Following an exciting summer festival season and an eventful autumn, the Sixth Dubrovnik Winter Festival will open on Saturday, 30 November 2019 with the concert of The Frajle in Stradun. The festival opening will traditionally include the lighting of the first Advent candle and Christmas lights switch-on, which will bring magical holiday atmosphere to the Old City.
The City of Dubrovnik, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the Dubrovnik Summer Festival are announcing a partial programme of the Sixth Winter Festival, which brings new, more diverse programmes and international acts, whose names are yet to be announced, while domestic acts include one of Croatia’s most popular singers, Gibonni, who is always a welcome guest in Dubrovnik.
Although big concerts on the world’s most beautiful open air stage, Stradun, remain the main feature of the festival, its highlights also include the traditional Christmas Concert of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the celebrated young Croatian conductor Veton Marevci, featuring soprano Valentina Fijačko, Vanna and others, which will be held on 21 December. Another big concert will take place at the Marin Držić Theatre, marking the end of the Year of Orlando in which the City of Dubrovnik celebrates the 600th anniversary of installation of Orlando’s Column in Stradun.
New Year’s Eve Party featuring Parni valjak, one of Croatia’s most famous and longest-lived bands, and popular Croatian musician Ante Gelo with his band and guests as opening act will take place on 31 December. The best Croatian musicians on the most beautiful stage and impressive fireworks at midnight guarantee another unforgettable beginning of a new year in Stradun.
On the first day of 2020, the traditional concert of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra with oysters and sparkling wine will be held in Stradun at noon. Israeli soprano Alla Vasilevitsky will perform as a soloist with the orchestra conducted by Israeli conductor Noam Zur, and they will present arias from the repertoire of the Strauss family. In the evening of the same day, Klapa Iskon will perform traditional Dalmatian klapa songs in Stradun.
Christmas kiosks offering a rich variety of food and weekend performances of traditional Christmas carols and klapa songs on several city locations are a standard part of the winter festival offer. Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy the charity Cake Party featuring Domenica.
The Sixth Dubrovnik Winter Festival brings an abundance of programmes for children, while their favourite gathering place, the North Pole Station, will be located at the Bursa Theatre this year. Mia Dimšić will perform at the New Year’s Eve Party for children, and the traditional Christmas Tale will also take place this year.
