Dear citizens of Zagreb, dear guests!

December is the month with a festive advent mood. At the beginning of December Zagreb, with the lighting of the first advent candle on Trg bana Josipa Jelačića, the time of a festive Christmas atmosphere begins. Advent in Zagreb is a traditional event which with its rich programme aims to create a wonderful pre-Christmas atmosphere for the citizens of Zagreb and countless visitors – to bring us the beauty and joy of Christmas itself.

During Advent Zagreb lives in a special atmosphere and on those days on many streets and squares people enjoy traditional treats in the open air or return to the past with themed events.

There is a whole series of events in December which makes our city festive and opulent. Alongside the traditional advent locations you can visit, such as Zagreb's main square, Europski trg, Zrinjevac, the Ice Park on Trg kralja Tomislava and Fuliranje which is held at a new location this year, Strossmayerov trg, we have some new things to announce. We have prepared advent in the Croatian Railway Museum with an exhibition dedicated to the trains of the Orient Express system. And just for advent, the Agram Advent Express will be running, a special train decked out in the colours of Zagreb, with Christmas decorations and emblazoned with the slogan “Merry Christmas”.

Marićev prolaz will also have a special Advent sparkle. And Villa Prekrižje also opens its doors so that visitors can visit, exclusively during advent, in all the beauty of its traditional Christmas look and enjoy a Christmas programme of music. Zagreb’s Gornji grad will sparkle with a special advent atmosphere. Visit the fairytale Advent location on Gornji grad, located between the Lotrščak tower and the building of the State Meteorological and Hydrological Service at the beautiful and historic Vranyczanyeva poljana. With a perfect offering of food and drink and the most beautiful view of Zagreb, make Advent on Stross an unforgettable experience. Look for the most romantic holiday atmosphere on the other part of Strossmayerovo šetalište in “Caffe de Matoš” where you can try gourmet treats made by Zagreb restaurateurs and find unusual souvenirs as gifts for your nearest and dearest.

For sports fans we have the advent race Advent Run Zagreb to be held in the city centre. This is a large international race over 10 kilometres in which more than 20 countries will take part and which aims to promote healthy lifestyles.

In December Zagreb Connect 2017 will be held, a startup conference in partnership with the Croatian Network of Business Angels which provides an overview of the latest trends on the startup scene in Croatia and abroad and which will present well-respected entrepreneurs and business angels as well as a host of experts from the tech industry.

Absolutely the biggest artistic and scientific event of the year is Nikola Tesla – Mind from the Future, a multimedia interactive exhibition which will be held in the Meštrović Pavilion in Zagreb. A little-known part of Tesla’s life will be presented at the exhibition, to be precise it will present Tesla’s life from 1899 to 1943.

Every year the advent offering is even richer, and for this reason we can say with pride that Zagreb can stand alongside other destinations known for their rich offering during Advent.

Wishing you a happy and peaceful Christmas!

Mayor of the City of Zagreb

Milan Bandić