The 52nd International Folklore Festival – Heritage and Migration

In this, the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the 52nd International Folklore Festival is an affirmation of the values of national culture as well as the values of cultures from around the world.

The International Folklore Festival is the most respected event celebrating native folk culture in Croatia and amateur folk groups dedicated to nurturing and presenting national cultural heritage. It has been held in Zagreb since 1966 contributing to the efforts to preserve cultural diversity in a globalised world.

This year too, from 18 to 22 July, folklore groups and individuals will be performing representing the diversity of Croatia’s ethnographic heritage and presenting national minorities, Croats from neighbouring countries and emigrant communities, alongside around ten groups who will be presenting the heritage of other nations and cultures.

The festival programme will take place over five days and will comprise theatre and dance performances, musical workshops, performance art, concerts of ethnic music and folk sacral singing. A grand performance on the Gradec plateau, the traditional parade of the participants from Zrinjevac Park to Trg bana Jelačića and a performance on stage on Trg bana Jelačića are just part of the varied programme of this year’s Festival.

As well as these two main festival stages, exhibitions are planned at the Ethnographic Museum,the Etno Art Gallery and the Folk Costume Manufacturing and Rental Department of the Travno Cultural Centre. As well as the city stages the groups will performing out of town – at the Erdödy palace in Kerestinec and on stage in Vrbovec and Zaprešić, as well as at the international festival in Beltinci in Slovenia.