Educational and circus workshops, exhibitions and festivals, books and comics, music and film, theatre and games, and many other activities will mark May in Novi Sad. The youngest fellow citizens, primary school pupils, high school students, students and youth of Novi Sad will have the opportunity to find cultural content according to their interests, but also to engage in creating new, different cultural contents, learn about European values and show how they can contribute to cultural image of the city.
This is the focus of the ‘Future of Europe’ platform of the ‘Novi Sad 2021 – European Capital of Culture’ project within which we expect numerous events, various organisations and cultural institutions. In addition to this, Novi Sad will host youth from various countries of Europe, who will present their creativity and connect with peers.
The programme will be opened through the ‘Future of Europe’ international conference, which will be held in the Svilara Cultural Station on 9 May. On that occasion, young people from 14 organisations across Europe will be presented. They will present their fellow citizens’ opinion about the future of Europe and changes they wish to happen. Visitors will also get acquainted with six ideas proposed by young people in terms of the future of Europe as part of the ‘50 Ideas of Youth for the Future of Europe’ project implemented by OPENS 2019.
Part of the platform will be the ‘Rhythm of Europe’ traditional concert, which has been implemented by the Student Cultural Centre of Novi Sad for 13 years now, on the occasion of Victory Day over Fascism.
Also, the exhibition of the posters on the Victory Day of Fascism implemented by SCCNS will be held on 7 May, and it will precede the opening ceremony.
The ‘Future of Europe’ in Cultural Stations
Most of the activities during May will be held in Cultural Stations, such as marking the centenary of Bauhaus through exhibitions and lectures, while students of architecture will take the citizens of Novi Sad on a walk that will raise questions about the influence of Bauhaus on the architecture of modern Novi Sad.
‘I Šta Ćemo Sad’ theatre forum within which the ‘European Mentorship’ programme, intended for high school students and students, will be implemented and organised in the Svilara Cultural Station. Visitors will have a chance to participate in the ‘Youth Activism in Community’ workshop and the OPENS: Working Room: ‘World in the Palm’ programme, both implemented by OPENS 2019, where they will have an opportunity to hear about possibilities, scholarships and programmes for improvement, as well as experiences of others.
In addition to this, the ‘Push and Pull’ theatre play will be performed. The play launches the subject of Euroscepticism through the fantastic approach of 25 young participants who worked on the show lead by the ‘Drž ne Daj’ theatre experts.
Another interesting event in Novi Sad in May will be the ‘Creative Europe Forum’, which is implemented by the ‘Novi Sad 2021’ Foundation in cooperation with the Creative Europe Desk in order to study and present new methods of international cultural cooperation.
Svilara will also host the exhibition of the students of the Academy of Arts, numerous workshops, and the Schola Cantorum Choir of the University of Arkansas, which has a glorious 50 years old history.
As for the Egység Cultural Station, it will be especially interesting for the youngest fellow citizens because of educational, art and circus workshops. The ‘Good People’ orchestra of the Milan Petrović Special Education School, which consists of young people with disabilities and who will use the ‘Soundbeam technogy’, will also perform, and the ‘New Serbian Music for Accordion – Fairy Tales for Children’ concert will be implemented as part of the 4th Euphonia International Festival. The Days of Israel will also be held at the same place at the end of May, featuring the choir of the ‘Hashira’ Jewish municipality, and projections of Israeli films.
Egység will also be the place of two festivals: ‘Days of Fantasy’, a two-day festival of epic and science fiction, dedicated to all fans of social and video games, books, comics, films and TV series with that topic, within which tournaments, workshops and lectures will be implemented. ‘The Festival of Young Non-Affirmed Artists’ will be an opportunity for young painters, photographers, musicians and poets to present their works to the public.
In both cultural stations end of May will be in token of socializing with neighbours on the occasion of marking the World Day of Neighbours.
This is not all about the festivals, especially when it comes to the youngest citizens of Novi Sad, since ‘Teatar na Dar 2019’ – the festival of short theatrical forms for children of the ‘Novosadski Kutak’ Association, will be implemented in the hall of the Slana Bara Sports Centre. Part of the ‘Future of Europe’ platform will also be the ‘Junior and Baby Exit’ Festival of Optimism in mid-May, as well as Zmaj Children’s Games that will traditionally be held in early June.
The ‘Future of Europe’ platform is part of the ‘Novi Sad 2021’ project, and three public calls will be launched in May within it: for representatives of independent and public cultural scene, for projects of cooperation between our artists and Timişoara, European Capital of Culture 2021, and for co-financing four projects that received funding from the European Union programme.
