CroatiaFest

Tune in October 2, 5pm-8pm & October 3, 10am-1pm/5pm-8pm for the virtual presentation.

CroatiaFest is part of the Virtual Festál Series with generous support from 4Culture. The 2021 theme, "Where the World Gathers" links together the series of 24 free festivals presented throughout the year, each with a unique cultural focus, identity, and a range of engaging activities.

Seattle Center Festál presents CroatiaFest in partnership with CroatiaFest. The festival is held annually on the first Sunday of October. The festival presents Croatian culture through music and dance performances by the finest Croatian musicians, singers and dance ensembles from the Pacific Northwest, Canada and beyond. Museum quality exhibits tell the story of the Croatian American immigrant experience through historical photos, artifacts, traditional costumes and folk instruments. Croatian gifts and merchandise are available for purchase from a variety of vendors in the marketplace. Attendees can enjoy cooking demonstrations of traditional foods by Croatian chefs. Numerous booths feature authentic Croatian cuisine, crafts for kids, genealogy and informative lectures and craft demonstrations. Visitors can enjoy a tasting of wines from various Croatian American vintners from Washington and California in the CroatiaFest Wine Cellars. The office of the Croatian Consulate assists with passports, visas and official government documents. Festivities begin in the Seattle Center Armory with opening ceremonies at noon.

This event is free and open to the public.

HISTORY

CroatiaFest is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Since its inception in 2004, CroatiaFest’s mission is to promote and preserve Croatian culture and to educate future generations of Croatian Americans and the general public with the richness and beauty of Croatian culture and Croatian American contributions to the building of the U.S. With the Honorary Croatian Consul to the State of Washington, Dr. Frank Brozovich, and the support of the Croatian American community of the Pacific Northwest and Canada, CroatiaFest is able to present Croatian culture, history, cuisine, music, original traditional costumes and dance to the thousands of festival attendees and the hundreds of visitors of the Seattle Center campus.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The Dalmatian dog breed can be traced back to the Croatian coastal region of Dalmatia.
• Together with Spain, Croatia has the highest number of UNESCO intangible goods of any European country.
• Nikola Tesla, electrical-mechanical engineer, is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply, was born in Smiljan, Croatia.
• The Maglite flashlight was designed by Anthony ‘Tony’ Maglica who was born in Croatia on island of Zlarin.
• Croatia is the home of the necktie. The modern necktie that spread from Europe traces back to Croatian mercenaries serving in France during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648).