A lot of people think you have to pay in order to have fun and spend your free time doing something. While going with your friends or family to lunch, theatre or cinema can cost a bit, there are events that will cost you nothing. Here’s a list of free events in Novi Sad.

The city offers activities that can get you both up and running or make you slow down. They will inspire you, help you discover the creative part of yourself and will open doors to many things. You can either go alone or with someone close to your heart. In that case, we are not responsible for the amount of money you’ll spend on coffee to discuss what you’ve seen and experienced!

Walks

We’re lucky to be living right next to a mountain and a river. We’re talking about the walking tours! Hiking Tour Serbia often organises tours of Fruška Gora, visits to monasteries and intense walks lasting a couple of hours, but they are mainly oriented towards recreational athletes and beginners; thus, you don’t need any special fancy equipment except for comfortable shoes and clothes. And a cheerful mood! These walks are usually organised on weekends and applications are obligatory, so we recommend following their Facebook page and staying up to date. Sometimes they organise walks for children, which is great if you want your youngest ones to get to know the nature surrounding us.

The Gallery of Matica Srpska Workshops

The Gallery of Matica Srpska offers a great variety of events for children. On Saturdays, creative workshops for children aged 5-11, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., are being held. After checking out the installations, kids can paint, draw, dance, sing, recite and do other fun activities. Meanwhile, parents can check out permanent exhibitions or temporary ones. The workshop entrance ticket for children is RSD 150 (around 1 euro), and it’s necessary to register your kid. For those a bit older, the Gallery offers diverse programmes that nurture critical thinking, creativity and discussion skills. These programmes are intended for people aged 15 to 22 and are mostly free of charge. Keep in touch with the latest information about workshops so that you can apply for them, you can do it on the Gallery of Matica Srpska website.

The Museum of Vojvodina Workshops

The Museum of Vojvodina offers various workshops every Saturday. The museum pedagogues run workshops where kids can learn and do various things, such as clay sculpting, making masks, talking about culture, customs, history, nature and other topics kids find interesting and intriguing. The programmes are usually intended for children aged 5 to 10. Since the number of people is limited, you would have to apply for the workshops (do it by noon on a Friday for a Saturday workshop). You’ll find application forms on the website of the Museum of Vojvodina.

Projections and Lectures – Astronomy

Planetarium at the Petrovaradin Fortress usually hosts and gathers citizens at its projections and lectures organised by the Astronomic Society Novi Sad – ADNOS. A projection was held recently, after some time of no projections, while the astronomers from Novi Sad sometimes work via Zoom. Follow their Facebook page, and if the measures allow, have yourself an extraordinary experience at the Fortress that will cost you nothing.

Typography Workshops for Children

If your child is interested in illustration and design, or if they admire calligraphy, you’ll be happy to find out that the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad organises typography workshops in the Egység Cultural Station this year. In Egység, every Saturday at noon, primary and high school students will have an opportunity to learn from experts of Serbian language and literature as well as from art teachers. The workshops are entirely free, and the material is provided as well. Give this email to your youngest ones to apply for the workshops: radioniceudvorcu@gmail.com.

Puppetry Workshops for Children and Adults

The Egység Cultural Station and the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad organise puppetry workshops for all those who love playing with puppets and dolls. Whether you’re a kid, a parent or a teacher, you’ll be more than welcome! Every Monday at 6 p.m., you’ll have a chance to discover interesting things about the history of puppetry, how puppets were made in the past and how they are made today. These workshops are free as well, and the material is also provided. You can apply via the same email address (radioniceudvorcu@gmail.com) throughout the whole year. You can also follow the website of the Egység Cultural Station for more details on the workshops.

Exhibitions and Other Cultural-Artistic Content

Last but not least, the city offers art exhibitions. Interesting and innovative workshops are often being organised in cultural stations across Novi Sad. The epidemiological situation affected the overall activity and work of the cultural stations, but they didn’t give up just yet. Keep in touch with the latest information on their websites or social media. In addition to this, you can also check out the page titled ‘Besplatna dešavanja u Novom Sadu (en. Free events in Novi Sad), where you can find announcements of interesting discussions, online film screenings and a bunch of other activities and events.

Besides checking all this on social media, you can try and set aside an hour or two for these activities. Whether it is doing something new or, if you’re a regular visitor, doing something that you already like, we are sure you’ll enjoy it! As a TV commercial in Serbia would say: some things are priceless. We agree with this and we hope you’ll have a blast!

Photo: Vladimir Veličković