Enjoy Balkan Brass Madness with Guca Festival Package
If you like your brass flavoured with an generous taste of Balkan mayhem, Serbia’s annual Guca Brass Festival is the only place to be this summer.
Each year the small Serbian village throws open its doors to host four days of the world’s wildest Balkan brass bands and energetic gypsy musicians as the non-stop party rings out along its packed streets.
Three hundred thousand revelers descend on the village of just 3,000 to enjoy the finest, wildest and most off-the-wall brass bands the region has to offer.
This year, kings of Guca Boban and Marko Markovic will make a triumphant return to Guca, fresh from their phenomenal Balkan Brass Battle tour. They will be joined by eye-splitting brass musicians from Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Montenegro and beyond.
As with even the smallest Balkan gathering, the music will be accompanied by free-flowing rakija and the pungent smell of barbecue will tempt even the most calorie-conscious to fill up before another bout of cocek and kolo dancing.
Songlines Music Travel has tailored a tour package to Guca that leaves music fans to enjoy the festival without the hassle of pulling together their own trip. Songlines Music Travel is the experienced tour arm of respected British world music magazine Songlines.
The tour package (11-16 August) is reasonably priced at £495 per person. This does not include flights/travel to Serbia but this can be easily sourced with many flights into Belgrade or airports in neighbouring states.
Accommodation within the village is included in the package (which would otherwise be a nightmare to source at this time of year), plus two days at the festival. There will also be to time to explore the vibrant capital, Belgrade.
Songlines Music Travellers will also receive a detailed information sheet about the musicians, plus a list of recommended recordings and DVDs.
Day 1 : Thursday
Meet Songlines Travel Leader at a Belgrade hotel to be briefed on the tour. Then it’s time to head out into the city to explore the bars, restaurants and nightclubs of the capital.
Day 2 : Friday
Head south to hit the streets of Guca. The Friday evening is one of the best of the weekend, while many of the most memorable performances are not on stage – they are in the streets.
Day 3-4 : Saturday-Sunday
On Saturday the parade is the thing; on Sunday it’s time for the finals of the Golden Trumpet competition. The day begins at 6am, and culminates with a parade after which twenty national finalists compete. Mayhem breaks out when the winning band is declared; the cue for more music, food, and alcohol into the night.
Day 5 : Monday
After breakfast, head back to Belgrade. Arriving around lunchtime, there will be time to enjoy a city with much to offer, before a last evening together.
Day 6 : Tuesday
The tour ends as people fly home or take the opportunity to continue their travels in Serbia.
For information and reservations, call Songlines Music Travel on 020 8505 2582 or email songlines@thegroupscompany.com
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