The New Year will start in style with a spectacular concert by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra at midday in the heart of the Old City. This traditional concert will be even more special this year with sparkling wine and oysters for the audience, seems like a fine way to welcome in 2018.

The program of this year's concert will feature famous opera arias, waltzes and polka. The orchestra will be led by the award-winning conductor Ivan Josip Skender, while the soprano Nikolina Pinko will perform as a soloist.

The Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and this year will treat all visitors with the music of G. Puccini, J. Strauss, G. Verdi and other great composers, and with music, citizens will have the opportunity to celebrate with oysters and sparkling wine organized by the Dubrovnik Tourist Board.

The popular low-cost air carrier Ryanair has released a promotional video about Zadar on its You Tube channel.

‘’Explore Zadar’’ is a two-minute promo video about the city of Zadar which presents the natural and cultural beauty of the Dalmatian city. The video is posted on the Ryanair Travel Blog ‘’Into the Blue’’.

Apart from the well-known symbols of the city such as the Sea Organ (Morske orgulje) and the Greeting to the Sun (Pozdrav suncu), the video also featured the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Ancient Glass, the Rector’s Palace, as well as the city’s gastronomic offer and tourist offer, which includes exploring Zadar by bike, caving, a visit to the unspoiled nature of the National Park Paklenica, a photo safari on the Velebit mountain etc.

As part of the organization of the New Year's Eve celebrations there will be special traffic and parking regulations in place for the biggest night of the year. From 8.00pm on the 31st of December to 5.00am on the 1st of January 2018 certain traffic regulations will be in force, announced the organisers.

The following streets in the city will be closed:
• Zagrebacka Street (from the public garage to fire station)
• Petra Krešimira IV. (from the fire brigade station to the crossing with the Frano Suplia street)
• Frana Supila (from Petar Kresimir IV to Ploče),
• Iza Grada (from Ploče to Pile),
• Branitelja Dubrovnika (from Pile to the crossroads at the Health Centre)

Public buses (buses and coaches), buses of tourist agencies, emergency vehicles and vehicles with special permission are excluded from the bans.

The organisers have also announced that on New Year’s Eve parking will be free of charge, from 7.00pm to 7.00am on the 1st of January in the Port of Dubrovnik. A good idea to leave your vehicles in this parking and catch a bus into the city.

The European Union statistics bureau Eurostat has published data on the tax burden in EU member countries in 2016.

According to the usual indicator of the share of tax revenue and GDP contribution, Croatia placed in the middle of the EU tax burden scale in 2016. Such a position was often interpreted as an argument for justifying the introduction of additional or defending existing taxes.

The data also shows that France, Denmark and Belgium are the developed countries with the highest tax burden.

Most developed countries have a relatively high tax burden due to financing a larger share of public spending in GDP. The regularity that more developed countries have a higher level of public spending in the public finances and in the political economy is explained by the so-called Wagner law. This ‘’law’’ states that the economic and social progress of a country is regularly linked to the expansion of state activities (culture, welfare, etc.) which results in an absolute and relative increase in government expenditures.

According to Eurostat, Croatia is among the top five most burdened EU countries along with Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. This indicator also clearly outlines the real tax burden in developed countries, which is not that high in comparison to the level of the development (Germany, Belgium, Italy and Austria placed at the bottom of the scale).

A famous prop from the megapopular HBO series is currently being exhibited in the Croatian capital.

All the fans of the hit TV series that are visiting Croatia and Zagreb during the festive period have a great opportunity to sit on the famous Iron Throne from ''Game of Thrones'' and take memorable photos.

The Iron Throne is currently displayed at Here Be Dragons Enchanted City at ''Fuliranje'' as part of the Advent fair in Zagreb where it will remain displayed until the 1st of January 2018.

HBO GO, an online streaming video service that enables watching the best TV series, hit films and cartoons, supported the arrival of the Iron Throne in Zagreb as well as the project Here Be Dragons Enchanted City.

During the last week there were 15 traffic accidents in the area of Police Administration of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. In eight of them there were injured persons – five with serious injuries and six with less serious injuries, while the other seven accidents had only material damage. 

By carrying out traffic control measures, police officers have taken 401 repressive measures, out of which there were 123 measures taken due to speeding, 48 measures taken due to improper stop and parking, 70 offenses due to non-use of the seat belt, 28 measures taken against drivers who did turn on the day or short lights and 22 measures taken against drivers driving the vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

Great program of the Dubrovnik Winter Festival continues this week on several locations throughout the city. The colorfoul winter at the Lapad Bay will host Dubrovnik Gymnastic Studio today at 3 pm, on the promenade next to fountain. After them, Karolina Mezei and Antun,Mara and Antonia will have a concert. Tomorrow, on Thursday, at the same place the Dubrovnik Dance and Recreation Studio will perform, followed by Backstage Boys and The Bourbons.

In the Teddy Bear Park, located at Park Pile, there will be a children's play ''In search of Santa Claus'' today and tomorrow, performed by the drama studio Porporela, starting at 5 pm.

Vocal group Ragusa will perform tonight at 8 pm on the Gundulic Square and tomorrow, Valetudo will get that honor.
On Friday, December 29th, at the Lapad Bay numerous dancers will have a joint performance - the collaboration of all dance studios in Dubrovnik area at 3 pm.

After that, at 5 pm, there will be a really important, humanitarian concert ‘Rokcek – Tribute to Alan’, at the tennis courts of Lapad. A great number of Dubrovnik bands will perform to honor the great Dubrovnik musician that lost his fight with cancer this year – Alan Lasic. The bands that will perform are: Ad Libidum, Art, Banditten Strasse, Bjelouska, Dapal, DaRiva, Embassy 516, Kase, Lapadske tratincice, Mystica, Teatar and Valetudo. The humanitarian purpose of the concert was determined for the association Zajedno do zdravlja (Together To Health).

On Saturday, December 30, the program of Colorful Winters at Lapad Bay will be ended with the dance performances of the dance studio Step & Jazz and two concerts by Funky Monkey and Kisne gliste, as well as Mihael Staka and Senko Custovic.
Saturday evening is reserved for the vocal group Ragusavecchia, that will play all around the Old City, after which the concert at Stradun will be held by the popular band The Frajle, starting at 9 pm.

Traditional Christmas concert 'Adeste fideles' that's been held continuously since 1991, is organized this year at the same place and same time like every year: 27th of December, 8 pm, Franciscan Church.

Participants are Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the Libertas Choir, the Dubrovnik Chamber Choir, Cathedral madrigalists, female choir Divona, vocal groups Atlant and Kase and soloists – sopranos Paulina Dapo and Laura Hladilo and tenor Stijepo Gled Markos. Atlant choir and soprano Paulina Dapo. Performances of traditional Christmas carols and tunes like Kyrie Eleison, Ave Maria, Joy to the world and others will be conducted by Margit Cetinic, Maja Marusic, Frano Krasovac and Viktor Lenert.

With this concert, Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and choirs traditionally congratulate citizens and their guests Christmas, so the entrance to the concert is free.