Summer in the European Capital of Culture is marked by diverse cultural events that will complete the Danube Sea programme this month. If you plan to visit Novi Sad, or simply spend August in your city, we bring another hint of culture that will freshen you up during hot days and nights in the city, along the Danube. Paint August with shades of culture, enjoy the sun and light summer breeze by the river, while we highlight some of the suggestions and invite you to stay up to date with our calendar on the website showing all events in the city. As always, we offer suggestions for all ages, so mark some of the dates in your planner.

Extraordinary Straw Sculptures

When: 7 August

On the first Sunday in August, we take you to an exciting exhibition in Banoštor, a village on the slopes of Fruška Gora. It includes straw sculptures inspired by the motifs of flora and fauna of the Danube lowlands within the ‘Big Straw’ project (Land Art Festival) that Nikola Faller will make for the visitors of the European Capital of Culture. The visitors will have a chance to see the burning of straw sculptures and the whole event will be accompanied by the music programme. Do not miss it!

Danube Culture Festival

When: 13 August

Another recommendation for the weekend, on the second Saturday in August, is reserved for a great time in Sremski Karlovci. May a walk through the old core of this small town lead you to the magnificent Ilion Palace, where the distinguished baronial Rajačić family lived. Wonder why? The palace courtyard will be the centre of the Danube Culture Festival, taking place on 13 August at 6 p.m., while until one hour past midnight, visitors will be entertained by musicians from Europe and the region, especially the cities connected by the Danube. Therefore, the legendary Magnifico, the author of the famous song ‘Pukni zoro’, a hit acclaimed among the movie-goers (Montevideo, God Bless You), will sing in front of the Novi Sad audience. The artist DJ Killo Killo, who you may have seen in the opera choir of the Serbian National Theatre, the Gustafi group from Istra, which has a glittering over 40-year-long career, as well as eleven albums and over 2,500 performances. You should not miss the performances of the French concert group La Caravane Passe, as well as the Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra that plays ‘ska’ with a touch of Hungarian and Balkan sound, reggae and jazz.

Melodies of Summer on the Lovely Blue Danube

When: from 18 until 21 August

Set out on a musical journey and indulge in the sounds of the violin, piano and other instruments coming from the catamaran on the Danube. The Danube Connects Us concerts within the ‘On the Lovely Blue Danube’ project, taking place in the European Capital of Culture from 18 until 21 August, are a perfect way to spend an extended weekend on the beaches of Novi Sad. The musical catamaran will be floating along the Danube to the Oficirac beach and the riverbank of Sremska Kamenica so that the people on the beaches can enjoy the unusual music event. Performers are talented students of the Isidor Bajić School of Music, so the event is a must, while you can see the whole programme here.

Film Festival in Karlovci

When: from 19 until 21 August

Once again, this month, Karlovci will be the meeting point, this time the meeting point of film art, at a three-day festival that will be held at the Vidikovac Restaurant-Complex. This year, it will be held for the fifth time within the European Capital of Culture programme, while entry is free. After the opening ceremony on 19 August, the epic film ‘Barking at the Stars’ filmed in the Karlovci Grammar School, will be shown, while afterwards, you will have a chance to see many other accomplishments. You can read more information about the programme here.

Novi Sad Cultural Tour Around the City

As every month, we highlight current exhibitions in the city for you, while this month, we advise you to take time and have a walk, ride a bike, alone, with family or friends along the path of art and visit outdoor museums, galleries and enjoy the exhibition that will broaden your horizons. Head towards the centre of Novi Sad and there, first from Dunavska Street towards the quay, you will find the current exhibition ‘Accents’, in the Collection of Foreign Art, thanks to which you will get to know the history of this city. You will get to know the rich archaeological heritage of our country through the exhibition ‘A Neolithic Night’s Dream’, which will be on view at the Museum of Vojvodina in August. You can bring your walk along Dunavska Street, probably one of the oldest in the city, to an end, by visiting the ‘Small Reboots’ exhibition by Japanese artists, which will be open from 12 August in the Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina. In the very centre of the city, in the Gallery of Matica Srpska, you will have a chance to see ‘Parallels’, as well as the collection of paintings by the First Lady of Yugoslavia, entitled ‘The Partisan and Fragonard’. In the passage of 22 Zmaj Jovina Street, from 5 August, you will have an opportunity to see the exhibition of eco-designer Marija Kozomora, Roots of Nature, which will demonstrate ecological printing with natural materials on canvas. From 8 August, if you stop by the City Hall during your visit to the city centre, you will have an opportunity to see the exhibition ‘Danube Women Stories’ – it’s a must-see as well.

Although currently closed due to technical reasons, Time and Universe, a fantastic multimedia exhibition about time, chaos and the cosmos, awaits you until the end of the European Capital of Culture title year at Studio M. After visiting the centre, on the way to Štrand, you can stop by the open-air gallery at the entrance to Liman Park and see the ‘Imaginary Borders’ exhibition, which is an interesting installation of 49 masts. From 5 August, the Petrovaradin Fortress becomes a fortress of art because the ‘Circle’s Circles’ exhibition opens there. Therefore, we recommend you visiting the ateliers of fine artists. Works of the most significant figures of contemporary artistic happenings from the countries of the Danube region will be presented Outside the Centre, i.e., at the exhibition that will be set from 13 until 20 August in places located in the immediate vicinity of Novi Sad, since in addition to Serbs, members of various minority national communities lived there.

Tamburitza Fest

When: from 18 until 21 August

The Tamburitza Fest, the world tamburitza festival, is traditionally held at the Petrovaradin Fortress, with the aim to nurture the tradition of the tamburitza tradition and affirm the tamburitza music of the region. The last night of the festival will also include the Tamburitza Philharmonic Concert at Liberty Square on 21 August, as part of the quality programme of the event. The performance by tamburitza orchestras from the region will feature ‘The Danube Sea’ programme arch. The orchestras will perform classical and popular tamburitza songs. You should definitely not miss these concerts!

Street Musicians Festival

When: from 25 until 27 August

Another traditional international manifestation that will mark August in the Suburbium of the Petrovaradin Fortress is the Street Musicians Festival, which will take place from 25 until 27 August. One of the favourite festivals according to the survey done by the Novi Sad citizens, gathers artists from all over the world, both musicians and dancers, theatre troupes, performers, and acrobats and represents a large open-air art workshop where artists and the audience are equal participants. You can see the programme of the festival on the official website of the festival.

Summer is in Big

The Novi Sad BIG Children’s Summer event, organised by the Novi Sad Children’s Cultural Centre, also brings numerous interesting events for children in August. Therefore, don’t miss out on giving your loved ones a memorable experience and take them to some of the numerous cultural and artistic events – workshops, performances, performances by children’s choirs, etc. We suggest you checking out the detailed programme on this link.

School Warm-Up

When: from 15 until 26 August

Another summer event within the ‘School Warm-Up’ – summer Raspustilište, will take you and your children to the Mlin Cultural Station, where you will have a chance to participate in art educational workshops. During a ten-day programme, over 50 sports, fine art, drama, and film workshops for children, workshops on the culture of speech, language, and music, with the aim to educate and introduce children to the process of creative industries.

Novi Sad Music Summer

When: from 17 until 26 August

During August, the music programme in the European Capital of Culture will be enriched by a series of summer concerts as part of the Novi Sad Music Summer manifestation, organised by the Music Youth of Novi Sad. The concerts will take place in the Synagogue and the Serbian National Theatre. The unique musical journey begins with the Tango Jazz Quartet on 17 August at 9 p.m. in the Synagogue, where we will have a chance to hear a combination of jazz and Argentine tango. We will have an opportunity to see the performance by Maja Milinković Fadolinka, who successfully connects sevdah music and fado, in the Synagogue on 19 August, while we will have a chance to listen to the Novi Sad Big Band in the Serbian National Theatre on 25 August at 9 p.m. Bow vs. pick will also mark the Novi Sad Music Summer with the concert by Hojsak & Novosel that awaits us in the Synagogue on 26 August at 9 p.m. It’s worth getting your tickets in time!

Summer at the Gallery Square

Spend August by enjoying a dose of culture on Gallery Square, since every Thursday evening, you can expect attractive events that show the diversity of the world and national cultural heritage and the importance of its preservation. Museums on Gallery Square – the Gallery of Matica Srpska, Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection and Rajko Mamuzić Gift Collection, will revive the core of Novi Sad with their rich programme, while we advise you to stay up to date with the calendar on the websites of the mentioned cultural institutions.

Novi Sad – Tango City

When: from 25 until 28 August

At the end of August, fans of tango and Argentine culture will enjoy open-air dance evenings and seminars held within the ‘Novi Sad – Tango City’ festival from 25 until 28 August, organised by the Todo Tango association. Thanks to this festival, Novi Sad has long been positioned among European and world tango centres. Check the association’s Facebook page for detailed information on the festival programme that will be published soon.

Author: Marina Marić

Photo: Jelena Ivanović and Filip Petronijević