The capital of Zagreb organised concerts in the main Jelacic Square, which was packed with revellers, and also in the nearby squares in the downtown.

Open-air celebrations and concerts were held in squares in Osijek, Split, Rijeka, Dubrovnik and other major cities.

Some 400 salsa dancers ushered in the new, 2013 year with their performance outside a hotel at Podstrana near the biggest Croatian Adriatic of Split.

Residents of the western seaside resort of Crikvenica and tourists on Monday evening also marked the 600th anniversary of the first mention of the name of this Croatian coastal town during celebrations for the new year.

The island of Hvar organised a traditional New Year regatta with some 200 racers from Croatia and abroad.

Several thousand people flocked into Fuzine, a village in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia, to usher in New Year at noon Monday, according to a local tradition to celebrate the arrival of the new year at the noon of the last day of the previous year.

Guests, including foreign tourists, were offered most popular dishes from the local cuisine. Additional trains operated between Rijeka and Fuzine on this occasion.

Osijek resident Dusko Rudez, nicknamed the man-seal, traditionally dived into the waters of the Drava River at noon of 31 December. This was his 27th swim in the Drava on the day before the New Year's Day.