The 68th Dubrovnik Summer Festival was opened tonight in front of the St. Blaise Church in the heart of the city with the raising of the Libertas Flag and the atmospheric “Freedom Hymn.” For the next 47 days Dubrovnik will play host to numerous theatrical, ballet, opera, art and cultural events in the biggest and most renowned festival in the region.

“The Dubrovnik Summer Festival are a joy, a challenge, expectation and pride. This is a city of history as well as a city of art. There is no one among us who does not look forward to a good show. I want you to feel happy and free here,” commented the Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Frankovic, expressing the importance of measure and harmony.

Musical support for the whole opening was given by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the Zagreb Philharmonic, the Ivan Goran Kovačić Academy Choir, the Dubrovnik Chamber Choir and the Mixed Choir Libertas. And the screenplay of this year's opening ceremony was created by Ivana Lovrić Jovic from the Institute of Croatian Language and Linguistics.

The most important cultural event in the city’s calendar brought together numerous representatives of public, cultural and political life.

With the Libertas flag waving in the Dubrovnik night sky the city is now the centre of attention until the 25th of August. More than 2,000 artists from all over the world will perform in 15 different locations around the city and an estimated audience of 60,00 is expected this year. The 68th Dubrovnik Summer Festival is open!