The 19th Festival of Tolerance Zadar

The 19th Festival of Tolerance took place in Zadar from 22–24 October 2025 within the Sound of Diversity (SoD) programme under the CERV – Networks of Towns strand. As a culturally diverse city without an independent cinema, Zadar gained meaningful access to human-rights-oriented and intercultural programming. The event included educational film screenings, artistic presentations, moderated dialogue formats, expert discussions and transnational partner cooperation. Key activities were the concert Life Is Impossible Without Music, the SoD Open Stage, the SoD Partners’ Meeting, the screening of Hacking Hate and an expert panel on digital extremism. Participants also joined an intercultural city walk focused on minority heritage, followed by a structured debriefing session.

Sound of Diversity joined the Festival of Tolerance in Zadar as its 5th international event, bringing together artists, citizens, city practitioners and policy-oriented experts from across Europe. The SoD strand contributed to the Festival’s mission of promoting dialogue, understanding and active citizenship through culture, and introduced the SoD Stage as an open and participatory space dedicated to diversity, inclusion and EU values in action. 

All activities were implemented in situ in Zadar’s historic centre, within the Knezeva palace and Providur’s palace complex (Concert Hall, Multimedia Hall and Polyvalent Hall). The event design combined film screenings with facilitated partner meetings, educational inputs (including refugee integration in cooperation with UNHCR Croatia), thematic public discussions and an expert panel on digital extremism, as well as a guided city tour focused on cultural heritage and minority histories.