Proving the Croatian Advent experience doesn't stop at Zagreb, the Christmas market in Šibenik exceeded all expectations with 65.000 visitors in December
The Advent programme in Šibenik, cleverly titled Adventura, recorded more than 65.000 visitors this time around, reports ŠibenikIN on January 6, 2018.
The impressive number of visitors makes for a 30% increase in traffic compared with 2016, but also proves that Šibenik isn't just a summer hotspot anymore. The Christmas market joins the ongoing efforts of the City to position Šibenik as a destination that has a lot to offer all year round.
"I'm proud of this special Šibenik story that exceeded expectations of visitors, performers, organisers and other participants of the programme. We managed to prove that Šibenik can live life to the fullest even out of the tourist season. We don't intend to stop here, but instead plan to connect a bigger number of other subjects next year in order to have an even better Adventura", said Šibenik Mayor Željko Burić.
Advent in Šibenik kicked off with a spectacular ceremony: St Michael's Fortress was transformed into a gigantic Advent wreath, with a light beam projected from a turret standing as the first 'candle'. The Christmas market opened on December 6 with multiple performances of Šibenik's youngest citizens, assembled in the choir Cvrčak and ethno-workshop Balarin.
The first night saw as many as 4000 visitors who enjoyed a concert of the popular Croatian band TBF, followed by over a hundred musicians and bands who played in Šibenik during the month of December.
The most memorable moment was surely the lantern festival, a charity event that took place on Christmas Eve. Over 1500 citizens and tourists released the lanterns that floated up to the night sky, carrying good wishes for the coming year. The event generated a donation for the Association Aurora in the amount of 10.000 kuna.
Šibenik rang in the new year with Elemental and Dubioza kolektiv, two bands that played for an audience of 10.000. According to Facebook statistics, the New Year's Eve saw 2500 visitors from other cities, while the entire Advent programme attracted around 8000 tourists throughout the month.
To round up the Christmas adventure, the city hosted an eco-action named 'No plastic is fantastic'. Multiple underwater clean-up actions have already been planned for April 2018, and to help cover the expenses, visitors were invited to donate 1 kuna each. A small amount that might seem insignificant, but resulted in a total sum of 2500 kuna.
Adventura stands as Croatia's only plastic-free Advent in 2017, and the policy reportedly prevented 210.000 plastic objects from getting discarded in nature. Bravo, Šibenik!
Photo credit: Šibenik u fotografiji jučer, danas, sutra Facebook
