CroatiaFest

Time

Activity/Performance

12:00pm

Opening Ceremonies and Swearing-In

·         Opening ceremonies with American, Canadian, & Croatian Anthems performed by Maria Kesovija and John Morovich.  Opening remarks by Croatian Ambassador to the United States Pjer Simunović and Renee Pea, Cosul General of Croatia.  Swearing In Ceremony of new Croatian citizens

12:25pm

Tamburaški Orkestar Kardinal Stepinac

·         Traditional Croatian Dance and Tambura Orchestra from Vancouver, BC, Canada.  

·         The group takes pride in the collective effort of all member families in preserving Croatia’s culture. As one of the few ensembles in Canada whose performers all play, sing, and dance. After thirty years, TOKS maintains its dedication to assembling Croatian youth through music and spreading Croatian culture across North America, while continuing to proudly carry the name of Blessed Kardinal Alojzije Stepinac.

12:45pm

Dunava

·         Vocal ensemble specializing in folkloric repertoire for treble voices from the Balkans and Eastern Europe

1:05pm

American Zagreb Jr. Tamburitzans

·         Croatian youth cultural ensemble based in Cleveland, OH. performs traditional Croatian music, song and kolo dance.

1:25pm

KlapaDooWopella

·         Traditional Dalmatian style a cappella singing performed by a men's ensemble

1:45pm

Tamburaški Orkestar Kardinal Stepinac

·         Traditional Croatian Dance and Tambura Orchestra from Vancouver, BC , Canada.  

·         The group takes pride in the collective effort of all member families in preserving Croatia’s culture. As one of the few ensembles in Canada whose performers all play, sing, and dance. After thirty years, TOKS maintains its dedication to assembling Croatian youth through music and spreading Croatian culture across North America, while continuing to proudly carry the name of Blessed Kardinal Alojzije Stepinac.

2:05pm

Rakija Bend

·         The group is made up of six talented singers and musicians: Ivan Mulac, Steve Ovanin, Petar Naumovski, Ivica Hostikca, on tambura, Mate Mulac, on accordion and Paul Persa on bass.  Their repertoire consists of a large selection of traditional Croatian kolos as well as modern songs that are popular with both young and old.

2:55pm

Awards Ceremony

·         2026 Outstanding Croatian: Maria Kesovija

·         2026 Featured Young Croatian: Alexis Natividad

3:25pm

Vela Luka Croatian Dance Ensemble, Ruže Dalmatinke, and Bonaca

·         Vela Luka Croatian Dance Ensemble boasts 29 singers and dancers spanning four generations. It is based in Anacortes in the Puget Sound area but maintains close ties with family members remaining in Croatia. Ruze Dalmatinke specializes in the music of Croatia. This group was founded by an immigrant family with deep passion and intense devotion to their musical and cultural heritage. Their versatile repertoire reflects decades of research and training including many musical styles of the interior of Croatia.  The accompanying group, Bonaca, consists of an ensemble of talented vocalists and musicians.  

4:15pm

Kišobran

·         This talented group is made up of alumni of the Seattle Jr. Tamburitizans. Their repertoire consists of a large selection of traditional Croatian singing and instrumental melodies.   

4:30pm

Kolo Za Sve

·         Invitation for an audience participation in a Croatian Kolo dance, accompanied with music by Kišobran.

4:45pm

Radost

·         Radost - "Joy" in all the Slavic languages - has presented on stage the dance, music and song of Eastern Europe throughout the Pacific Northwest since 1976. The Radost Folk Ensemble brings color, energy and the precision of ethnic culture to the concert stage.

5:00pm

Seattle Junior Tamburitzans

·         The Seattle Junior Tamburitzans, a youth folk ensemble focused on tambura music and vocals with dance performance of traditional Croatia choreographies.

5:25pm

Community Performance: “Ladarke”

·         Joint performance of the iconic song cycle for mixed choir and tamburica ensemble.  The Ladarke cycle is based in the Ivanjski dan (St. John's Day) rituals of northwestern Croatia and the 'koledanje' or holiday caroling traditions of going from house to house singing and asking for gifts.

·         The ensemble will be composed of members of Kišobran, Radost Folk Ensemble, Vela Luka Dance Ensemble, Bonaca, Dunova Women's Choir, and Seattle Jr. Tamburitzans.

5:50pm

Radost

·         Radost - "Joy" in all the Slavic languages - has presented on stage the dance, music and song of Eastern Europe throughout the Pacific Northwest since 1976. The Radost Folk Ensemble brings color, energy and the precision of ethnic culture to the concert stage.

Time

Lectures & Presentations

1:00pm-2:00pm

Don Markušić, Attorney at Law

·         Bring your questions or just take part and learn about the process of legal assistance in Croatia, specifically regarding property and real estate, foreign investments and cross-border transactions with Croatia, corporate and commercial law, and litigation and arbitration.

2:00pm-3:30pm

"Time Travel to Dalmatia" by Brendan Weston

·         During his presentation, Brendan will share some of the most fascinating discoveries from his research and the stories behind the artwork, photographs and travelers who helped document Dalmatia more than a century ago.

·         Time Traveler’s Guide to Dalmatia pieces together these intimate observations to reveal a place that feels at once remarkably different and surprisingly familiar.

4:00pm-5:00pm

"Across Oceans, To Our Roots" by Boris Vilic

·         The Domovina Birthright Program is an unforgettable experience for young adults of Croatian descent between the ages of 18 – 30 who want to learn about their Croatian heritage, explore the beauty and excitement of Croatia, connect with their Croatian identity, and meet other young Croatian adults. Domovina is a unique partnership between the people of Croatia through their government and the Association of Croatian American Professionals (ACAP). 

·         Boris Vilic will present an introduction to a documentary film and will close with a question-and-answer session immediately following the presentation.

Time

Performance

1:00pm-1:45pm

Gorani

·         A family tamburitza orchestra made up of dads, sons, cousins and a sister-in-law, playing and singing traditional Croatian folk songs. The group performs once a month at Tacoma's Slavonian Hall.  

2:00pm-2:45pm

Bonaca

·         Tambura group made up of very talented musicians and singers performing traditional Croatian melodies.

3:15pm-4:00pm

Rakija Band

·         Tamburitza group of six talented musicians and singers from Chicago, IL performing both traditional and modern Croatian tunes.

Time

Demonstrations

1:00pm

Cooking Demonstration: Red and White Checkerboard Cookies

·         Chrissie Kristl and Julie Mustach will reveal the secret behind Croatia’s famous checkerboard cookie. We all love them, but how are they made? They will demonstrate the process and hand out delicious samples at the end.

2:00pm

Craft Demonstration: Božićna Pšenica (Christmas wheat)

·         Many Croatian families grow a small dish of bright green wheat grass during the Christmas season. At this year's CroatiaFest, you'll have the opportunity to learn about this beautiful tradition firsthand! Sally Stefanich will give a live demonstration showing how to grow božićna pšenica (Christmas wheat). Best of all, she will provide free wheat berries so you can take everything you need home and start your own Christmas wheat.

3:00pm

Refreshment Demonstration: Limoncello

·         Karen Zuvela will share a recipe from her “adopted cousin,” Mara, a VRBO host in Dubrovnik who treats her guests to homemade limoncello made using lemons from her garden. The entire process takes about 10 days, so Karen will get a new batch started and provide samples of the finished product.

·         Note: Because limoncello contains alcohol, this demonstration is only open to participants who are over 21. Samples cost $1 (state law prohibits us from giving away free samples).