Bož’ćevanje in 2025 brings back holiday peace and warmth to the heart of the Slunj Rastoke destination, a small town situated between the Korana and Slunjčica rivers, in the immediate vicinity of the Plitvice Lakes. From November 29 to December 31, 2025, throughout the entire Advent period, visitors will be able to experience a special, more intimate face of the holidays: walks by waterfalls, bridges illuminated by lights, scents of local cuisine, and a program adapted for families, couples, and everyone looking for a quieter alternative to large city Advents.

The very name Bož’ćevanje originates from the old Slunj dialect and denotes the celebration of Christmas, but in recent years it has grown into a recognizable name for an Advent event that combines natural beauties, local customs, and a contemporary holiday program. The focus is on the entire Slunj Rastoke destination, where the historical core of the town, the picturesque settlement of Rastoke, and the city park connect into a single entity – from the lighting of the first Advent candle all the way to the cheerful New Year’s Eve celebration at noon.

Advent between waterfalls and bridges: the natural scenery of Bož’ćevanje

Rastoke, a picturesque settlement at the confluence of the Slunjčica into the Korana, has for years been one of the most photographed places in continental Croatia. In winter, during Bož’ćevanje, waterfalls and river branches create a special backdrop: turquoise shades of water contrast with the warm tones of Christmas lights, and wooden bridges and promenades turn into a holiday promenade. A walk through this landscape is an ideal introduction to an Advent visit, especially for those planning a multi-day stay and accommodation in Slunj and Rastoke.

The bridges of Rastoke and surrounding promenades become a natural "stage" for photography, romantic evening walks, but also family excursions during Advent. Compared to large Advents in metropolises, Bož’ćevanje on the bridges of Slunj places emphasis on a quieter, more relaxed experience – without crowds, but with a recognizable, warmly colored atmosphere that residents and guests create together every year.

Arrival at the Slunj Rastoke destination is often combined with a visit to the Plitvice Lakes, but the Advent period motivates many to stay longer in the town and its surroundings, take advantage of a weekend or extended stay, and choose accommodation near Rastoke, in order to start mornings with the quiet murmuring of water, and end evenings at Advent events in the city park.

Bož’ćevanje 2025: period from November 29 to December 31

According to the organizers' announcement, Bož’ćevanje in Slunj in 2025 will take place from November 29 to December 31, through a series of weekend and weekly events, distributed between Rastoke, the city park, and cultural spaces in the town. The concept remains faithful to the tradition of previous years: the emphasis is on family content, children's programs, concerts, creative workshops, and gastronomy that highlights local products.

The city park in Slunj becomes the central gathering place during Advent. Here, an ice rink opens, wooden houses of the Christmas fair are set up, and holiday installations and a music stage are placed. Between a walk through Rastoke and returning to accommodation, visitors can stop right here – for a warm drink, a concert, or a children's workshop, creating their own rhythm of the Bož’ćevanje experience.

Lighting of the first Advent candle and arrival of St. Nicholas

The program of Bož’ćevanje traditionally begins with the lighting of the first Advent candle, an event that gathers residents and visitors of all generations in the evening hours. The lighting of the candle in the heart of Slunj symbolically marks the beginning of Advent, and the event is accompanied by appropriate words, song, and performances by children's choirs, cultural-artistic societies, and local performers. At that moment, the town, with the sound of bells and Christmas songs, literally "switches" into holiday mode.

On the same weekend, the youngest look forward mostly to the arrival of St. Nicholas. The welcome of St. Nicholas is imagined as a warm, family gathering in which children participate in a short program, recite, sing, or simply impatiently wait for the meeting with their favorite saint. St. Nicholas distributes sweet packages to the little ones, and offers parents and other visitors the opportunity for joint photos in an Advent ambience. Such a beginning of Bož’ćevanje creates a special emotion and is a good reason to spend the weekend in the destination and with reserved accommodation in Slunj.

Ice rink in the city park and Christmas fair

The opening of the ice rink in the city park is one of the most anticipated moments for children, but also for adults. The sounds of Christmas songs echo from the ice surface, located in the very center of the town, and visitors can relax in recreational skating or watch the program along the edge of the rink. The ice rink is imagined as a place of meeting, socializing, and a short break from everyday life, which makes Bož’ćevanje in Slunj even more attractive for families with children.

Alongside the ice rink, a Christmas fair opens with wooden houses where local family farms (OPGs), craftsmen, associations, and caterers present themselves. Visitors can taste mulled wine, homemade brandies, craft beer, sausages, fritters, gingerbread, donuts, and other specialties, but also look for original souvenirs, handicrafts, wooden toys, natural cosmetics, or Christmas decorations. Concurrently, numerous restaurants, taverns, bistros, and pastry shops operate in the core of the Slunj Rastoke destination, offering holiday dishes and menus inspired by the tradition of the Karlovac region during December.

Those planning an extended weekend or several days of holiday vacation can connect Bož’ćevanje in the destination with a stay in accommodation in Slunj and Rastoke, and after a day-long walk and skating, spend the evening enjoying local specialties in one of the restaurants.

Live concerts: from traditional music to modern performances

Advent weekends in the town bring a series of musical events, from intimate concerts in the cinema hall and the Public Open University, to open-air performances in the city park. The program typically includes tamburica ensembles, vocal ensembles, clap-singing groups, choirs, but also modern bands performing pop, rock, evergreen, and Christmas standards. In this way, Bož’ćevanje in Slunj manages to combine tradition and modernity – the same evening you can hear traditional chants and appropriate covers of popular songs.

Concerts are most often organized in the evening hours, to allow visitors the whole day for exploring Rastoke, walking by the waterfalls, and enjoying gastronomy, and the evening for music and socializing. For families with smaller children, earlier terms are also chosen, while later performances often gather young people and all those who experience Advent as an opportunity for a night out. For visitors coming from other parts of Croatia, the choice of accommodation in Slunj allows them to stay for the evening program without rushing and continue exploring the region the next day.

Creative workshops and nurturing tradition

An important part of Bož’ćevanje consists of creative workshops for children and adults, which connect visitors with local customs. In cooperation with associations, schools, cultural-artistic societies, and the Red Cross, workshops are organized for making traditional Christmas decorations, gingerbread, decorative wreaths, and the particularly interesting "Božićnjak" bread – a richly decorated bread that is part of the older Christmas customs of this region.

Children at the workshops learn how to make decorations for the pine tree from simple materials, hand-paint baubles, or make small gifts for the family, while adults have the opportunity to recall recipes and techniques that are somewhat being forgotten in many households. Thereby, Bož’ćevanje in the Slunj Rastoke destination does not remain only at the level of holiday scenery, but actively nurtures intangible heritage and passes it on to new generations.

Workshops are often held in closed, heated spaces – for example, in the Public Open University, the library, or other city halls – which guarantees that the program will take place even in case of cold weather. Visitors staying in accommodation in Slunj can thus plan a full-day stay outdoors, and then spend part of the time in a warm, creative environment.

New Year's Eve at noon: a family tradition

One of the particularities of Bož’ćevanje in Slunj is the New Year's Eve celebration at noon – an event intended primarily for families with children, but equally attractive to all visitors who want to experience a relaxed, daytime celebration. Instead of the classic celebration at midnight, with fireworks and late-night concerts, a practice has established itself in Slunj already a few years ago to organize a lively program in the morning hours on December 31.

During the New Year's Eve celebration at noon, visitors are entertained by the group Boemi, known for a wide repertoire of entertainment, pop, and rock music, while the Slunj majorettes bring additional dynamics and visual attractiveness with their performances. The program is designed so that children experience the joy of the countdown, confetti, and music, but in a time slot adapted to their rhythm. For many families, exactly this combination – nature, a walk, and the noon celebration – is the reason to spend New Year's Eve in the Slunj Rastoke destination, with reserved accommodation in Slunj for at least one night.

Gastronomy: a blend of tradition and home atmosphere

During December, local restaurants, taverns, bistros, and pastry shops in the Slunj Rastoke destination additionally enrich their menus with holiday specialties. The offer includes traditional meat dishes, homemade sausages, roasts, stews, and winter comfort food, but also cakes prepared according to old recipes – from walnut rolls and poppy seed rolls to gingerbread, vanilla cookies, and various dry cookies.

Along with food, the focus is also on homemade brandies, liqueurs, wines, and craft beers from the area of Karlovac County and surroundings. At the Christmas fair, products from local OPGs can also be tasted: cheeses, cured meat products, honey, jams, and various sweets, so many visitors of Bož’ćevanje in Slunj experience this event also as an opportunity to procure gifts and holiday groceries.

The combination of gastronomy, nature, and the Advent program makes a weekend in the Slunj Rastoke destination easily turn into a mini-vacation, especially if accommodation in Slunj and Rastoke is chosen in the immediate vicinity of the waterfalls or the city park. After evening socializing at Advent, returning to the peace of a warm apartment or room forms a perfect contrast to the liveliness of the program and the intimate atmosphere of a winter night.

Family escape from city bustle

Bož’ćevanje is ideal for visitors who want to avoid overcrowded city squares, but still feel the full holiday atmosphere. The Slunj Rastoke destination offers enough content to fill the entire weekend: from touring Rastoke, walking through the city park, visiting cultural institutions and Advent events, to a day trip towards the Plitvice Lakes or other interesting destinations in Karlovac County.

For children, such an Advent excursion means staying in the fresh air, meeting St. Nicholas, skating, workshops, and New Year's Eve at noon, while parents in the quieter ambience of Slunj find time for socializing and relaxation. Of special value is the fact that almost all key contents – waterfalls, bridges, park, ice rink, fair, and cultural program – are located in a relatively small area, so not much driving or logistics is needed.

Because of this, many visitors choose exactly accommodation in Slunj as a starting point for a multi-day Advent vacation. One day can be dedicated to Rastoke and photographing waterfalls, another to the Christmas fair, skating, and workshops, and a third to exploring the wider surroundings. Bož’ćevanje in 2025 thus imposes itself as an excellent option for those who, after a hectic work rhythm, want to truly "slow down" and experience the holidays without stress.

How to get to Slunj and practical information

The town of Slunj is located in Karlovac County, along the main road connecting Karlovac with the Plitvice Lakes and further with the south of Croatia. From Zagreb, it is possible to arrive by car in approximately an hour and a half of driving, and good road connectivity makes it accessible from other larger cities as well. For those traveling by public transport, bus lines operate from the direction of Zagreb and Karlovac, especially on weekends and in the holiday period.

If planning a longer stay, visitors can reserve accommodation in Slunj and Rastoke in advance – from apartments and rooms in family houses, through vacation homes, to smaller hotels and boarding houses. Due to the popularity of the destination in the winter period, especially during weekends and around holidays, it is recommended to make a reservation earlier.

The detailed program of Bož’ćevanje, as well as possible changes in the schedule of individual events, are published on the official channels of the Slunj Tourist Board and partner tourism portals. Visitors are recommended to inform themselves before arrival about the exact schedules of concerts, workshops, candle lightings, or special events, in order to be able to optimally plan their stay in the Slunj Rastoke destination.

Contact and additional information

For all information about the Bož’ćevanje program, possibilities of stay, and additional contents in the Slunj Rastoke destination, visitors can contact the local tourist board:

Slunj Tourist Board
Phone: 047 777 639
E-mail: info@slunj-rastoke.hr
Official destination website: slunj-rastoke.hr

Additional information about events in Karlovac County, including Advent programs and the offer of other towns in the region, is also available on the pages of tourism portals and regional tourist boards, which highlight Bož’ćevanje on the bridges as one of the most attractive events of continental Croatia during winter.