Doček in Novi Sad is a unique New Year celebration that you should not miss even this year, at the end of the European Capital of Culture title year. The epicentre of a unique audio-visual experience will be the Suburbium of the Petrovaradin Fortress, and we invite you to be part of this unique experience in the synergy of performing and visual arts on 31 December. If you witnessed the rich artistic programme and spectacular fireworks that lit up the sky and the ground at last year’s Doček, you will have another unforgettable farewell to the old and entering the new year. In the text, we will introduce you to the artistic programme, as well as the importance of Suburbium, an architectural baroque gem on the famous Petrovaradin Rock, which will once again, in its most beautiful light, represent a meeting place of different cultures, exactly where Novi Sad was born a long time ago.
The Suburbium of the Petrovaradin Fortress, built during the 17th and 18th century, was restored after as many as 300 years while anticipating the historic title year of the European Capital of Culture. Last year’s Doček introduced a new tradition of holding an artistic celebration in this place, and precisely Suburbium among the people of Novi Sad, as well as artists and many curious tourists, has become synonymous with Doček.
Tesla Light Gallery Will Illuminate the Suburbium
The small town of light and energy will shine on 31 December, and on the pastel façades of the buildings in the Suburbium and the famous Belgrade Gate (one of the former 30 gates of the Fortress, built in 1753) a play of light will take place again through the unique Tesla Light Gallery and the art of supreme local and European artists and multimedia creators. The exhibition will connect the work of the great scientist with contemporary artistic expression by means of the most modern technology.
In this manner, the Suburbium will once again receive the epithet of a beacon of culture, which will honour the great man of science – Nikola Tesla, who 131 years ago brought electricity to Novi Sad and illuminated it shortly after Paris, London and other major European cities. Today, a main road passes through this small town, and the famous Štrosmejerova Street used to be a railway line, which Tesla himself, travelling from Budapest to Belgrade, passed through back in 1892.
The sky above Suburbium on Doček 2023 will be illuminated by a directed light spectacle. Visual artists will take care of visual identities and stage effects that will provide a new experience of enjoying the performances of local, regional and world stars. Novi Sad will be the centre of top-quality sound and musicians of various genres, which is another reason to welcome the New Year in the city of culture, because Doček in Novi Sad is tailored to each of us!
Tesla Light Gallery will enliven the Suburbium through the work of independent artists, including Chida Yasuhiro from Japan, one of Artdex ‘Nine Brilliant World Light Artists’, Pavla Beranova from the Czech Republic, winner of the awards for interactive installations and best lighting design, Dorijan Kolundžija, who runs the new media studio ‘Galerija 12’, one of whose projects is the Museum of the Future in Dubai, as well as the Association of Fine Artists of Vojvodina (SULUV), as well as visual artists Anđelko Popić and Dejan Stojkov, who also lives in the Suburbium.
Doček Presents a Great Music Programe on 31 December
9 p.m. – Perpetuum Jazzile (Main stage, Belgrade Gate)
10 p.m. – Stereo MC’s (Big stage, Prote Mihaldžića Square)
10 p.m. – Monohrom (Small stage, Štrosmajerova Street)
11 p.m. – Kosheen (Main stage, Belgrade Gate)
11 p.m. – Repetitor (Small stage, Štrosmajerova Street)
11.30 p.m. – Mimi Mercedes (Big stage, Prote Mihaldžića Square)
12:30 a.m. – Biesmans (Main stage, Belgrade Gate)
12.30 a.m. – Obojeni Program (Small stage, Štrosmajerova Street)
Rođeni (Big stage, Prote Mihaldžića Square) – the performance time will be announced later.
Admission to all concerts is free of charge.
Exhibitions that Round Off Doček
In addition to the light installations within the Tesla Light Gallery project, Doček brings us two more exceptional exhibitions that you can see on New Year’s Eve, by the multimedia artist Dušan Jovović, PhD. We will pay tribute to Mileva Marić Einstein, an unrecognized genius, through a fantastic exhibition Mileva: We Are One Rock , in the City Museum of Novi Sad at the Fortress. The story of her life and importance in the world of science will be experienced by the global and local audience at this interactive exhibition. In a symbolic way, Doček will close the circle of exhibitions of the European Capital of Culture, so if you have not yet visited Time and Universe, opened at the beginning of the title year, this is a great opportunity to visit Studio M in the centre of Novi Sad and go on a journey through time and space paying tribute to the great Milutin Milanković. Do not miss the Milutin: Time and Universe exhibition that attracted a lot of public attention throughout 2022.
After the spectacular Doček 2023 in the Suburbium of Petrovaradin Fortress, we are also expecting an artistic celebration on 13 January, Doček 7531, at several locations in the city. You can find the list of performers on the official docekns.rs website and ticket sales started today. Make sure you get yours on time.
Author: Marina Marić
Photo: Vladimir Veličković, Jelena Ivanović, Marko Pudić
