Dancing in Public Spaces in Croatia: Legal Insights Needed

[insistquietly]

Hello,

I'm seeking help regarding dancing on public ground in Croatia. I'd like to know what is allowed and what is not. Below is an automatic Croatian translation of this text, but I'd appreciate an answer in English.

Background: For several years now, we've been meeting once a year in a northern Croatian town to dance there. We've always danced at two places, a concreted, public beach that is also used by a hotel to rent out loungers (Location A), and a ruin outside the city, right on the beach, probably formerly a club or something, that is freely accessible and far from any other house (Location B). Sometimes we're just a very few dance pairs dancing with a Bluetooth speaker that can only be heard a few meters away (Situation A). Sometimes there are more pairs and we connect several Bluetooth speakers together, then it gets a bit louder (Situation B). Sometimes we bring large speakers and a DJ mixing console, then it can get quite loud and up to 200 people dance (Situation C). All this happens without any payment, without any commercial interest. Especially in Situation C, it can happen that we announce in a rather large Facebook or Telegram group when and where there will be music.

In the past, there have hardly been any problems. In the late evening, we were always very quiet and only small groups. Sometimes then private security people came and tried to stop us, but nothing more happened.

However, starting this year, the city has announced that private dancing would be more restricted.

We already know that we have to comply with certain noise levels, especially without a special permit (https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2021_12_143_2454.html)

Our questions: Is Situation A definitely allowed? We were told earlier that Croatian beaches are basically publicly accessible and that at least single pairs cannot be forbidden to dance with quiet music. If yes, is there a limit between Situation A and Situation C where it is no longer allowed? Where does this limit lie (beyond the volume)? For the situations that are allowed: How do we behave when private security services come and claim we can't continue dancing? Can we simply refuse? What laws can we refer to? Can we take the names of the persons and have IDs shown? What changes if the police come and ask us to stop?

Thank you in advance!

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Pozdrav,

tražim pomoć u vezi plesanja na javnim površinama u Hrvatskoj. Želio bih znati što je dopušteno, a što nije. Ovo je automatski stvorena prijevod, no preferirao bih odgovore na engleskom.

Pozadina: Već nekoliko godina okupljamo se jednom godišnje u sjevernom hrvatskom gradu da plešemo. Uvijek smo plesali na dva mjesta: betoniranoj, javnoj plaži koju koristi i hotel za iznajmljivanje ležaljki (Lokacija A) i ruševini izvan grada, direktno na plaži, vjerojatno nekadašnji klub, koji je slobodno dostupan i daleko od bilo koje druge kuće (Lokacija B). Ponekad nas je samo nekoliko plesnih parova koji plešu uz Bluetooth zvučnik koji se čuje samo na nekoliko metara (Situacija A). Ponekad nas ima više parova i povežemo nekoliko Bluetooth zvučnika, tada postaje malo glasnije (Situacija B). Ponekad donosimo velike zvučnike i DJ miksetu, tada može postati prilično glasno i plesati do 200 osoba (Situacija C). Sve to se događa bez ikakve naknade, bez ikakvog komercijalnog interesa. Posebno u Situaciji C može se dogoditi da najavimo u prilično velikoj Facebook ili Telegram grupi kada i gdje će biti glazbe.

U prošlosti gotovo da nije bilo problema. Kasno navečer uvijek smo bili vrlo tihi i samo male grupe. Ponekad su došli privatni zaštitari i pokušali nas spriječiti, ali dalje ništa nije bilo.

Međutim, od ove godine grad je najavio da će privatno plesanje biti strože ograničeno.

Već znamo da se moramo pridržavati određenih razina buke, posebno bez posebne dozvole (https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2021_12_143_2454.html)

Naša pitanja: Je li Situacija A definitivno dopuštena? Rečeno nam je ranije da su hrvatske plaže u principu javno dostupne i da se barem pojedinačnim parovima ne može zabraniti plesanje uz tišu glazbu. Ako da, postoji li granica između Situacije A i Situacije C kada to više nije dopušteno? Gdje prolazi ta granica (osim po pitanju glasnoće)? Za situacije koje su dopuštene: Kako se ponašamo kada dođu privatni zaštitari i tvrde da ne smijemo nastaviti plesati? Možemo li jednostavno odbiti? Na koje se zakone možemo pozvati? Možemo li uzeti imena osoba i tražiti da nam pokažu iskaznice? Što se mijenja ako dođe policija i traži od nas da prestanemo?

Hvala unaprijed!