Good beer, good music and a good time in the heart of the city. After last year’s successful debut, the second Zagreb Beer Fest will be held from 17 to 20 May in the Franjo Tuđman Park.

Entry is free, and the festival presents more than 100 types of beer. The first Beer Fest attracted 30,000 visitors. This year more than 50,000 guests are anticipated, which is why the festival will last one day longer.

Zagreb Beer Fest has an excellent location in the very heart of the city. The family atmosphere in the afternoon and the excellent concerts in the evening are its recipe for success. And this year the Franjo Tuđman Park will become a big stage.

Favourites of the Zagreb music scene Pips, Chips and Videoclips will play their greatest hits on the stage of the Zagreb Beer Fest for the first time. Let 3, one of the best live bands in the region, will also be bringing their good energy to the festival. And Fischer-Z, British band famous for the hits “Berlin”, “Marliese”, “Room Service”, “So Long” and “Crazy Girl” will be performing for a Zagreb audience once more after more than 30 years. They are appearing in Zagreb after a sell-out tour of Europe. Croatian electro-pop duo Nipplepeople will also be appearing at ZBF for the first time.

With the summer season on the doorstep and the public parking company have announced that as of yesterday, the 1st of May, the parking prices around Dubrovnik have increased.

If you were planning to park your car near to the Old City you’ll have to pay 75 Kunas an hour, or around 10 Euros an hour in the Zone 0. This zone is a small carpark just outside of the Old City gates on Pile and is the most expensive public parking in Dubrovnik.

However, the other zones aren’t exactly cheap. An hour on the road in the near vicinity of the Old City is 40 Kunas an hour, or around 5.40 Euros an hour, and further out in the suburbs parking is 10 Kuna an hour. These higher seasonal prices will be in effect until the end of October. And if you don’t pay the parking there is a good chance that you’ll receive a fine, the fine is normally the cost of a day parking in the zone. Of course if you have parked illegally then you get towed, and the price of getting your car back ranges from 500 to 800 Kunas plus fines.

Croatia is trying it’s best to attract more Chinese tourists and, according to the latest figures on spending, this move could prove profitable. In 2017 Chinese tourists were the biggest spenders in 2017, with a total spend $258 billion on foreign holidays.

In fact, Chinese tourists spent almost double the second placed spenders, the Americans, who coughed up a whopping $135 billion on their travels abroad. Third on the big spending list were Germans who spent $84 billion in 2017. These new figures come from the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and were released yesterday.

"Emerging markets have a key role in developing tourism and we are very pleased to see the return of Russia and Brazil, and the continuous growth of India in the world's tourist spending. Emerging markets contribute to the growth and diversification of the tourist market at many destinations," commented the Secretary-General of the UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili.

One of the biggest increases in 2017 were the Russians, who spent in total $31 billion, ranking at eighth on the UNWTO list.

This is a souvenir with a difference. A unique memento of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was spotted in Bosnia and Herzegovina and was probably “Made in China.” A fridge magnet with a panoramic view of the Old City of Dubrovnik with the heading of “Mostar” is the top corner.

The ancient bridge in Mostar is a World Heritage Site, as is the Old City of Dubrovnik, but these two are in different countries. Quite clearly who ever created this souvenir had never been to either country, or either city, but the person actually selling it surely should know better.

The Floraart International Garden Exhibition presents horticultural experts on over 300,000 m2 of outdoor space and 2,000 m2 of indoor space.

From 28 May to 3 June, on over 3000 m2 at the Bundek park, over 200 exhibitors from Croatia and abroad will take part in the 53rd Floraart. The motto of this year’s Floraart, which last year was visited by over 350,000 people, is “A flower in my heart and for your eyes.” Apart from Bundek in bloom with more than 150,000 plants and flowers, there are numerous promotions and talks on offer.

An important part of the exhibition is the competition for the exhibitors, with prizes for indoor and outdoor exhibits.

The Croatian Florists Cup will bring together the best flower arrangers; there is an international flower arranging competition for high school students, and no less important is the competition for the most beautiful private garden in the area of the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County. But the biggest attraction that brings most visitors each year is the garden store selling plants and seedlings. Entry to the exhibition is free!

More airlines than ever before are flying to Dubrovnik and one of the world’s largest charters has announced new operations to the city for 2019. TUI Airways have introduced three new UK destinations for next year, Cardiff, Leeds and Doncaster.

The company stated that the reason for introducing more flights from the UK was the “soaring popularity” of Croatia as a holiday destination. The Cardiff and Leeds flights will operate to Dubrovnik Airport whilst the Doncaster flights will fly to Pula.

All these new lines will operate once a week through the summer months, starting in May, and are expected to be extremely popular. The Commercial Director for TUI UK, Richard Sofer, commented that “Summer 2019 is the most ambitious programme we have ever introduced. We are focusing firmly on growing our amazing range of holidays through an extended regional flying programme, concentrated on the core destinations holidaymakers want to travel to, while offering the flexibility of holiday duration they want.”

It was the Croatian wedding of the year. The best Croatian tennis player, Marin Čilić (29), and the stunningly beautiful Dubrovnik-born, Kristina Milković (28), said their wedding vows in the intimate surroundings of a church in Cavtat at the weekend.

The wedding dress, “that dress,” has been the centre of attention since photos of the newlyweds posing on the steps of the church appeared. The elegant white dress, the discreet makeup and the drifting wavy hair all gave Milković the perfect bride combination. And now the designer of the dress has surfaced. One of the most influential wedding dress designers in the world was behind the Croatian wedding of the year, the British fashion guru Caroline Castigliano.

Caroline Castigliano, who is noted for her elegant timeless classic wedding and evening wear dress ranges. In her early twenties she set up a business in Florida, 'Survival Kit', designing sportswear for women, which was sold in Macy's, Bloomingdales and Saks. And the in 1990, she returned to the UK and opened a bespoke bridal wear retail business and in the mid-nineties worked with Jasper Conran. In 1996 she launched her first high end bridal dress collection.

According to reports in the media Milković’s wedding dress cost between cost between £4,000 and £7,000. Although Castigliano has a couture collection with dresses starting at around £15,000. In fact, the famous British designer even published a short article about the wedding and gave away the information that “The bride looked stunning in a bespoke basketweave silk gazar designer wedding gown by Caroline Castigliano from the Knightsbridge flagship store.”

Today, the 1st of May, is International Workers’ Day and a national holiday in the Republic of Croatia. The President of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, issued a statement to mark this day.

“The celebration of the first of May, the International Workers’ Day, has a long tradition in Croatia. We remember with pride all those who achieved a more just treatment for workers, and we thank those who today, too, advocate for their rights, who fight for the best possible standards for them,” announced the Croatian President today.

“The foundation of Croatia’s development and progress, as well as a prerequisite for young people staying in our country, are equal work conditions and contemporary standards for all workers,” concluded the President.