December 30, 2022 - This year, many Croatian cities gave up fireworks for the New Year celebration, including Rijeka, Osijek, Varaždin, Pula, Rovinj, Labin, Čazma, Cres, Mali Lošinj, Opatija, Poreč, Samobor, Zabok. The Zagreb New Year celebrations will join the praise-worthy initiative to support the health and wellness of pets and animals by using alternative means of spreading cheer and joy.

As Poslovni writes, Zagreb is joining the list of cities without fireworks on New Year's Eve, after all. Instead, the people of Zagreb will welcome the New Year with colourful confetti, visual effects, and a rich musical program, as announced by the Mayor's Office on Thursday.

The City of Zagreb decided to join the initiative of several cities in Croatia, including Rijeka, Osijek, Pula, Zabok, Rovinj, Opatija, Poreč, Čazma, Samobor, and Labin, and gave up the New Year's Eve fireworks organised by the City. Instead, the citizens will welcome the New Year with colourful confetti, visual effects, and a rich musical program at the Ban Josip Jelačić Square.

"Even though we had already communicated that we would proceed with the New Year's fireworks because they were already contracted, we still managed to find another solution this week, thanks to the understanding shown by the contracted company," the statement said.

The New Year's Eve program starts at Ban Josip Jelačić Square on December 31 at 7 p.m., with a warm-up with DJ Kiki B., and at 9:15 p.m. young talents of Croatian music, some of the performers from the popular music shows The Voice and A Strana. The famous band Pips, Chips & Videoclips will perform from 11 p.m. until after midnight, and after midnight, Nipplepeople will take the stage.

On New Year's Eve, Mayor Tomislav Tomašević will visit the on-call services, which include the shelter for the homeless, emergency services, firefighters, and the police, and celebrate the New Year with fellow citizens at Ban Jelačić Square.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, January 1, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has released his New Year message wishing the Croatians in the country and abroad a happy and successful 2019, and recalling the measures his cabinet has taken in the outgoing year to raise the living standards.

In this context, he underscores a marked reduction of the tax burden which consequently has led to growing employment, higher salaries and better consumption, all of which has facilitated the economic growth.

In his New Year message, Prime Minister Plenković recalls that as of the start of the new year, Croatians will pay lower Value Added Tax on food and certain products, which will enable them to have a higher disposable income. "We wish for all Croatian people to live a decent life and therefore we advocate a higher social solidarity."

"We have increased the minimum wage to 3,000 kuna and pensions by 6 percent. A set of measures have helped over 50,000 citizens to have their bank accounts unblocked," he says.

Our future are our young people. Therefore, we are investing a lot in education and raising scholarships. The curricular reform is supposed to provide young people with high-quality education which will be conducive to their efforts to find jobs, he said.

Furthermore, the prime minister expresses his satisfaction with statistical figures indicating that negative birth growth has been halted. Thus in the first ten months of this year, 351 more babies were born than last year, according to Plenković's message.

We are expanding a set of measures aimed at the demographic revitalisation and at attracting Croatian expats to return to the homeland, he says.

Croatian prime minister also says that his cabinet is aware that the results in some fields have been better, whereas it is necessary to take additional efforts in some other fields. In this context, he points out the endeavours to achieve an even and balanced development in all corners of Croatia.

"In the year ahead of us, we are going to pay particular attention to strengthening citizens' confidence in the independence and efficiency of institutions. In that way, we will encourage a sense of justice and optimism in our society," the premier says.

Croatia will intensify its preparations for assuming the rotating presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2020 and for membership in the Schengen zone.

Let us together continue building a better and more prosperous Croatia. I wish you health and well-being, success and happiness in 2019, Plenković concludes in his message.

More news on the Croatian politics can be found in our dedicated section.

ZAGREB, December 31, 2018 - The traditional farewell party for the New Year's Eve was held in Fužine at noon on Monday, and a few thousand revellers gathered in that town in the Rijeka hinterland on this occasion.

Apart from Fužine, some other municipalities and town organised open-air parties at noon on the last day of 2018.

Thus, the coastal town of Novi Vinodolski saw a five thousand guests swarming the squares and streets for the noon party at which 2018 was seen off and the new 2019 was welcomed a few hours before the formal beginning of the New Year Eve.

The noon parties, which especially attracted children, were organised in the capital city of Zagreb, and Ogulin.

Revellers enjoyed local cuisine and wines, and entertainment programmes were prepared for the youngest audience.

In Novi Vinodolski, the local meat stew was served to guests.

Events such as a balloons release were organised in Fužine and in Ogulin where children could ride free of charge a special children train.

For more news, visit our Lifestyle section.

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