The festival was opened By Dubrovnik mayor Dubravka Suica. Giving a speech at the start of the ceremony, Suica said that Dubrovnik's history and cultural heritage had become a bridge between Croatia and the world.
Present at the ceremony were also Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks as well as other top Croatian officials and other guests from Croatia and abroad.
The 57th festival will feature more than 2,000 artists from about 20 countries who will perform more than 70 plays, concerts and choreographic programmes on stages in the old part of Dubrovnik, the Lokrum islet, the Lovrijenac and Ravelin fortresses and the Sulic beach.