President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who attended the event, said that the festival in Vinkovci was an exceptional cultural event that had preserved the Croatian language, culture and customs also in times when that was not easy, "when there were those who tried to eradicate both our songs and our language, and sometimes our very identity."
The festival started on September 8 and ends today, with the procession of folklore troupes which attracted about 10,000 visitors.
The first edition of the Vinkovci Autumn Festival was held in 1966.