What's on in Zagreb, Croatia through the year

Peak crowds — Snow Queen Trophy, Advent in Zagreb

• Festival

  Snow Queen Trophy

  2–10 Jan · usuallySporting eventCrowded

  World Cup slalom races on Sljeme, the mountain above the city, usually in the first week of January. Mild winters have cancelled it more than once, so check before planning around it. Source ↗

Still on: Advent in Zagreb (28 Nov – 7 Jan)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, Spring (Easter) holidays in Croatia

• Festival

  Festival of Lights Zagreb

  18–22 MarLights & fire

  Five evenings of free light installations and projections across the Upper and Lower Towns in March. A good reason to come before spring, when the city is otherwise quiet. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Easter

  5–6 AprClosures

  Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are public holidays: most shops close, churches overflow for Holy Week services, and families gather for long lunches. On the coast many restaurants and guesthouses open for the season around this weekend, while others stay shut until May. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Easter, Spring (Easter) holidays in Croatia

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Easter (5–6 Apr)

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Cest is d'Best

  28–31 MayArts festival

  A free street festival of performers, music and acrobats on stages through the centre over four days around the end of May. It has run for thirty years and is the start of Zagreb's outdoor season. Source ↗

Peak crowds — INmusic Festival, Summer holidays in Croatia

• Festival

  INmusic Festival

  22–24 JunCrowdedBook early

  Three days on an island in Lake Jarun, with a campsite next to the stages and the tram back into town running late. It is the one weekend Zagreb hotel prices behave like the coast's. Source ↗

Still on: Cest is d'Best (28–31 May)

Busy — Summer holidays in Croatia, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  The city leaves for the coast

  15 Jul – 25 AugSchool holidaysClosures

  Zagreb empties towards the Adriatic for high summer and a good share of the bars and kitchens simply shut for a few weeks. Terraces are free; half the places you wanted are not open.

Busy — Summer holidays in Croatia, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: The city leaves for the coast (15 Jul – 25 Aug)

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Festival

  World Theatre Festival

  5–30 Sep · usuallyArts festivalBook early

  Big-name international theatre and dance productions in the city's houses through September. Tickets for the headline companies go quickly, so book when the programme is announced. Source ↗

Busy — All Saints at Mirogoj, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Fog in the Sava basin

  15 Oct – 31 Dec · usuallyFog seasonRisk

  Cold air pools between Medvednica and the river and the city sits under grey for days at a time. The funicular up to the Upper Town is the cheap trick: it often comes out above it.

• Holiday

  All Saints at Mirogoj

  30 Oct – 2 Nov · usuallyNational holidayCrowded

  For All Saints' Day families fill Mirogoj, the arcaded city cemetery, and after dark it glows with thousands of candles. A public holiday, and traffic around the cemetery is heavy for several days. Source ↗

Peak crowds — All Saints at Mirogoj, Advent in Zagreb

• Festival

  Advent in Zagreb

  28 Nov – 7 JanChristmas & New YearCrowded

  Not one market but twenty-five sites, from Ban Jelacic square up through the Upper Town and into a wartime tunnel. It was voted Europe's best three years running and the city has built its winter on it. Source ↗

Still on: Fog in the Sava basin (15 Oct – 31 Dec (usually)), All Saints at Mirogoj (30 Oct – 2 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Advent in Zagreb, Winter (Christmas) holidays in Croatia

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Fog in the Sava basin (15 Oct – 31 Dec (usually)), Advent in Zagreb (28 Nov – 7 Jan)