Lush Cultural Experience in November: Zagreb’s Offer of Events You Can’t Miss!
Autumn is my favourite season for many reasons: crunchy leaves, crisp air, the smell of apples and cinnamon everywhere I look, bonfires, eating conkers from street vendors and many events that Zagreb has to offer, so versatile and unique, yet better with each passing year.
Some time ago, one friend asked me when was the last time I did something for the first time and it got me thinking. I realized I really wasn’t taking a lot of chances, I wasn’t taking risks and was too comfortable in my little safe bubble. I don’t know how that happened, but I’ve decided to change that since it wasn’t the way I wanted to live my life. And so, I promised myself I would try to do one new thing each week. At first, I was really ambitious and tried to do one new thing each day. Obviously, I failed because I simply didn’t have time to be so adventurous. I still had daily obligations, a job and other duties and responsibilities that we all share: paying bills and rent, shopping for groceries, checkups at doctor etc. That’s why I decided to switch things up a bit, and instead of trying to do one new thing each day, I’ve decided to make it my weekly task.
Keep in mind I wasn’t trying to go too extreme: it wasn’t like I suddenly started bungee jumping one week and then scuba diving next one. I simply wanted to do SOMETHING, anything, new each week. That meant trying new cuisine at some restaurant in the city I’ve never been before or visiting an exhibition in a museum I’ve never seen before or taking a walk in a part of Zagreb I wasn’t very familiar with. Long story short, I was simply putting myself out there until “doing one new thing each week” became normal so that people closest to me would ask each Sunday: “So, what was your new thing this week?” It even inspired others to do the same.
Musical “firsts”
Thanks to that decision, each month I’m looking for things to do in the next couple of weeks, and I was so happy to see that November will be filled with great cultural events. I’ll definitely visit them; some for the first time, some not, but I’m sure I’ll be equally excited either way. For example, musical virtuoso, Bryan Adams is coming to Zagreb and he is going to perform at a concert in Arena Zagreb (9th of November 2017). If you’ve never heard of him, he is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, guitarist, photographer, philanthropist and activist (quite a resume, right?). Even though most people know him because of his music, he’s so good at photography that he was even given an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in London for his work in photography. He has been published in British Vogue, American Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire and many other prominent magazines all around the world.
Even if you’re not a fan, I’m sure you’ve heard of at least one of his songs, if not more. Probably his most famous song is “Everything I do, I do it for you” which was also a soundtrack for 1991 movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. His other popular songs include Summer of '69, Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?, Heaven. Basically, if there’s just one new thing you want to do in November, why not make it a concert by Bryan Adams and enjoying his music wich is, in my humble opinion, simply timeless?
If rock music isn’t really your thing, how about something truly extraordinary. In November, you have a chance to attend a concert in Lisinski where renowned Aleksandrov Ensemble, official army choir of the Russian armed forces, will perform on 14th of November. This choir was founded during the Soviet era and consists of a male choir, an orchestra and a dance ensemble, and is considered to be a symbol of Russian culture. The ensemble consists of 120 singers, dancers and musicians who perform traditional Russian, ethnic, military and patriotic songs and Russian dances. I’ll be sure to include this unique event into my weekly “doing something for the first time” task and if you have a chance to go, you should too! I mean, how many times in life do you think you’ll have an opportunity to hear a wide range of Russian musical genres including folk tunes, hymns, operatic arias and popular music sung by world-class singers, musicians, dancers and artists who perform at the most important events at the Russian government functions? Quite a few, I believe! Don’t miss out on this!
Drama lovers, hear me out!
If you like drama, then November has something just for you: film festival and a theatre themed day. What am I talking about, you might ask? Well, Zagreb Film Festival will be the main thing in the city from 11th until 19th November 2017. This is the 15th time this great festival is being held in Croatia’s capital, and it’s already considered as one of the trademarks of Zagreb. Novelty is that this year, Zagreb Film Festival takes place in November instead of October, but still on the usual locations across Zagreb such as cinemas Europa and Tuškanac, Museum of Contemporary Art etc. This festival has been from the very beginning focused on promotion and presentation of film debuts and emerging filmmakers. You can check the full program oat their website and choose a film you’d like to see. Even if you’ve already been at a film festival or even this particular festival, attending it can still be considered as “doing something for the first time” since you can choose to watch a movie you’ve never seen before and there you go. You did something for the first time that week.
Photo Credit: TZGZ Download Zona, M.Vrdoljak
Something a bit different, yet equally mesmerizing is European Theatre Night which will be held on 25th of November. This manifestation was launched at the National University of Dubrava and this year’s edition is its ninth performance in a row. From the very beginning, it was held on the third Saturday in November, a week before the anniversary of the Croatian Academy of Drama Artists Award. It is a form of the systematic popularisation of theatrical art at all levels of performance and for all age groups. The main purpose is to raise public visibility and effectively influence the development of the audience. It is being held all across the country, but if you’re in Zagreb on 25th, then you can check out their program at the official website and choose what interests you the most.
Header Image Credit: TZGZ Download Zona, D. Rostuhar
Author: Paula Bracko