Cest is d’Best: The street festival delighted Zagreb again this year

05.09.2022
Festivals

Cest is d’Best is an international street festival that has been held every year in the capital of Croatia, Zagreb, since 1997. This year’s edition of the festival is the 26th in a row, and it traditionally hosts hundreds of performers from all over the world who entertain the audience with their musical, dramatic, visual and many other skills. The Cest is d’Best festival lasted from August 18 to August 21, so visitors from other cities had enough time to visit at least one of those days. As the program was different every day, you could choose what you like best and visit the festival then.

This year’s program took place at 5 locations in Zagreb: Cvjetni trg, Europski trg, Ban Josip Jelačić Square, Bogovićeva Street, Stara Vlaška and, of course, Zrinjevac Park.

Juggling, dancing, acting... Cest is d'Best festival has all that and much more

Cest is d’Best each of these 4 days offered different performances by performers at the listed locations. On Thursday, August 18, on Cvjetni trg and in Bogovićeva Street, you could enjoy the performances of performers such as Payaso Solutto and Clown Al Quadrato, which was especially liked by the gathered children, and watch the live sculptures of the Sunshine Lady, Goddess Athena and Himself from 19:00 to 22:00.

Art workshops for children were held in the Zrinjevac park, where children drew animal shapes, you could participate in face painting, watch theater performances intended for children and adults, and enjoy magic tricks. An indispensable part of the program every year, including this year, are the performances of dance groups and concerts at the end of the day – this time the Croatian group Detour performed.

Among the events on the European Square, we would like to single out the Rhythm of the Mediterranean Festival in guests Tastes of Turkey, where guests had the opportunity to taste Turkish sweets, coffees and teas. Jelačić Square hosted an unmissable event again this year – the Cleaner’s Tricycle Race around Manduševac. Namely, this fun race in which Zagreb’s street cleaners take part takes place at 12 o’clock in the morning and lasts 45 minutes.

This year’s art program of the festival was particularly interesting because the workshops that were held were intended as a presentation of our art scene. Art association Ars eventus sent artists Ante Šabić, Ines Zrnc Gregorina, Bartol Grgec, Jan Ivet and Dejan Kljun to the event. The artists presented their artistic interventions on the streets of Zagreb and thus connected the artistic and the touristic. Also, the artists led art workshops in which citizens of all ages could participate, but you guessed it – children were most enthusiastic about them. The workshops took place in the morning from 9 a.m. to noon and in the afternoon from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

As for the dance program, we have to say that we were not disappointed. The program delighted us because we had the opportunity to try Latin American dances to the rhythms of music that simply makes you want to dance! On Friday, August 19, we enjoyed Bachata under the stars led by Anita and Marko, dancers from the BachateaMe Zagreb dance school, who can boast of being the only school in Croatia that teaches the Dominican style of bachata. The day after, we had the opportunity to dance salsa under the canopy of Zrinjevac under the leadership of Marko Brković, known as Max, who, in addition to his dancing career, can also boast of that of a DJ.

Juggling, dancing, acting... This festival has all that and much more

All in all, Cest is d’Best is a festival that is worth visiting at least once in your life because you will definitely have a lot of fun. In addition to excellent performers who will bring a smile to your face with their performances, there are also workshops that your children will definitely like, so the festival itself is also suitable for families. If we had to single out the best that Cest is d’Best has to offer, we would say that it is dancing under the stars, art workshops and a scavenger race, because you won’t see something like that every day. The performers who come here from all over the world are also a big reason why the festival should be visited – you won’t meet so many different people anywhere like you will here!

Your CTC Team, A. M.