5th ‘SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ’ festival to take place in Vukovar on 5-7 May

‘SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ’ festival (Photo: arhiva Organizatori bez granica)

The 5th edition of the ‘SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ’ festival of non-material Croatian cultural heritage, tourist events, attractions and destinations was announced today at a press conference in Eltz Castle, in Vukovar.

The festival will be held this year from May 5 to 7, at several locations in Vukovar and is held as part of the Vukovar City Day celebration, which is celebrated on May 3.

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

The rich program of this year’s festival was presented by Ivan Penava, Mayor of the City of Vukovar, Marina Sekulić, Director of the Tourist Board of the City of Vukovar and Aleksandar Kovačević, festival producer from the Agency Organizatori bez granica.

The Mayor of Vukovar sent a welcome message: “I invite everyone to join us at this magnificent event, where Vukovar, for the fifth time in a row, unites the whole of Croatia,” said Penava.

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

“The ‘SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ’ festival is a unique Croatian festival where, from May 5 to 7, in our Vukovar, protected Croatian intangible cultural heritage from the UNESCO list is presented again, along with the most attractive tourist manifestations and attractions from all over Croatia,” said Marina Sekulić, director of the Vukovar Tourist Board, at today’s press conference.

During this year’s festival, Vukovar will once again become the centre of Croatia, and numerous visitors who traditionally come from all over Slavonia, but also from all parts of Croatia, will once again fill Vukovar’s streets and squares and enjoy the Festival’s tourist, food and wine, and cultural and artistic program which has become a true Vukovar tradition.

Aleksandar Kovačević, the producer of the festival, emphasised that as many as 600 participants from various parts of Croatia, from Dubrovnik, Blato on the island of Korčula, Opuzen, Vrlika, Split, Zagreb to Osijek, Vinkovci and Vukovar, will take part in the three-day program of this year’s festival ‘SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ’.

(Photo credit: Darko Kešnjer)

The official opening of this year’s festival ‘SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ’ will be held on May 5, at 5:30 p.m. on the main town square, after the traditional procession of all festival participants through the city of Vukovar.

The backbone of this year’s program and a special attraction, as announced at the press conference, will be the Lipizzan horses, which the audience will be able to experience through the musical and stage equestrian spectacle “Dance of the Baroque Horses of the Eltz Castle”, which will take place on Saturday, May 6 in the park of Eltz Castle.

Namely, in December 2022, the “Tradition of breeding Lipizzaner” entered the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The breeding of Lipizzan horses in Croatia has been recorded since 1806, and it is also the largest in the world. The peculiarity of Croatian breeding is that the Lipizzaner became part of folk breeding and traditional culture in our country, and the Đakovo and Lipik studs and private breeders in their stables keep and breed mares that are direct descendants of the famous Lipizzaner from the Eltz stables from the 19th century.

(Photo: arhiva Organizatori bez granica)

The “Dance of the Baroque Horses of the Eltz Castle” was prepared for the SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ’ festival by the licensed dressage riders of the Nobiles de Croatia association led by choreographer Zvjezdana Klarić, the main choreographer of the Christmas Ball of the Lipizzaners in Đakovo, along with Lipizzaners and Spanish horses, in this sumptuous historical spectacle hunter dancers and falconers also participate.

As every year, this year’s festival ‘SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ’ has a special ambassador, and this year the honour went to popular Croatian singer Gibonni, who, in addition to taking on the role of ambassador of the festival, will also hold a large free concert on the city’s main square, as a big the end of the first festival day.

(Photo: arhiva Organizatori bez granica)

Along with Gibonni’s concert on May 5, visitors to the festival ‘SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ’, in the evening hours of the second festival day, on May 6, will be able to enjoy a concert from Klapa Šufit, who are celebrating their 30th birthday this year, while the last day of the festival, May 7 the audience will be entertained by the popular singer Giuliano.

It is important to emphasise that during the festival, visitors will be able to enjoy additional musical content such as the music program “drugA STRANA – Hit do hita”, in which young musicians sing and a special ethno program with guest KUDs from all over Croatia, the special dance program “Vukovar dance”, and there will also be a special program for the youngest, with performances and children’s workshops. In addition, a special attraction of the festival will be the large Flower Exhibition.

(Photo: arhiva Organizatori bez granica)

The festival ‘SVI zaJEDNO HRVATSKO NAJ’ is organised by the Tourist Board of the City of Vukovar and Organizatori bez granica, in cooperation with the City of Vukovar, and the festival is additionally supported this year by HDS ZAMP and HRT.

You can find the complete program of the festival on the official website of the festival: https://svizajedno.eu/#!/program