Rijeka's Tobogan Festival wins Creative Cities of Croatia Award

The City of Rijeka and the Tobogan Festival have been awarded the 2026 Creative Cities of Croatia Award. The honor was presented in the category of creative and innovative infrastructural projects that activate existing spaces for artistic and cultural programming.

Tobogan is an interdisciplinary festival designed for children, youth, and parents. It operates through the collaboration of various municipal cultural institutions, connecting different locations within the Benčić Art Quarter—including the Children's House, the Rikard Benčić complex courtyard, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Sugar Palace, and the new Rijeka City Library building—into a unified cultural and educational program.

The jury recognized the project for its ability to link urban spaces with artistic content, opening these areas to the local community through workshops, performances, exhibitions, and film screenings. The award was accepted by Kristian Benić, a marketing and project associate for the Rijeka City Library.