Theatre for Children: 19th International Naj, Naj, Naj Festival

For the nineteenth time, the Festival will gather the best theatre production for children from 24 to 28 April. This year it will also be remembered for welcoming a show from Africa.

From 24 to 28 April, during spring break, the 19^th International Naj, Naj, Naj festival will take place in Zagreb and gather professional children’s theatres from Croatia, but also from abroad. The organiser of the Festival, which was founded in 2001and which became international in 2007, is City Theatre Žar ptica.

Over the past eighteen years 263 shows were put on at the Festival, 57 of which came from foreign countries such as Spain, Russia, Japan, the Republic of Yakutia, South Korea, Lithuania, Israel, Finland, Belgium, France, Italy, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia and Bulgaria. The shows were seen by more than 73 thousand spectators combined at previous festival editions.

Apart from Croatian theatres from Čakovec, Rijeka, Split, Zadar, Zagreb and Delnice, theatres from Uganda, Austria and Georgia are going to perform at the Festival for the very first time. It is also for the very first time that the Festival will be hosting a theatre from Africa.

The motto of this year’s Festival is “Let the Earth be a home to us all” so selected shows, each in its own way, will provoke thinking about where we belong on the planet Earth, about our differences and accepting others.

The entrance to all shows, six from Croatia and three from abroad, is free of charge. The shows will take place on several locations in the city and the tickets are to be collected an hour before the start.

This Festival, which is famous in Croatia but also in the region, is also a contest so a jury consisting of renowned theatre critics will award a golden sculpture entitled Zlatna Žar ptica to the most successful shows, authors and performers.