December 2, 2023 – This year’s Advent in Zagreb will officially begin today, December 2, 2023, and last all the way until January 7, 2024. Some big news, though, came even before its official opening. The prestigious Financial Times included Advent in Zagreb among the 10 best Christmas markets in the world.
As Journal writes, they pointed out in their decision that Christmas activities are not reserved for just one spot, but the Christmas spirit takes over the whole city. They also noted that visitors can expect a rich gastronomic offer, led by local delicacies such as fritule and sarma. Zrinjevac, Trg bana Jelačića, and Caffe de Matoš were highlighted as locations worth visiting, and Fuliranje was brought up as a must-see destination during this year’s Advent.
Opening Day Program
The official Advent program in Zagreb begins on Saturday, December 2, when, as every year, the first Advent candle is lit on Ban Jelačić Square at 4:30 p.m.
And this Advent in Zagreb would not be complete without the Ice Park on Tomislavac. Its grand opening is planned at 6:30 p.m. with a spectacular art show on ice and the lighting of lights throughout the park. The ice park, for the ninth year in a row, is an unmissable Advent location, and this year it opens with a program called Moj Zagreb, tak’ imam te rad, along with a synchronized skating show of the Zagreb Pahuljice and surprise guests.
After the opening of the Ice Park, the lights on Zrinjevac will be lit at 19:45, accompanied by a musical program.
The Main Novelties
One is the so-called warm-up period, which lasted from November 29 to December 2. The purpose was to enable location holders to start providing their services a few days before the official start of Advent as preparation for the work they’ll be doing throughout December.
A big novelty of this year’s Advent is certainly the relocation of the contents from Zagreb’s Upper Town. This time around, a new Advent location was opened located in the new Masarykova street pedestrian zone. Matoš&mačke await there. Baš Naš Advent, which used to take place at the Gradec plateau in recent years, is thus coming to the eastern part of Ban Jelačić Square.
