March in Novi Sad will continue to revolve around the Migrations programme arch, which deals with the theme of migration. We’re highlighting several interesting events in Novi Sad, complemented by the selection from the European Capital of Culture programme. You will enjoy literature, finest specialties, and performances by famous names from the international music scene, but also enjoy the opportunity to expand personal boundaries. To keep up to date with city events, follow the calendar on our site regularly. As always, we have suggestions for all ages and tastes, so we invite you to mark some of these dates in your calendars in advance. Let’s step together into the month of spring with an exciting programme – of course, with all the precautions taken and a mask on your face.
Stage Lights
March brings us some new premieres and plays in Novi Sad’s theatres you really shouldn’t miss. There are as many as three premieres in the Serbian National Theatre – The Berlin Wall (When Us Dead Impersonate the Living), a story about a puppet from the concentration camp titled Puppet from the Bed No. 21, and a love story about Vladimir and Kosara. The Youth Theatre repertoire is always filled with performances for children so you can treat the little ones to a dose of culture, laughter, and good fun. Also, we’re singling out the new play Children of Clockwork Orange, directed by Kokan Mladenović, as well as the visiting play of the Theatre on the Hill – Mutts. You can also watch another play by Kokan Mladenović at the Novi Sad Theatre, Jami District, which, according to this director, ‘outlines the issues of the nation and nation-states in the hi-tech world of the 21st century.’
Festivals in Novi Sad
This year, Novi Sad residents will again enjoy the repertoire of the International Film Festival – Fest, the 51st in a row, which will be held in Novi Sad at the Cineplex Arena until 7 March. Take a look at some of the best film achievements from the previous year, which have been awarded many times at prestigious film festivals. Tickets are on sale on the Cineplex Arena official website. March in Novi Sad will be marked by the Wine Fest at the Sheraton Hotel, where the visitors will be introduced to the 30 best wineries in Serbia, as well as the top five wineries in the region. You will have the opportunity to try some of the 200 different types of wine. The Wine Fest will be held on 25 March between 2 and 8 p.m. See you at the Sheraton!
Culture in Motion – Exhibitions Around the City
As a part of the Migrations programme arch, which deals with the theme of migration, we’re highlighting many great exhibitions through which you will get to know Novi Sad and the rich history of the people of this area. Embrace art, go on a ‘date with the city’, and embark on an expedition into the past. Start your journey at the Museum of Vojvodina and visit the exhibition of Roman helmets Where migration ends: from Roman Pannonia to today’s Vojvodina, after which you can visit the amazing exhibition Accents – Novi Sad, held in in the Foreign Art Collection, also in Dunavska Street. Both exhibitions are open until 30 April. The path can take you to Studio M and the spectacular exhibition Time and Universe, a journey from darkness to light, from chaos to space (open until the end of the ECOC title year). You can read an interview with one of the authors. Then skip to the city centre, where you will visit the outdoor exhibition Migration in the 21st century on Freedom Square. We continue the story of migrations in the Matica Srpska Gallery, where you can visit the exhibition Art of Migration, Migration in Art. The Suluv Gallery is the location of the exhibition Connect, Mark, which we also recommend you visit before next Friday, and perhaps even read an interview with one of the authors. Delve into the topic of migration in the area of Bačka and Banat in the 18th and 19th centuries. Learn about the daily life of four prominent Novi Sad families from Migration Diaries in the Prometej Gallery. If your path leads you to Futog, you will be thrilled by another great exhibition of photographs of costumes and cultural heritage, called Following the Thread. Enjoy!
Novi Sad, the City of Literature
The Migration of Souls programme arch, held as a part of the Migrations programme from 3 to 13 March at the Novi Sad Fair, will be marked by the multimedia literature pavilion Novi Sad in Books, which will combine visual and performing arts. An exhibition of the same name will get us acquainted with the literary development of Novi Sad through a unique monograph, and we will have the opportunity to meet the most widely known writers in the region. Don’t miss the guest appearances of Rumena Bužarovska, Milica Vučković, Miljenko Jergović, Kristian Novak, Damir Karakaš, and Darko Cvijetić, as well as the reading of the essay In the Promised Land by the prominent writer László Végel (4 March at 6 p.m., Novi Sad Fair). Hall 1 of the Novi Sad Fair is also hosting the International Book Fair, so we suggest you visit it and get your favourite books at lower prices.
Gastro Delights on a Caravan of European Flavours
We end the Migration of souls with the tastes of Europe and a gastronomic tour through the network of cultural stations throughout Novi Sad between 17 and 20 March. We will have the opportunity to try the most delicious specialties prepared for us by the chef and the cooking team of the Loft restaurant led by Filip Milovanović, with whom we recently talked about this topic for Visit Novi Sad. We will embark on a unique gastronomic journey to the regions of Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern Europe through the tastes of diverse cultures. New cuisine, public cooking, and tasting of specialties await us every day at two cultural stations. Expect an explosion of flavours and be sure to mark these dates in your calendar.
In the rhythm of the music
The Migration of Souls: A special part of the Migration of Souls programme arch is the music programme that will bring to Novi Sad some of the greatest names of the domestic, European, and international scene. In the multitude of diverse music genres, there is something for everyone. We advise you to get tickets for these concerts on time, and they are all held in Hall 1 of the Novi Sad Fair. Japanese musician Miyavi, who is considered a guitar virtuoso and is also a producer and actor, will perform on 3 March at 8 p.m. The international ensemble Barcelona Gipsy balKan Orchestra will hold a concert on 6 March at 8 p.m., and performance combining Kaori Ito’s contemporary dance and traditional music of the Novi Sad ensemble Bogdan Ranković & ‘Ethnoforija’ will be held on International Women’s Day on 8 March at 8 p.m. Don’t miss the Moroccan world music band Chalaban, which successfully combines elements of traditional Moroccan music with Roma and Balkan sounds. The concert is scheduled for 9 March at 8 p.m. Fans of world music will enjoy the concert of Bilja Krstić & Bistrik Orchestra, which will perform on 10 March at 8 p.m. The duo from the band Gotan Project, pioneers in the art of combining traditional tango and modern pop with electronic music through the music project Antropoceno! will perform on 12 March at 8 p.m. We will have a unique opportunity to hear the famous band Original Enigma Voices, which will perform together with Camerata Novi Sad on 13 March at 8 p.m.
Another concert to remember will be the performance of Božo Vrećo and Edin Karamazov on 15 March in the City Concert Hall. You can also get tickets on the Gigstix website. A concert in honour of Vlado Divljan, performed by the band (Ne)normalni and Zdenko Kolar, will be held on 8 March in Fabrika. The greatest hits of the group Idoli will be part of the repertoire, so it is worth visiting this concert as well.
Gastro Caravan: The aforementioned caravan of flavors will complete the music programme of the world music genre, which will also present the traditions of northern, eastern, western, and southern Europe. The programme will also take place in cultural stations, and in addition to the Italian band The Sidh, we’ll be treated to music by Sväng Harmonica Quartet from Finland, the performance by Jovan Pavlović and Svartlamon Hardkor from Norway, as well a band from Turkey – Light in Babylon, and the local tango ensemble Liberquatro.
Novi Sad Half Marathon
If you like running and you’re not unfamiliar with pushing your own limits, you’ll be happy to hear that the traditional Novi Sad half marathon will be held on 27 March, starting at 11 a.m. The start and finish are on Liberty Square, so we invite you to test yourself in the 10 km discipline. However, if that’s too much for you, you can sign up for the 5 km pleasure race, or Nordic walking. There’s also a programme prepared for children. Let’s run!
Author: Marina Marić
Photo: Jelena Ivanović, Vladimir Veličković, Loft
