Belgrade celebrates beer, music
02/09/2010
Almost a million people headed to Belgrade to sample different brands of beer, rock out with their favourite bands and have a good time.
By Bojana Milovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade -- 02/09/10 Photos by Nikola Barbutov
 Festival attendees had the chance to try more than 28 brands of beer. |
Initiated in 2003, the annual Beer Fest showcases a diverse selection of music and a wide range of beer. Admission is free, and the number of visitors has been growing. This year's edition, held in Usce, drew 900,000, making it one of the most visited festivals in Europe.
Since its inception, Beer Fest has joined the Guca Trumpet Festival and Exit as one of Serbia's biggest attractions for tourists from abroad.
With its party atmosphere and free-flowing beer, having a great time at the festival is all but inevitable. "There is something for everybody," festival co-founder Ivan Ivackovic told SETimes.
"This year's Belgrade Beer Fest is stronger than ever," Ivackovic said. "We have popular bands from Serbia: Riblja Corba, Partibrejkiters, Black Dog, and many, many others. We also have a few very interesting guests from the region -- like Sidarta, one of the most popular bands in Slovenia."
 Beer Fest is becoming one of Serbia's biggest draws. |
In all, more than 40 artists from Serbia and abroad performed at the event, and 28 brands of beer were represented.
Belgrade Cultural Network sponsored the five-day festival, held this year from August 18th to 22nd. Participating brewers included Amstel, Heineken, Becks and Stella Artois.
"We are growing all the time. We are the largest festival in Southeast Europe at the moment, and we are hoping to be the largest festival in Europe," Ivackovic said.
Bianca came from England to Belgrade for the first time. "I am here to listen to my favorite group Legende, and to taste some beer," she told SETimes.
Bruno and Jerald, from Ireland, plan to come back for next year's festival.
"It is my first time and I really enjoyed Belgrade and everything it has. Beer Fest is also very good for seeing the girls," Bruno said.
"I think that I am going to try 20 different beers," predicted Jerald. But Beer Fest is not just for the young crowd. Miroslava Simonovic, 84, attended the festival with a group of her friends. "It looks impressive and very well organised," she said.
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