31 December 2026 · Zagreb
New Year’s Eve 2026 in Zagreb
Zagreb ends the year at the close of its long Advent, with the lights still up on Zrinjevac and the whole city drawn to Ban Jelačić Square for the countdown. Here is every New Year’s Eve event for Thursday 31 December 2026 that we could confirm on the venues’ and the city’s own pages on 12 November 2026, from an operetta at the national theatre to a Gatsby night in a heritage hotel.
Updated October 2026
The countdown on Ban Jelačić Square
Zagreb’s public New Year is an open-air concert on Ban Jelačić Square, the city’s main square, organised by the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb Tourist Board, with Croatian bands playing through the evening up to the countdown at midnight. Last year the programme ran from 7.30pm; the line-up for 31 December 2026 had not been published when we checked, and the city usually announces it in the last days of December.
The city also holds a children’s New Year at midday, so that young families can count down in daylight: last year it was on Petar Preradović Square, the Flower Square, from 11.30am. New Year’s Eve falls in the last week of Advent in Zagreb, which runs from 28 November 2026 to 7 January 2027, so the Christmas lights and stalls are still in place.
Our advice: the square fills early and the trams are crowded; walk in from the Upper Town or Zrinjevac, and agree a meeting point beforehand.
Advent in Zagreb Zagreb Tourist Board City of Zagreb Christmas in Zagreb
Hotel galas: the Esplanade, Hotel Capital and Hotel Dubrovnik
The Esplanade Zagreb holds its New Year’s Eve gala on Thursday 31 December 2026: a red carpet, welcome sparkling wine and a six-course dinner by the executive chef Ana Grgić Tomić, with selected wines, a band playing dance hits all night in the Emerald Ballroom (relayed to Zinfandel’s) and sparkling wine at midnight. It is €295 per person, with a children’s gala at €155; advance payment is non-refundable.
Amadria Park Heritage Hotel Capital sees in 2027 with The Great Gatsby New Year: sparkling wine and small bites, a grand buffet dinner and a dessert finale, live saxophone and a DJ, roulette tables and a 1920s dress code. It is €255 per person for hotel guests and for others booking by 15 November 2026, then €299.
On the square itself, Hotel Dubrovnik’s Welcome 2027 in Style is held in its Ban Jelačić Hall, above the crowds: a buffet dinner, DJ Urbani Eventi with live saxophone and a photo booth, at €150 per person, with room packages. Our advice: Hotel Dubrovnik is the place to watch the public countdown in warmth.
Esplanade Zagreb: New Year’s Eve gala Hotel Capital: The Great Gatsby New Year Hotel Dubrovnik: Welcome 2027 in Style
Die Fledermaus and the Philharmonic Ball
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © acediscovery · CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe Croatian National Theatre sees out the year with Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, the operetta of champagne and masked balls, on Thursday 31 December 2026 at 6pm on its main stage, conducted by Darijan Ivezić and directed by Krešimir Dolenčić. It also plays on 21 and 28 December at 7.30pm, and The Nutcracker is danced on 29 and 30 December at 7.30pm.
The night before, on Wednesday 30 December at 8pm, the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra gives its Philharmonic Ball in the Great Hall of the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, conducted by Dawid Runtz; tickets are €30, €40 and €50. Our advice: Die Fledermaus ends in good time for dinner; book the theatre first, then the table.
HNK: Die Fledermaus (Šišmiš) HNK: programme Lisinski: Philharmonic Ball
A DJ party with a room upstairs
Hotel International sells a New Year’s Eve 2027 package: a buffet dinner with selected drinks, then a party with a DJ until the early hours, with a room, a welcome gift and breakfast until noon on 1 January. Rates start at €524, depending on the date and the room.
Our advice: the easiest New Year in Zagreb is one where you sleep where you dance; packages like this sell out first.
Hotel International: New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Day and what is still to come
On New Year’s Day the Advent programme carries on: the living Nativity scene, Žive božićne jaslice, is staged on 1 January 2027 at 4pm, 5pm and 7pm. The Tourist Information Centre on Ban Jelačić Square is closed on New Year’s Day. When we checked, the Croatian National Theatre had not yet announced a 2026 edition of its New Year’s Eve gala, and the Westin, Zonar and Tvornica Kulture had no 31 December 2026 events listed.
Our advice: New Year’s Eve 2026 is a Thursday, so many Zagreb families stretch the holiday to the weekend; book dinner and rooms now, and check each venue’s page in December.
Questions and answers
Is there a New Year’s Eve party on Ban Jelačić Square in 2026?
Yes: the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb Tourist Board traditionally hold an open-air concert and countdown on Ban Jelačić Square. The 2026 line-up had not been published on 12 November 2026; the city usually announces it in late December.
What is the Esplanade’s New Year’s Eve gala 2026?
On Thursday 31 December 2026 the Esplanade Zagreb serves a six-course gala dinner by Ana Grgić Tomić with selected wines, a band in the Emerald Ballroom and sparkling wine at midnight, at €295 per person (children’s gala €155).
What is on at the opera in Zagreb on New Year’s Eve?
The Croatian National Theatre performs Strauss’s Die Fledermaus (Šišmiš) at 6pm on 31 December 2026. The Zagreb Philharmonic’s Philharmonic Ball is at Lisinski Concert Hall on 30 December at 8pm.
Every event from the venue’s or organiser’s own page (adventzagreb.hr, zagreb.hr, infozagreb.hr, esplanade.hr, amadriapark.com, hotel-dubrovnik.hr, hnk.hr, lisinski.hr, maistra.com), checked 12 November 2026. Prices are as each venue prints them. Check before you book.