any fan of Yugoslav punk and new wave. And if you somehow weren't aware of this corner of the genre, this is your cue to start exploring.  Muzej Novog Vala Vlaška

Now in its 44th year, Zagreb’s largest book fair Interliber is drawing huge crowds of readers from across the city. Hundreds of vendors have tens of thousands of books for sale in four large exhibition halls. The titles are largely in Croatian, but there are also many in English, German and other languages. These include recent releases by hit writers like Sally Rooney and George RR Martin, to non-fiction, poetry, comics, history, philosophy, textbooks and many more. Taking place on several stages spread out through the venue, there will also be lectures, workshops and panel discussions. A full schedule can be found on Interliber’s website and Facebook page. The Zagreb Fair is a large multi-hall complex in Novi Zagreb. If you need a break, there are food trucks and cafés near the exhibition halls. Where: Avenija Dubrovnik 15, Zagreb When: 8am-4pm until November13  Tickets: FREE

The 20th annual Zagreb Film Festival wrapped up this Sunday. This year’s programme was especially strong, with competing films that have previously won awards at Toronto and Berlin. The jury comprised Croatian actor Zlatko Burić Kićo, Belgian film producer Annabella Nezri and the art director of the Trieste Film Festival, Nicoletta Romeo. Joyland The main prize, the Golden Pram, went to Joyland by Pakistani director Saim Sadiq, a winner at Cannes earlier this year. The jury was impressed by its powerful acting, and lucid depiction of family life and the queer community in Pakistan. The film also marks Sadiq's debut in directing a full-length feature. Special mention was given to Safe Place by director Juraj Lerotić, Croatia’s nomination for this year’s Oscars. The jury cited the film for its minimal but precise use of film language, and the tenderness and subtlety of its writing. And So The Summer Ended by Slovenian director Matjaž Ivanišin won Best Short Film. Jurors applauded the film for its ambition despite the short running time, its maturity and vision. In this writer’s opinion, the best film he saw at the festival was Triangle of Sadness, for its juvenile humour and cutting class commentary.