Experience the New Year and Christmas like in the movies

Cast your mind back to the winter of 2014 and the announcement of a new destination as a hit spot in December. Many were surprised when Zagreb was declared the best Christmas market in Europe on the European Best Destinations website, but connoisseurs were ready for this moment. As proof that it is not a coincidence, Zagreb was once again declared the best Christmas fair in Europe the following year. And next year. Three years in a row.

The Advent program of the Croatian metropolis expanded rapidly and covered all corners of the city with a rich program of events, concerts, gastronomy, ice skating, activities for children and much more together with elegant festive lighting. The smell of mulled wine and local delicacies filled the air, and laughter and romance were on every corner as locals and tourists took to the streets to enjoy this welcome spirit of life during the darker winter months.
Even during the pandemic – when most other cities canceled their Advent programs – Zagreb managed to preserve tradition and inject a little festive spirit with a hybrid version of Advent in Zagreb, and the city offered one of the largest Advent programs during the last turbulent period.

But there is nothing better than the warmth of contact with a fellow human being, the sound of laughter, the happy smiles of children at the ice rink or a glass of mulled wine with friends before you head off to explore another event or concert in one of Zagreb’s endless squares and courtyards.

You don’t have to wait long for the return of that fairy-tale festive feeling, because it’s time to turn back the clock and relive the experience of Advent in Zagreb before the pandemic. Because Advent in Zagreb 2022 will be an event to be remembered, with the return of the magical offer that made it the best in Europe three years in a row and which brought hundreds of thousands of tourists to Croatia during the quieter winter period.

The return of Advent in Zagreb in its full glory is perhaps best symbolized by the return of the popular skating rink on Trg kralja Tomislava, which is a real magnet for the youngest and an excellent social point for parents watching over their children.

Donji grad, Gornji grad and some other quarters will once again be full of food and drink stalls, which will fill the cooler evening air with aromas of spices and offer the opportunity to meet friends at every corner.