Zrce Beach: Papaya Day & Night Music Festival 2009

After last summer's big hit „I Found a Place“ by Barbara Tucker & Playone that was a theme song for Papaya Club 2008, queen of house music Barbara Tucker arrived again from New York to Zagreb to record a new song that will be a theme for season 2009 and for Papaya Day & Night Music Festival that will be held in club Papaya Club on Zrce beach, Novalja – Pag Island, from 15-18 July 2009.



Papaya Day & Night Summer Festival (15.-18.07) Line Up:

• 15 July 2009: Paul Van Dyk (Grammy winner and World's DJ No. 3 according to the DJ MAG)
• 16 July 2009: T.B.A
  
• 17 July 2009: Sharam from Deep Dish (Grammy winner)
• 18 July 2009: Freemasons (After Beach Party/16-20h), Playone Feat. Barbara Tucker (Night)
  

In only 4 years, Papaya Day & Night has become one of the hottest music festivals on the Croatian Adriatic coats and inevitable stop for many party goers. Last year it was visited by over 20.000 people and 80 press crews that reported in superlatives about Papaya and Zrce beach.
One thing is for sure, Papaya will provide yet another exciting summer with even greater line up of guest DJ’s, surprises, live acts than previous years. For sure it will be the place for eanyone looking for good atmosphere and clubbing.



World’s no.1 DJ Armin van Buuren performing in Papaya on 30 July 2009.Tuborg Green Beat Festival 2009: 12-15 August 2009 (last year's performers included Eric Prydz, Joe T.Vanelli, Chris Lake, Tom Craft & Seamus Haji)

• Papaya Club
  
• Buy Tickets and find Accommodation in Novalja, the island of Pag
• More info on Zrce beach
  

Second Zagreb Wine Gourmet Festival 2009

"A great event in a great frame". This is the description, made by an Italian journalist for the magazine "Il Sommelier", of the first ZAGREB WINE GOURMET FESTIVAL that took place the 7 and 8 of March 2008, in the Mimara Museum, in Zagreb. More than 90 international and local producers of top quality wine and food, gathered in the elegant museum in the heart of the Croatian capital. In two days this unique exhibition of contemporary life style, in which oenology and gastronomy represent two essential aspects of human creativity, was attended by 2500 visitors.

The ZAGREB WINE GOURMET FESTIVAL was an opening towards a new market, a business opportunity and an exchange of experience among the developed wine countries and South Eastern Europe. It was also a a meeting point for the professionals (producers, importers, distributors, hotel and restaurant managers, press) and for wine connoisseurs, gourmets and foodies to taste selected wines, delicacies and culinary specialties of renomated chefs. More than 40 Croatian and foreign journalists, and 4 tv-teams were accredited for the festival.

The recent growth of quality wine production has ensured Croatia a leading role in the region, resulting in a development of a new market interested in excellent products. The big success of the ZAGREB WINE GOURMET FESTIVAL cofirms that Zagreb has the potential to become an important center of oenology and gastronomy, with a prestigeous international wine event.

A prestigious wine manifestation will be held for the second on the 27th and 28th of February 2009 at the Museum of Arts and Crafts – the Zagreb Wine Gourmet Festival. adriatica.net is the festival’s official travel agency, with the exclusive ticket sales rights. Attractive packages and accommodation await you for the period between February 26th – March 1st. CLICK HERE!

Carnivals in Croatia

Carnivals in Croatia take place before Easter in pre-Lenten period (February). They are based on on Christian culture but also on pre-Christian traditions. The culmination of every carnival is during a weekend before the Ash Wednesday. Colourful parades and other entertaining events and parties are held all over Croatia.

The most known and popular carnivals take place in Rijeka, Samobor, Istria and Dubrovnik.


Rijeka International Carnival (http://www.ri-karneval.com.hr/) is the biggest carnival in Croatia and one of the largest in the world (some say it is the third biggest carnival, after those in Rio de Janeiro and Venice). Over 100,000 cheerful spectators witness the main parade, which is made up of around 150 carnival groups from a dozen or so different countries. The carnival events are an amazing blend of traditional European carnivals, primarily Venetian and Austrian characteristics, and of elements of Slavic folklore and mythology.

• More information and accommodation in Rijeka
  
  
• Rijeka tourist info
• Rijeka map
  

Istrian carnivals are held in many towns and villages and are the most known by “Zvoncari” and their traditional carnival parades. Zvoncari wear sailor's outfits, i.e. striped shirts, socks over white pants and wide bright red belts around the waist. Fully equipped zvoncari wear grotesque masks made of wood and cardboard as well as of parts of lamb or rabbit pelts, and sometimes have red noses and always have horns. Zvoncari are usually in groups and, depending on the village they come from, use different steps, meaning that the bells ring differently for different groups. When in front of a house or a crowd they collide on purpose in order to make their bells ring as loud as possible. The most known Zvoncari come from Kastav.

• More information and accommodation on Istria coastline
• More information and accommodation in inland Istria
  
  
• Istria tourist info
• Istria map

Dubrovnik Carnival
Dubrovnik Carnival dates back to the 14th century and maintains many of the original traditions to this day. People gather from surrounding areas to dress up in garish costumes, parading down the streets to the sound of trumpets and drums. Jousting competitions take place in the city centre, with men on horseback carrying lances aimed for a silver ring tied to a rope above the horse trail.

• More information and accommodation in Dubrovnik Region
• More information and accommodation in Dubrovnik
  
  
• Dubrovnik tourist info
• Dubrovnik map
  

Samobor Carnival - Samoborski Fasnik - http://www.fasnik.com/
Samobor is a small town just 20 km west of Zagreb and linked to the capital by frequent bus service, good roads, and lots of tour operators, so it is a convenient, worthwhile destination. Very diverse tourist offer of Samobor also includes numerous traditional festivities and events. One such festivity has been the mark of the region for the past 170 years – the famous Samobor Carnival one of the most attractive and biggest in this part of Croatia. Besides, the people of Samobor said long ago: “Fools have a carnival every day, and sober only during Carnival”. Carnival has been a fixture in Samobor for more than a century, and the town really rocks while it's on culminating with hordes of masked merrymakers swarming the streets and a huge fireworks display.

• Hotels in Zagreb
• Samobor map