The 5th Dubrovnik Winter Festival, organised by the City of Dubrovnik, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, was successfully closed! Various programmes of the 5th Dubrovnik Winter Festival attracted numerous visitors, mostly local people. Instead of sinking into hibernation, the City was immersed into a wonderful winter fairytale which found its way to the hearts of all festival visitors, most of which return every year, and they will certainly return again next year! During Advent and Christmas and New Year holidays, around a hundred cultural, entertainment, gastronomic and charity programmes were organised for the citizens and visitors of all ages on a number of locations in the Old City and other parts of Dubrovnik.
The 5th Dubrovnik Winter Festival was especially oriented towards children and young people and, with their participation, around fifty programmes for children and families were held. The North Pole Station in Luža will stay open for them until the end of winter school break. Apart from the Dubrovnik Christmas Concert at Hotel Valamar Lacroma, as many as 14 big concerts were held in Stradun, including the spectacular New Year's Eve concert featuring Nina Badrić and Tony Cetinski. At the very beginning of New Year, the citizens of Dubrovnik and their guests danced to the music of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra at Orlando's Ball, which announced 2019 as Orlando's Year.
The main stage for all events was Stradun, where the first concert was held by Petar Grašo at the opening of the Festival on 1 December. This was followed by the big concert of Prljavo kazalište on the occasion on Dubrovnik Defenders' Day on 6 December and concerts of Soul Fingers on 8 December, Alan Hržica and the Band on 14 December, Detour on 15 December, Hladno pivo on 21 December and Željko Bebek on 26 December, while Dubrovnik bands Teatar, Art Band and Valetudo performed in Stradun on 27 December.
At the end of 2018, the holiday programme in Stradun organised in collaboration with Star Produkcija included concerts of the famous band The Gypsy Kings on 29 December and Opća opasnost on 30 December. The spectacular New Year's Eve in Stradun was preceded by the New Year's Party for children featuring popular young singer Mia Negovetić and Super Cover Band. On 31 December, the citizens of Dubrovnik and their guests enjoyed New Year’s Eve with top Croatian singers Nina Badrić and Tony Cetinski, with young musicians David Temelkov, Jure Brkljača and Marko Kutlić as their opening act. After the memorable New Year's Eve Party, on the first day of 2019 at noon, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra held the traditional New Year's Concert in Stradun under the baton of American conductor Marc Tardue with soprano Marija Kuhar Šoša, entitled Orlando's Ball, and announced 2019 as Orlando's Year. The audience enjoyed music with oysters and sparkling wine, courtesy of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board. One of the most popular Croatian klapa ensembles, klapa Rišpet, held a concert on the first evening of New Year.
The big Dubrovnik Christmas Concert of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, featuring tenor Domagoj Dorotić and the leading Croatian soprano of younger generation Martina Zadro, was held on 22 December at Hotel Valamar Lacroma Dubrovnik. The concert also included appearances of Dubrovnik vocalists Sara Žuvela, Maja Grgić, Doris Kosović, Vedran Ljubenko, klapa Kaše and female klapa FA Linđo. Last year the concert was held in this format for the first time, and judging by the numerous audience and big applause, it is turning into a tradition which will become an indispensable part of Christmas in Dubrovnik.
The traditional Cake Party organised by the Dubrovnik Tourist Board took place on 8 December at the Sunset Beach in Lapad Bay. The Dubrovnik Tourist Board also organised the Christmas Tale which took place on 16 December, when over a thousand presents were given out to children of Dubrovnik in Stradun.
The City definitely did not lack in holiday decorations this year, and special highlight were the decorations made by the school children and kindergarteners of Dubrovnik under mentorship of artists Rajna Inić and Lucija Perojević for shop windows in Stradun as part of the Advent Calendar project. Their artwork was exhibited in 13 wonderfully decorated Stradun shop windows which were admired by numerous visitors and citizens who were thrilled by the decent, and yet festive decorations.
This year's novelty for children and families was the North Pole Station in Luža, which will remain open until the end of winter school break, with the closing party on 13 January. The North Pole Station in Luža was a place of gathering for children which involved workshops, singing, dancing, shows and games. On their way home, festival visitors could also stop by at Pile Park, where it was snowing at noon every weekend.
The programme Colourful Winter in Lapad Bay, last year's winner of the Award for Best Action for Children awarded to the City by the National Coordination Committee of the initiative Child-friendly Cities and Municipalities, was even richer this year in various programmes for children, and it traditionally included ice skating rink and Advent train which was free of charge for all passengers. The programme in Lapad Bay was opened on the first day of the Festival with the performance of the Dubrovnik Brass Band, while the ice skating rink was opened with the performance of the Lazareti Dance Studio. The programme in Lapad Bay included storytelling, the play The Three Little Pigs performed by the Dobrissimo Puppet Company and making of Christmas decorations, while the Youth Centre organised some interesting workshops. Dance programmes included performances of the Convivo Dance and Educational Association, Step'n'Jazz Dance Company, Lazareti Dance Studio, Dubrovnik Dance and Recreational Studio and Lapad Elementary School dance group. Pop/rock concert featuring young Dubrovnik bands Dapal and Bjelouška also took place in Lapad Bay, as well as the performance of the Dubrovnik Children's Choir. The programme Colourful Winter in Lapad Bay ended on 5 January with magicians, animators and jugglers from the Zagi event agency and concert of Nianse and SugarFree. The Festival programme in Lapad Bay was coordinated by the City Administrative department for education, sport, social care and civil society, which also organised a dance flashmob in Stradun.
Holiday Afternoons in Mokošica were organised on the sports ground by the Kiss Cafe and the tent was too small for everyone who came to enjoy the programmes. The first programme in Mokošica was performed by the Kolarin Theatre Company, which was followed by performances of Zumba Kids and Lazareti Dance Studio. Convivo Dance and Educational Association performed Cinderella, and visitors also enjoyed the shows performed by the Dobrissmo Puppet Company and Porporela Drama Studio. The programme also included magic tricks, hanging out with Santa and a balloon show.
This year too, carols and traditional Dalmatian songs were sung on Festival weekends from Brsalje to Gundulić Square, where live music programme which included around fifteen performances of some of the best klapa ensembles and bands from Dubrovnik was organised, along with gastronomic offer.
Dubrovnik Winter Festival mobile app, available for iOS and Android devices, was updated this year and photographs of Stradun shop windows decorated by the youth of Dubrovnik were added. It is also worth mentioning that Libertas buses operated free of charge on all city lines from 17:00 until the last evening departure every day of the Festival, and that X-MAS BUS and XMAS Train were also operating during the Festival.
Various programmes of the 5th Dubrovnik Winter Festival attracted numerous visitors, mostly local people. During December, the City was living a wonderful winter fairytale which found its way to the hearts of all festival visitors, most of which return every year, and they will certainly return again next year!
