BuskerFest hits the streets of Skopje
12/06/2009
This year's international Buskerfest featured street performers from across the globe.
By Goran Trajkov for Southeast European Times in Skopje – 12/06/09
 Magicians, acrobats, dancers, jugglers, comedians, mimes and stilt walkers lined the streets for the week-long festival. [Tomislav Georgiev] |
About 120 street performers from 16 countries gathered in Skopje last month for the 4th annual Buskerfest.
Magicians, acrobats, dancers, jugglers, comedians, mimes and stilt walkers lined the streets for the week-long festival, which kicked off on May 29th with a spectacular acrobatic performance and parade.
Macedonian Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanchevska-Milevska and Skopje Mayor Koce Trajanovski were on hand to watch the opening day celebration.
The city of Skopje was a major supporter of the event, donating approximately 17,000 euros. The money went a long way, as this year's BuskerFest was bigger than ever, expanding out of Macedonia Square to spots in Aerodrom, Cair and Gazi Baba.
Street performers dazzled grown-ups and kids alike from mid-afternoon until late in the evening, free of charge.
The event appealed to different ethnicities co-existing in Macedonia, offering multicultural food and art.
Pane Temov, head of the non-profit group One Way that helped organise BuskerFest, said the event placed Skopje on "the European map of such festivals".
"Many … participants were part of the previously held BuskerFest editions… prove[ing] that they were satisfied from their previous participation," said Temov.
Although Ferrara, the Italian festival, is arguably the most prestigious, BuskerFest has become a Skopje tradition, and has grown over the years to become the largest festival of this sort in the region.
"The fest has become a multimedia happening that gives Skopje a new image," said Dimche Smilev, head of tourism in Skopje.
"Skopje is becoming an interesting tourist destination," he added.
BuskerFest hopes to "raise awareness regarding the importance and value of street art, and of course, promote Macedonian art in front of national and international audiences," according to its web site.
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