22.11.2024.

The Opening of This Year's Zadar Christmas Market

In Zadar these days, you can feel the scent of winter, but also a special warmth that comes with the first sparkling decorations and the long-awaited holiday preparations. As every year, the city is getting ready for one of the most anticipated periods – Advent in Zadar, which begins on Sunday, November 24th, the feast day of Saint Chrysogonous, the patron saint of the city.

The first day of the long Advent magic will be marked by a performance by Mladen Grdović at Petar Zoranić Square, a man whom the people of Zadar have unconditionally loved for the past 40 years, the duration of the career of this Arbanasi king of Dalmatian music.

"It’s a great honor for me to open Advent in Zadar! This is an event that means a lot to the city, and there’s nothing I love more than bringing people some joy on these gray days. After all, singing in front of my Zadar audience is an invaluable feeling! I invite everyone to come: it will be fun and lively, loud and full of dancing, just like at all my concerts. We need to warm up, after all, we’re outdoors!" said Mladen Grdović with a smile before his Sunday performance.

That Sunday morning is reserved for the opening of the second, slightly 'sweeter' Advent – the children's Advent, which brings joy to the youngest through workshops, performances, and holiday stories... And of course, joy to their parents!

Indeed, it’s well known that Advent in Zadar is not ‘just’ great music and an excellent atmosphere; it has long since become synonymous with top-tier gastronomy that attracts both local visitors and tourists from across the region. The holiday food stalls, located at Petar Zoranić Square and Five Wells Square, offer a true gourmet experience: from the scent of freshly baked fritters and homemade pancakes, mulled wine and gin, to a rich selection of local specialties as well as numerous innovative, modern interpretations of holiday dishes.

In Zadar, from November 24th until January 2nd, 2025, every walk through the city becomes an opportunity to enjoy – whether it’s with live performances at Petar Zoranić Square, a children's program at the People’s Square, or the warmth of a winter fairy tale inside the atrium of the Cedulin Palace, where the nativity scene in life size takes you back to the heart of the Christmas spirit, and Zadar's artisans offer their original creations. Oh yes! Every corner of the city tells its own Advent story, and the stalls offer not only flavors but also spaces for socializing and laughter... Advent in Zadar is not just an event, but an experience to remember.