When you say "the festival" in Šibenik, there is no doubt which one you mean – everyone knows you are talking about the International Children's Festival. In the local calendar, the "fifth season" marks those two weeks after school ends in June. It is declared open with the raising of the festival flag at the opening ceremony, accompanied by the singing of the festival anthem, "Hello Little Ones." As long as the festival flag flies in Šibenik, thousands of colorful flags featuring self-portraits of children from all over the world are strung across almost every street in the old town.

‍

‍

The festival is dedicated equally to art for children and children's own creativity. The tradition dates back to 1958, when it was started by a group of enthusiasts, but it quickly outgrew its local and national significance to become what the organizers call a "large and complex festival mechanism of international importance." The best way to see how this mechanism looks and works is to take a morning walk through the city, where its gears are turning in every square, no matter how small, through numerous and diverse workshops for children.

‍

‍

During the peak midday heat the city rests, only to fill up again in the evening with its youngest residents and their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, who fondly remember the festivals of their own childhoods. Then, the streets are taken over by street performers from around the world, theater troupes take to the stages, and every festival evening ends at Gorica, in the open-air cinema where the screen, like a bedsheet drying in the sun, is stretched between two buildings while the audience sits on the wide stone steps.

‍

‍

Experience the magic of this enchanting fifth season for yourself, when, if only for a short while, children take over the city of Šibenik!