Advent in Zagreb 2026 officially opens on Saturday 28 November 2026 and runs until 7 January 2027. The detailed 2026 programme (concert line-ups, opening hours of each location) is published by the city and the Zagreb Tourist Board in November, so check adventzagreb.hr and infozagreb.hr before you travel. What follows is built on the 2025 edition, which ran from 29 November 2025 to 7 January 2026 with about 140 stalls, seven music festivals and more than 90 concerts and performances, and on the locations that return every year.
Zagreb's Advent is not one market but a walk. It starts at the main square, follows the green horseshoe of parks south towards the railway station, and climbs to the Upper Town for the quieter, more theatrical part. It suits couples on a city break, families (the ice rink and the Christmas tram), and anyone who likes eating standing up in the cold with a cup of mulled wine. Entry to the squares and parks is free; you pay for what you eat, drink and ride.
Snow on the Advent stalls in Zagreb's Lower Town. Image: Croq, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Ban Jelačić Square: the Advent wreath and the main tree
The opening ceremony happens on the main square, Trg bana Josipa Jelačića. On the first Saturday the city lays an Advent wreath around the Manduševac fountain and lights the first candle (in 2025 at 4.30pm), and a new candle is lit on each Advent Sunday after that. The square holds the city's main Christmas tree, a cluster of food and drink stalls and the start and end point of the Christmas tram. On Christmas Eve morning it hosts a choir concert (in 2025, eight Zagreb choirs at 11am), and the city's free New Year's Eve concert is held here: on 31 December 2025 Luzeri, Idem, Elemental and Dubioza Kolektiv played to see in 2026, with a children's countdown to noon on Petar Preradović Square the same day. The 2026 line-up had not been announced in early November.
The Advent wreath around the Manduševac fountain on Ban Jelačić Square. Image: Silverije, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The square is the busiest point of the whole event and also the best place to get your bearings. Every tram line in the centre passes through or near it, and the Upper Town is a short walk uphill from its north side.
Practical info: Trg bana Josipa Jelačića, the hub of the tram network. Stalls run daily for the whole season. Most stalls take cards, but carry a few euros in coins for the cup deposit (see tips below).
The main Christmas tree on Ban Jelačić Square. Image: BorgDrone, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Zrinjevac: lights, the bandstand and the craft stalls
Zrinjevac Park (Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square), a block south of the main square, is the picture most people have of Advent in Zagreb: plane trees wrapped in white lights, the old music pavilion in the middle and rows of wooden stalls along the paths. The lights are switched on as the last act of the opening day. The stalls sell handmade gifts and decorations alongside food and drink, and the bandstand hosts live music through the season. In 2025 the stalls opened daily from noon (10am at weekends) until late, and Santa gave horse-drawn sleigh rides around the park every evening from 6pm to 8pm (€15 for adults, €8 for children).
Craft stalls under the lit plane trees of Zrinjevac. Image: Silverije, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Zrinjevac is the busiest location after the main square, especially from about 6pm. If you want photographs of the lights without a wall of people, come shortly after dark on a weekday.
Practical info: Trg Nikole Šubića Zrinskog, Lower Town; trams stop at Zrinjevac. 2025 stall hours: from 12:00 on weekdays and 10:00 at weekends until late. Sleigh rides 18:00–20:00 daily.
Fuliranje on Strossmayer Square
South of Zrinjevac, on Strossmayer Square in front of the Academy of Sciences, is Fuliranje (roughly "fooling around"), the food-and-drink festival that started as a side event and is now the place locals go after work. In 2025 it ran from 26 November to 7 January with 16 food outlets, from burgers and potatoes to desserts, plus mulled wine, cocktails, beer and wine, and opened from midday to midnight on weekdays. A smaller edition, under the same organisers, set up in the courtyard of the Hotel Esplanade near the railway station.
Fuliranje gets packed in the evenings and at weekends. Mid-afternoon is calm enough for families; after 7pm it is a party.
Practical info: Strossmayerov trg, between Zrinjevac and King Tomislav Square; trams to Zrinjevac or the main railway station. 2025 hours: 12:00–24:00 on weekdays. Pay by card or cash at each outlet.
The Ice Park on King Tomislav Square
At the southern end of the park chain, in front of the yellow Art Pavilion and facing the main railway station, the city builds the Ledeni park, Croatia's largest outdoor rink: about 1,500 square metres of ice, with paths of ice looping around the central fountain. It opens on the first evening of Advent (in 2025 with a ballet performance of The Nutcracker on ice, shown on big screens beside the rink) and stays open every day of the season, including Christmas Day and New Year's Day; on New Year's Eve it ran until 2am.
The Ice Park rink in front of the Art Pavilion on King Tomislav Square. Image: Zblace, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
In 2025 a one-hour session cost €3.50 at off-peak times and €5 in the evenings and at weekends. Tickets have been sold through the park's website; on December weekend evenings, expect a queue.
Practical info: Trg kralja Tomislava, directly opposite Zagreb Glavni kolodvor (main railway station); trams stop at the station. Open daily for the whole Advent season. Check the 2026 prices and session times on the Ice Park website.
The Upper Town: Strossmayer Promenade, Grič and Lotrščak
After two years off for post-earthquake renovation, the Upper Town returned to the programme in 2025, and it is the part of Advent most visitors miss. Strossmayer Promenade, the tree-lined walk along the old city wall, hosted a light installation in the trees; Grič Park had arches of lights; and the Grič Tunnel, the wartime tunnel that runs under the Upper Town, held a sound installation of eight mechanical bronze bells playing their own versions of Jingle Bells. By the Lotrščak Tower there was "Advent under the Lantern", with a lantern lighting and carols, and on Christmas Eve St Mark's Church holds midnight mass.
The Grič Tunnel, which runs under the Upper Town between Mesnička and Radićeva streets. Image: Dudva, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The promenade is the quiet counterweight to the Lower Town crowds and has the best views over the roofs, though at night the skyline is mostly dark. The funicular from Tomićeva Street, closed for renovation during the 2025 Advent, reopened on 19 May 2026. It runs daily from 6:30am to 9:50pm, every ten minutes, and a single ride costs €0.66. Otherwise it is a five-minute walk uphill from Ilica.
Practical info: Strossmayerovo šetalište and Grič, Upper Town. Walk up from Ban Jelačić Square via Radićeva street, or take the funicular or the steps from Tomićeva. The Grič Tunnel has entrances on Mesnička and Radićeva streets. Free.
European Square, Opatovina and the smaller stops
The city also lists European Square (Europski trg), just east of the main square, among the central Advent locations, along with Ulica Augusta Cesarca and the eastern end of Strossmayer Promenade; expect stalls and a stage programme there. Further afield, in 2025 there were food zones on Kvaternik Square and a live nativity in Opatovina Park from 20 December (three performances a day, at 4pm, 5pm and 7pm). The Oktogon passage between Ilica and Petar Preradović Square holds free chamber concerts, and Cvjetni trg (Flower Square) usually gets the most photographed installation of the year. Almost every city and private museum runs a special Advent exhibition.
Practical info: Europski trg is a two-minute walk from Ban Jelačić Square; Opatovina Park sits behind the Dolac market. Some free concerts need a reservation by email, as listed in the official programme.
The Christmas tram
Two Christmas trams run during Advent, decorated with lights and carrying singers, starting and ending at Ban Jelačić Square and circling the Lower Town. They are popular with children and the singers sometimes stage impromptu performances on board. In 2025 evening runs were limited to Fridays and weekends; a daytime ride lets you see more of the city through the windows.
One of the Christmas trams on its Lower Town loop. Image: Matjaž Mirt from Krško, Slovenia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Practical info: Departs from Ban Jelačić Square; check the ZET (Zagreb tram company) timetable for the 2026 schedule.
Food and drink
Advent food in Zagreb is hearty and sold from the stalls: sausages, štrukli (baked cheese pastry), roast meat in bread, fritule (small doughnuts) and sweet chestnuts. The default drink is kuhano vino, mulled wine, red or white; another local favourite is hot pelinkovac ("pelen"), a bitter herbal liqueur served warm. In 2025 a cup of mulled wine cost €3–4 and cocktails around €8. Most stalls serve drinks in a reusable mug that carries a deposit of €1–2, refunded when you return it, or keep it as a souvenir.
An Advent concert in the centre of Zagreb. Image: Branko Radovanović, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Getting there and getting around
Zagreb Airport (Franjo Tuđman) is about 17 km south-east of the centre; an airport bus runs to the main bus station, and taxis and ride-hailing apps cover the rest. International trains arrive at Zagreb Glavni kolodvor, which faces the Ice Park, so you step off the train straight into Advent. The whole Lower Town circuit (main square, Zrinjevac, Strossmayer Square, King Tomislav Square) is about a kilometre on foot; the Upper Town adds a short climb. Trams run through the centre all evening, and during Advent the city restricts traffic and deliveries in the pedestrian zone, so leave the car at your hotel.
Where to stay
- Lower Town (Donji grad): around Zrinjevac, Ilica and the main square. Everything is walkable and the trams are on the doorstep. The busiest and most expensive area during Advent.
- Near the main railway station: the grand hotels around King Tomislav Square put you next to the Ice Park and Fuliranje's sister edition at the Esplanade, and five minutes from Zrinjevac.
- Upper Town and Tkalčićeva: atmospheric and quieter at night, with a few small hotels and apartments; Tkalčićeva street has bars and restaurants a short walk from the main square.
Advent weekends book up early. In 2025 the city reported 85–91 percent occupancy on booking platforms for Advent weekends, so reserve as soon as you know your dates, or come midweek.
Tips for a good Advent visit
- Go midweek if you can. Friday and Saturday evenings are crowded everywhere in the Lower Town.
- See the lights after dark, eat in daylight. Stalls are open from late morning, and the queues at food stands are short in the afternoon.
- Dress for the cold. December evenings in Zagreb are often around or below freezing, and you will be standing outside for hours.
- Walk the Upper Town for a break from the crowds, then come back down for dinner.
- Check the programme weekly. Concerts, the Nutcracker shows and special events change through the season and are announced on adventzagreb.hr.
Plane trees wrapped in lights along the edge of Zrinjevac. Image: Branko Radovanović, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
