On this weekend, we suggest you seek relief from the heat at the Novi Sad’s most beautiful beach, where the European Capital of Culture will mark the beginning of The Danube Sea programme arch at the Štrand Pavilion. We invite you to refresh yourself with a dose of culture and enjoy various events. Your kids will have a lot of fun with a series of children’s workshops that will occupy their attention throughout the day, and those a little older will enjoy exhibitions and artistic and musical performances. The summer paradise has become a paradise for culture, so if you have planned to spend the weekend at this Danube beach, we present you events that you should not miss.

They Defy Gravity

Perhaps you have already noticed acrobats dressed in black who have been delighting passers-by all over the city for several days now, performing different acrobatics in unexpected places and making bridges out of their bodies. If you’ve ever wondered who these skilled artists who defy gravity with such ease are, visit the Štrand on 22 July at 7 p.m. and witness a performance Les Voyages by the internationally renowned troupe Compagnie XY. We believe that their performance will amaze and leave you and your children breathless.

A Melding of Piano and… Sewing Machines

Don’t miss the opening ceremony of The Danube Sea programme arch with the ‘Seam’ performance at the Štrand Pavilion at 8.30 p.m. The performance including the piano, seven sewing machines, and a DJ seems like a somewhat strange and incompatible combination, but we are sure that it will delight everyone present. Folk songs and traditional children’s songs of the Danube countries form the basis of this composition. Each melody originates from one of the countries through which the Danube flows, starting with Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, and finally Bulgaria. What will especially attract your attention is certainly the sound of sewing machines, as well as DJ sets that range from ritual music to electric experimental sounds. Seven sewing machines create a unique piece, while each part of the costume represents a Danube country. After each part of the composition, the pianist puts on a new piece of clothing.

Enjoy this extraordinary event!

Workshops for Kids

This weekend, your little ones will have the opportunity to socialise, have fun, and learn something new at educational workshops, which can really be interesting for grown-ups as well. Let’s find out why bees are important for our planet on Saturday, 23 July, from 4 p.m. at the workshop ‘Bees – More Than Honey’. Also, you can spend your Sunday morning on the Štrand and take a peek at the ‘Hidden World of Insects’ from 10 a.m. All visitors will have the opportunity to look at insects under a magnifying glass and come into contact with the diverse world of insects that live around us and are an integral part of a healthy ecosystem. Starting at 3 p.m., another workshop awaits the kids, it’s ‘Fascinating Neuroscience’. If you ever dreamed of ‘controlling’ people around you – family, friends, or complete strangers, then this is the workshop for you! Intrigued? Also, thanks to the Heart and Brain SpikerBox, you’ll be able to view and record your heart’s action potentials (ECG) and your brain’s slow rhythms (EEG), all from your smartphone, tablet, Chromebook, or computer. What awaits your children in this workshop is the performance of an experiment – they will have a unique opportunity to look into the fascinating world of plant signalling and behaviour.

Connecting With Nature

Complete your dose of culture this weekend by visiting the exhibition; be a participant in the panel discussion, and don’t miss the premier edition of the ‘Climate Capsule’ installation, on Friday, 22 July at 6 p.m. It is a mobile and modular installation conceived as an intense experience that provides visitors with a layered perspective of climate change through scientific facts, artistic interventions, and multimedia content. On Saturday, 23 July, at 7 p.m., you can expect the opening of the ‘Biophilia’ exhibition, during which a panel discussion will be organised at 8 p.m. The exhibition is made up of a selection of artists who, through their practices, show new possibilities of connecting natural and artistic processes. Come and connect with nature.

Music Programme

Summer on the Štrand, you will agree, cannot be imagined without music, and fans of choral singing, including the youngest ones, will have the opportunity this weekend to enjoy the concert of the National Youth Choir of Serbia, which will perform on Saturday, 23 July at 8.30 p.m. at the Singing Bridges festival. The musical programme will be completed by the performance of the Macedonian singer Dina Jashari on Sunday at 10 p.m., as well as the performance of the DJ duo Planet Opal at 11 p.m. on the same day.

Author: Anđela Dalmacija

Photo: Vladimir Veličković, Samuel Buton, Predrag Đoković, Đorđe Stanojević