Labour of Love: Croatian Pavilion Zagreb

The year was 1998; the Folklorama Festival had been running for 28 years by then, and Krista agreed to help out a friend in need by volunteering as a tour bus coordinator at the Croatian Pavilion Zagreb. As she stood outside of Garden City Collegiate waiting for her shift to begin, unbeknownst to her, her future husband drove by and noticed her standing there.

It was hours later when Ivan, pavilion coordinator, and Krista were officially introduced by a friend. They shook hands, smiled at one another, and have been inseparable ever since. Ivan later told Krista that he knew it was meant to be the second he saw her.

It is now 2020 and to this day, they both still recall every detail of that first meeting – one of those dreamlike, defining moments that change us forever.

Over the years, the couple and their three kids have devotedly visited the multicultural festival. Even when they lived in Alberta, every August they found themselves in Manitoba, taking the time to give back to the community that brought them love, family, and their happily ever after.

They truly are a Folklorama family; the Winnipeg couple now run the pavilion that united them all those years ago, Ivan as pavilion coordinator and Krista as kitchen coordinator. Their kids perform at the pavilion as a way to stay grounded in their roots, two dancing on stage and one playing in the band.
Krista remarks that they love visiting other pavilions and walking the halls of their own, remembering how their family and life came to be.

“Without Folklorama there would be no Magdic family”. – Krista Magdic

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