Although Croatian capital Zagreb has no lack of cultural events even during the summer, the start of autumn marks a kind of new beginning to the cultural life of the city. From the beginning of September Zagreb becomes the host of traditional international cultural events.

The 40th International Festival of Puppet Theatre will be held from August 31 to September 7 and the 5th Festival of World Theatre - Zagreb 2007 - kicks off in mid September.

The International Festival of Puppet Theatre (PIF) is globally renowned event that, from its very beginnings in 1967, showcases all kinds of puppetry expression. The festival is open to all puppetry techniques, genres and topics. Many puppet plays take place in Zagreb’s theatres, streets and squares during the PIF - from the traditional to entirely modern experiments targeted to all age groups. Besides many plays of local and international puppet troupes, this year they will come from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, as well as from Croatia. The repertoire will feature book promotions, meetings with puppet theatre masters, puppet workshops and similar.

A week after the close of the PIF, on September the 15th, Zagreb will for the fifth time play host to the World Theatre Festival. The event showcases a selection of the best and most innovative world theatre works.

The aim of the festival is to show to Zagreb public the relevant trends in the major theatre centres around the world and to provide the theatre-going public with a window to world-class theatre.

From its first season in 2003,  the World Theatre Festival has brought the theatre-going public and cultural public of Zagreb the works of the top authors of contemporary world theatre like Robert Lapage, Piotr Fomenko, Luca Bondy, Jozef Nadj, Krystian Luppe, Eugenia Barba, Eimuntas Nekrošius, Reza Gabriaze, Rimas Tuminas, Peter Brook, Jan Fabre, Lev Do-din, Oskar Koršunovas and young authors Pipo Delbono, Antonio Latelle, Thomas Ostermeier, Andrej Žoldak, Alvis Hermanis and Dani Manfredini.

This year too, up to September 23rd, there will be shows by eminent artists such as Russian director Anatoli Vasiljev. The Finnish National Theatre will be in Croatia for the first time with the play Varasto by writer Arto Salminen, and associate of Aki Kaurismaki.

Special attention will be directed to German-speaking theatre with the work of director Christoph Marthaler and Frank Castorf and young director Stefan Kaegi.

So, if you happened to be in Zagreb during September, don’t miss these opportunities.