Zagreb and Split - Cities of street performers

For the past 16 springs, the streets, squares and parks in downtown Zagreb have been dominated by all sorts of street performers from around the world who aim to entertain passers-by with their special skills. Quirky looking clowns lurk around every corner and elicit smiles from the passers by, street musicians defy the sounds of a busy city, acrobats show that the human body is much more agile than you can imagine, jugglers and fire eaters hypnotize with their street antics, and magicians and mimes go beyond the limits of imagination. „Cest is d 'best” is all this and much more, a festival which for about ten days turns the streets of Zagreb's city center into a bright world of circus and street theater. The program takes place on several stages, with hundreds of artists from all over the world, and is filled with performances, music, drama, children's characters, art, sports and other events. Of the interesting things worth mentioning is the baby race, waiters’ race and street sweepers’ race with tricycles, then the slowest bicycle ride, the school of sign language and a number of witty and engaged art installations designed by young artistic talents from Zagreb. A special charm is given to the city by the music stages arranged in several squares in the city center: Jelačić Square, the Flower Market, in Bogovićeva Street, the Strossmayer Promenade, in Tkalčićeva Street and in Zrinjevac Park.

„Cest is d 'Best” is an international, multi-media street festival that cherishes and revives the identity of Zagreb`s city squares and streets and returns charm and optimism to them. It erases the boundaries between the established forms of culture and the "alternative" ones, brings together all generations of citizens through a variety of cultural affinity, because absolutely everyone can participate in the program.

The festival was launched in 1997 and is the oldest street festival in Croatia. It will be held this year from 31 May - 6 June.

Slightly younger than the Zagreb festival is the Split Festival of street entertainers which will celebrate its sixth birthday from 15- 30 June. Street entertainers from different parts of the world will occupy public spaces of the Diocletian`s city and offer passers by memorable performances. Every day in the evening hours, at several locations in the city center there will be a number of performers, musicians, circus performers, artists, street theater, stand-up comedians and dance groups who will turn Split into a cheerful stage.

Street entertainers have long transcended from their original role and many of them are in an artistic sense, top quality performers who leave their audience breathless and anyone who visits Zagreb and Split will be witness to that.


Source: CNTB