An Event That Easily Won The Hearts Of All Generations

"I love Zadar. I've been coming to Zadar with my parents since I was a child, and in recent years, I come alone to celebrate Advent in Zadar and New Year's on the Peninsula," says twenty-three-year-old Mia Vaclavek from Zagreb. The intimacy of Zadar's squares has grown close to the heart of the young sociology student, especially when the Peninsula is filled with the flavors and scents of local gastronomy and holiday sparkle.

"I came specifically for Advent in Zadar and the New Year's celebration outdoors. It's different from the New Year's celebration in the wide squares of Zagreb because everything in Zadar is more intimate. It's also very nice and pleasant at the stalls, and the food is fantastic. The gastronomic offer in Zadar is very imaginative, not ordinary, and certainly a refreshing addition to the Advent offer," adds Mia, who decided to conclude her New Year's and Advent cruise in Zadar with her boyfriend, Gabrijel, at the Winter Park in Višnjik.

"We were at the ice rink as soon as it opened, and it was very nice because families, young and old, gather in one place. We will definitely go again before returning to Zagreb," says Mia, who, like many Zadar residents, spent the morning on the Peninsula before arriving at the Zadar Advent Square in the evening. The entertainment on the People's Square and Trg Petra Zoranića began in the morning when the Zadar jazz ensemble Black Coffee entertained all visitors. At noon, according to tradition, the youngest residents of Zadar welcomed the New Year 2024, while the slightly older ones enjoyed a stroll in the beautiful sunny weather.

As with Christmas Eve, which Zadar residents use to showcase their fashion awareness, the New Year's stroll also offered a plethora of imaginative, attractive, playful, and suitable holiday fashion combinations. Along with the Christmas red color, which, if only through details, remained in clothing combinations, the bravest Zadar women had no doubts about what the winning combination was. Ladies in festive dark, beige, and sky-blue short dresses, paired with indispensable high and elegant boots, attracted glances and took breaths wherever they appeared. Numerous fashion-coordinated couples were also noticeable, aligning their sweaters with open shirts for the festive walk. Considering that it was around 15 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning in Zadar, this was not just a fashion detail but also a very pleasant combination.

The morning and early afternoon atmosphere of desirable diversity and bustle seemed to foreshadow the evening entertainment, which began with the Rockatansky band and Kanella. It was the peak of Advent in Zadar, which will last for another week, a total of 44 days, but it is already certain that it will be remembered for the beautiful weather, excellent and imaginative holiday and Advent gastronomy, top concerts by domestic pop and rock stars, the ever more visited and larger Winter Park in Višnjik, and the best tourism figures that have placed Zadar among the top ten domestic destinations.

In grand style and with a full program, the Advent event has returned to Zadar. Advent in Zadar did not falter even during the global health crisis, but with this year's event, it surpassed its previous records in attendance and events. Organizationally, programmatically, and gastronomically, this year's Advent in Zadar was full of emotions, positive experiences, socializing, holiday atmosphere, and bustle. The crowds on the streets in Varoš and on Kalelarga, morning coffee and fritters at the Advent stalls, the smell of cod, and reunions with friends were intimate and Zadar-specific additions to the event that, organized by the City of Zadar, Zadar Tourist Board, and the city-owned company Tržnice Zadar, easily won the hearts of all generations of Zadar residents and visitors to the city.