The City of Rijeka published a new tender on Friday for the organisation of events and catering and other services at four Christmas market locations. These are the sites for which there was no interest or no tenant found in the first tender.
The first tender failed to secure tenants for the Art-Quarter 'Benčić', the Principij Archaeological Park, Verdi Street and Tito Square near the Konta. There were no bids submitted for the Art-Quarter and Principij, while Verdi Street and Tito Square remained without a tenant due to failed negotiations. In total, the City of Rijeka announced six locations for Christmas this year, but tenants were only secured for the Rijeka Resolution Square and Korzo.
The company Promocija has leased the Rijeka Resolution Square, while the company Thorax will organise the Christmas offer on Korzo. Bids for the remaining four locations must be received by 10 November at 9:00, and the tender is open for a total of five days. Selected bidders must commence catering services and programmes from 28 November to 3 January 2027, except for the Art-Quarter 'Benčić' where the offer runs from 4 to 20 December.
The first tender for organisers of two locations was published on 22 October and was open for about ten days. In addition to city locations, the Rijeka City Tourist Board selected tenants for Trsat Castle and Exportdrvo. For Exportdrvo, a consortium of the companies Arctic and Barkoncept was chosen, with the company Arctic having installed an ice rink at that location last year. The offered amount for Exportdrvo this year is €32,500 excluding VAT, which is significantly higher than last year's €19,800.
At Trsat Castle, four positions were offered this year, one more than last year. Two positions are held by the company Promocija with an offered amount of around €15,000 excluding VAT, while the remaining positions were taken by Jako events and Laurin kutak. Last year, the total offered amount for three positions at Trsat Castle was around €8,000.
The initial fee for use per square metre is €3 per day, except for Principij where it is €4 per day. A potential tenant of Principij will pay a total of €5,624, Verdi Street around €32,000, Tito Square €18,535, and the Art-Quarter 'Benčić' €7,752.
The City of Rijeka has not limited the prices of catering offers in the Christmas huts this year, unlike other Croatian cities. For example, Poreč and Pula have limited the prices of fritula and mulled wine to €3, and hamburgers to €5. Osijek has lowered the hut rental price and reduced the lease by €500 for those offering traditional dishes and regional products. Split has decided to limit the prices of hot dogs, sausages, mulled wine and hot chocolate to a maximum of €3, while a portion of fritula can cost at most €4.
The tender conditions for Christmas locations in Rijeka have not changed compared to last year, and the initial fee is prescribed by the Decision on the Use of Public Purpose Surfaces and Real Estate Owned by the City of Rijeka. The city has not provided for administrative price restrictions for tenants, but has announced that it will consider the possibility of introducing restrictions in coming years.
The company Promocija will be the sole organiser of two Christmas locations – Rijeka Resolution Square and Trsat Castle, making it one of the main participants in this year's Christmas programme in Rijeka.
