A rich musical, entertainment, gastronomic and children's program awaits all visitors to Dubrovnik at this year's 11th edition of the Dubrovnik Winter Festival! From November 30th to January 6th, 2025, the entire city will shine in its festive attire, and it officially begins this Saturday, November 30th, 2024, at 7 p.m. with the switching on of decorative holiday lighting and thousands of lights, and at the opening, you can expect a concert by the popular Jelena Rozga.
Throughout the entire duration of the festival, a diverse entertainment program will be held from week to week, offering a host of magical events. The youngest will be delighted by the Christmas Fairy Tale of Santa Claus from Lapland organized by the Dubrovnik City Tourist Board. Cheerful assistants will help the main character arrive on a snow sleigh from Finland directly to the Rector's Palace for gatherings from 3 p.m. during the first three days of this year's DZF.
On Saturday morning, thematic tourist tours of the City in Croatian and English will begin, also organized by the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, and at 9:30 a.m. (English) and 12:30 p.m. (Croatian) free tours will depart from in front of the TIC in Pile. To make Saturday morning in the City unforgettable, from 11:30 a.m. in front of the Church of St. Blaise, Dubrovnik residents and their guests can enjoy folklore performances by various groups.
As part of the Colorful Winter in Lapad Bay, the youngest will have the opportunity to become "Little Designers" from 10 a.m. and participate in a Christmas card making workshop led by the Dubrovnik Audiovisual Center (Esperanza Café), followed by a puppet show "Little Red Riding Hood on the Way to Grandma's" performed by Aster Dubrovnik (stage by the fountain). At 12 a.m. there will be a painting workshop “North Pole” by Art Studio Kantunić, and at 1 p.m. the rich program will conclude with “Knave for Children and Youth” by Aero Club Nimbus (beach in Lapad Bay).
In addition to the Colorful Winter in the Bay, employees and associates of the Board of Education, Sports, Social Welfare and Civil Society of the City of Dubrovnik have also organized numerous events for children and youth in the Parish of the Holy Savior in Mokošica. From 1:30 p.m., Christmas decorations will be made from plaster under the leadership of the parish Caritas, and at 3:30 p.m. there will be a workshop for children: “Lighting Christmas Cards” under the leadership of the Futura association and the Technical Culture Society of the City of Dubrovnik. The puppet show “Little Red Riding Hood on the Way to Grandma” will be performed at 5 p.m., and at 6 p.m. the opening of the program will be graced by a performance by the choir of the Parish of the Holy Savior (Square in front of the Parish of the Holy Savior).
Sunday, December 1st will begin with a Christmas fairy tale by Santa Claus from Lapland from 3 p.m. at the Rector's Palace. From 4 p.m., enjoy a free thematic guided tour "The Golden Age of Dubrovnik", led by employees and associates of the Marin Držić House, which is intended for fellow citizens and visitors to the City. The program is rounded off with the play "The Devil with the Golden Hair" performed by Aster Dubrovnik at 5pm at the Marin Držić Theatre.
Monday, December 2nd, the Advent spirit continues, and from 3p.m., the Christmas fairy tale by Santa Claus from Lapland will be repeated at the Rector's Palace, and then at 6p.m., the Dubrovnik Libraries in the Lapad branch are organizing a story time and a Christmas decoration workshop with letter writing called "The Joy of Christmas".
Tuesday, December 3rd at the Kindergarten "Mala Kuća" in Mokošica at 5 p.m., a workshop for children and parents entitled "Christmas Bells" and "Christmas Decorations" was organized. Dubrovnik libraries in the branch of the City Public Library will present the children's picture book "The Nativity of St. Francis" by Jelica Gjenero from 6 p.m. At 8 p.m., the band Diktatori will take to the stage in front of the Dubrovnik Student Center, entertaining the audience as part of Advent on Vojnović.
Wednesday, December 4th at 5 p.m., in the Hall of the Parish of the Holy Savior, there will be a workshop for first communicants - catechesis of the Good Shepherd according to Montessori principles entitled "The Birth of Jesus and the Shepherd's Gift".
Thursday, December 5th, the Our Children Society is organizing a St. Nicholas reception in front of the Church of St. Blaise at 12 p.m., and everyone is invited to be part of the gathering on Stradun! The Dubrovnik Chess Club is organizing the Open Dubrovnik Advent tournament at the Valamar Lacroma Hotel, the first round will be played at 4 p.m. and the second round at 8 p.m. The Dubrovnik libraries in the City Public Library branch are organizing a story and reading room for the story "The Impatient Boot" by Željka Horvat-Vukelja at 5 p.m. on St. Nicholas Day, along with a boot-making workshop. Under the patronage of the City of Dubrovnik, a fashion evening for Dom Maslina is being organized under the title "Humanitarian Fashion Ball" at the Libertas Rixos Hotel at 7 p.m. At the Marin Držić Theater, the Kolarin theater troupe will perform the play "Matrimonio" at 8 p.m.
On Friday, December 6th, the youngest will be entertained by a play for children called "Šapice" at the Marin Držić Theater from 11 a.m. The 3rd round of the Open Dubrovnik Advent chess tournament continues at the Valamar Lacroma Hotel at 1 p.m., while the 4th round is at 5 p.m.
The ice rinks in Lapad and Mokošica will start operating on Sunday, every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and even longer on Fridays and Saturdays - from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. The ice rink in Mokošica will operate every day from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.! Due to weather conditions and the optimal temperature for ice formation, changes in operating hours are possible in order to ensure the highest level of safety. The Advent train in Lapad Bay will not start operating this weekend due to technical difficulties, and more information will be available early next week.
In order to make it as easy as possible for as many people as possible to attend all the programs of the Dubrovnik Winter Festival, the city administration has provided all citizens and guests with free transportation on Libertas buses on city lines in the afternoon and at night. Also, the price of the DU Pass, a joint ticket to the most important Dubrovnik attractions, has been reduced from 35 to just 15 euros, and the price of the ticket to the city walls has also been reduced.
The City of Dubrovnik, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, in cooperation with cultural institutions and public companies, are preparing a wide range of events for citizens and visitors of all ages. This year's 11th Dubrovnik Winter Festival awaits you in all its glory!
More information about all events is available on the website and social networks of the Dubrovnik Winter Festival and on the Calendar of Events of the City of Dubrovnik.
The project was realized with the support of Ruđer Bošković Airport, Lokrum Reserve, Adriatic Luxury Hotels and Coca-Cola
