(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)
With the 59th Vinkovačke jeseni (Vinkovci Autumn) fast approaching, a press conference was held today in a park in the city centre to announce upcoming events.
Present to share details were Mayor Ivan Bosančić, ZAKUD Secretary Stepan Djurković, City Culture and Tourism Director Marija Liščić Drmic and screenwriter and opening ceremony director Marko Savljaković.
(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)
This year Autumn in Vinkovci started on Friday 13 September and will run until Sunday 22 September. Mayor Ivan Bosančić gave the opening speech.
“I invite everyone to come to Vinkovci, enjoy traditional culture and experience this event to the fullest – a combination of tradition, gastronomy, entertainment and the best hosts in the world. All those who value traditional culture, especially the local cultural associations, have contributed to making what is today the largest traditional cultural event in Croatia,” Bosančić emphasized.
(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)
Stjepan Đurković announced that, as usual, autumn in Vinkovci will start with the County Folklore Evening on September 13th and will last for six days.
Approximately 50 folk arts groups from our county are expected to take part. An Inter-County Children's Revue is scheduled for September 14th, followed the following day by a Children's Parade involving over 60 folk arts groups and over 2,500 children.
“The national review of Croatian traditional folk art is scheduled for September 21st. Fourteen counties will present their programs on the first evening, while the second part will take place on Sunday. The parade on the final day will be the biggest autumn event in Vinkovci, with 75 cultural groups, carriages and horsemen taking part. We hope the weather will be kind to us,” Djurković said.
(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)
As for the concerts, the audience in Vinkovci will first be entertained by Pární Valjak, then in the following days Zsa Zsa, Vatra, Caprio, Garavi, Klapa Lišpet, Ivo Amlic, Z++, Slavonske Lore, Ivan Šebali & Zsa Bečars will take to the stage, and on the final day there will be a concert by Dalmatino.
“The first and last concerts will take place on the main stage in the pedestrian zone, but all the others will take place inside tents. They all start at 10 pm,” reported Marija Liščić Drmic, head of the Culture and Tourism Agency.
(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)
Marko Savljakovic will once again be the scriptwriter for the autumn opening ceremony of Vinkovci.
“On Friday, September 20, we will open this year's Autumn in Vinkovci with these words: 'Hands, son, these are our hands. You know how many memories they contain, memories of our life.' Rehearsals are going on very intensively. We are preparing hard and with dedication. I would like to thank the organizing committee and Mayor Ivan Bosancic for their trust, and I would also like to thank all the hard-working and dedicated enthusiasts, members of cultural associations, actors and collaborators who gave me the opportunity and honor to create another opening scene,” said Sabljakovic.
(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)
This year’s theme, “The Hands of Memory in Šokci”, symbolically and metaphorically places grandparents at the heart of the story. As Savljaković emphasised, grandparents are the repository of Šokci culture and everything that Slavonia and the people of Šokci have protected and nurtured for centuries, providing inspiration for the fascinating storyline.
For those who enjoy fine wines, Vinski Shor will reopen and so will Birku's. The Garden of Ideas in the Lapidarium of the Vinkovci City Museum awaits visitors with small children, while Slavonia Street on Vinkovci's Autumn Square offers shopping, dancing and delicious food.
(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)
Additionally, hunters and anglers cook fish stew, grill fish and prepare “chobanats” every day, which are served to visitors from 8 pm onwards.
“A new feature this year will be a tourist train that will run every afternoon. The timetable and routes will be announced later,” Riščić Drmic concluded, adding that a handicraft market will again be held on Slavonia Street this year, and the Miss County contest will take place inside a tent on September 19th.
