The children’s Tobogan Festival Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture ended yesterday in a cheerful atmosphere.
After a full two weeks of culture, adventure, and active holidays for children, the Tobogan Festival closed with a picnic-concert in Vladimir Nazor Park, crowded with an audience of all generations. The concert featured Ivanka Mazurkijević & Damir Martinović Mrle, feat. Children’s choir, Kap, who were promoting their new album “Kišni razdraganci”, released by Dallas Records, as well as a picture book of the same name, written by Lana Letović Perčin – a project realised with the support of the Children’s House of Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture flagship.
Ivanka & Mrle, with the help of their little friends, threw a party to remember for all visitors, especially the children, who on the chilly Rijeka evening said goodbye to Tobogan Festival until next year.
The children’s choir, Kap, under the direction of Doris Kovačić and Maja Šajatović, introduced the audience to the big Tobogan Festival closing evening with a half-hour programme of their renditions of various classical and popular compositions. They sang with the accompaniment of Judita Plazonić on piano, Anamarija Martinčić on electric violin, and Anita Primorac on percussion.
Part of yesterday’s big closing of the children’s Tobogan Festival Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture, were also the workshops for both children and grown-ups. Čistoća d.o.o., together with the Green Wave of Rijeka 2020 – the European Capital of Culture, organised “pop up” workshops for planting by using recycled materials, and with the help of landscape architects Bia Gec and Mirta Stipeč and “Green Helpers”, the children and young people taught each other about the importance of ecology, recycling, and greening the urban areas. During the workshop, the so-called “Eco-bombs” with seeds were given to the audience for free.
Lovers of magic also got their share of fun. With a little help from the ArtMašina elves, the children made their own cloaks and magic wands to wave goodbye to Tobogan Festival until next year.
At the end of yesterday’s programme, after the sun had set behind Učka, a presentation of the works on the Tobogan Art-Cinema Workshops was held, so the packed audience saw the work of young filmmakers, after which the party in Vladimir Nazor Park continued with music and dancing of children and grown-ups.
The children’s Tobogan Festival Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture is conceived as an event that encourages children and their parents to socialise and share, meet and greet, gain new friendships and create magical moments that they will always remember; and this year, without a doubt, it justified its purpose. The large number of children who participated in this year’s programme clearly shows how much Rijeka needed a festival like this. Tobogan Festival also shows the orientation and the desire to create events of the European Capital of Culture which will be permanently worthy and continue to exist even after 2020.
The children’s Tobogan Festival presents a lot of things that will also be located in the Children’s House, which is being built as part of the European Capital of Culture project, in the former Benčić complex – the future Rijeka art district. It offers a way in which the creative children of Rijeka will carry the life of this city in the future, as children who grow up in the capital of culture and absorb the creative energy can be the builders of a new, better world in which we want to live.
