WBalkan Photo Festival is an annual photography festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is held in January of every year and is the legal successor of the now-defunct Festival of Bosnian Photography. The festival was established in 2010 by the Urban Foundation in cooperation with the Association of Professional Photographers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the online photography journal fotografija.ba. The 2011 edition was the first to be internationalized. Balkan Photo Festival is the largest photography festival in the Balkans, receiving more than 5,000 submissions annually.
WBallet Fest Sarajevo is an annual ballet festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is held in September of every year and lasts for 7 days. The festival was established in 2010 by the Sarajevo National Theatre and the Sarajevo Ballet. It is devoted to contemporary author choreography and showcases the most established ballets from Southeastern Europe. It is the only ballet festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
WBeton Fest is an international 3D street art festival held annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is held in July of every year and lasts for five days, bringing in international street artists from all over the world. It was established in 2012 by the arts association Progres in cooperation with the Academy of Fine Arts, Sarajevo. Apart from showcasing 3D street art, it also organizes the Beton Music Stage which holds concerts and open-air parties for the duration of the festival. It is the only 3D street art festival in Southeastern Europe and has hosted many renowned street artists such as Vera Bugatti, Giovanna la Pietra, Tony Cuboliquido, Manuel Bastante and others.
WCoffee Fest Sarajevo is an international coffee festival that is held annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The festival was established in 2014 by the Profesional Association in cooperation with the Bosnian Ministry of Trade. Festival partners include Robert Bosch GmbH and Tesla, Inc. It is held in numerous venues across the city, which include the Skenderija Center and MyFace.
WDva Super Dana is a two-day indie and alternative rock music festival held annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The festival was established in 2016 by the Kriterion Foundation as a platform for the promotion of unsigned indie and alternative rock bands from the Former Yugoslavia. It is held in April in the Kriterion Art Cinema.
WThe 2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival was held in Sarajevo & Istočno Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina from 10 to 15 February 2019.
WFEDU is an annual children's art festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is held in May, lasts for six days and showcases extensive performing arts, literary and music programs from around the world. Furthermore, it organizes numerous workshops for children between the ages of 6 and 14. The festival was established in 2015 by a team headed by children's writer Fahrudin Kučuk in cooperation with the government of the Sarajevo Canton. The main festival venue is the Sarajevo National Theatre. The festival has hosted productions from over 20 countries. It is the only international children's art festival in the Balkans.
WFestival 84 was a music festival organized by the team behind EXIT festival in Serbia. Its debut edition was held on 15–18 March 2018 at the site of Jahorina Ski Resort, on Jahorina Mountain in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the attendance of 20,000 people. It was cancelled on 14 February 2019, due to the administrative reasons beyond the organizers' control.
WThe Ilidža Folk Music Festival is the oldest living and premier folk music festival in the Former Yugoslavia. It is held annually in Ilidža, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The festival was established in 1964 by the Association of Bosnian Recording Artists, is held in July and lasts for four days. The event hosts contemporary and traditional artists in genres under the umbrella of Folk, including Sevdalinka, Starogradska, Modern Folk, Novokomponovana, Macedonian Folk, Turbo-folk and accordion music. It has traditionally been the premier showpiece event for folk recording artists in Yugoslavia, with the two major Yugoslav record labels Jugoton and PGP-RTS releasing live LPs of each year's edition. Numerous acclaimed folk singers from the Former Yugoslavia were either signed by record labels or received wider media exposure following performances at the festival. Serbian Turbo-folk star Ceca performed at the 1988 edition when she was 15 years old and won the competition with her single Cvetak Zanovetak, while Hanka Paldum was signed by Diskoton after winning the newcomer competition in 1974.
WThe Ilidža International Children's Folklore Festival is an annual cultural festival held in Ilidža, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.The festival was established in 2009 by UDM " NOMINATIV " with the purpose of promoting friendship and cultural exchange between children from the ages of 10 to 14. It is held in June of every year and lasts for three days, showcasing over 1000 performers per edition. The festival has hosted folklore groups from Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Montenegro, Moldova, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Kosovo, Lithuania, Israel, Belarus
WThe InterDance Fest is the largest contemporary dance festival in Southeastern Europe. It is held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The festival was established in 2010 by the Aster Dance Club in cooperation with the Berlin Dance Institute, the World DanceSport Federation and the MTV Dance Europe television network. It is open to contestants from the ages of 6 to 50, but also showcases non-competitive performers above the age of 50. It consists of competitive and non-competitive programmes that include Hip Hop, Jazz Dance, Street dance, Disco, Breakdancing, West Coast Swing, Electric Boogie, Salsa, Argentine tango, Mambo, Cha-cha-cha, Majorette performances, Cheerleading, Zumba, Belly Dance and others. The festival also hosts the European Salsa Championships. The 2017 edition hosted over 4,000 performers representing 84 international dance clubs from 46 different countries.
WThe Jazz Fest Sarajevo is an international music festival held annually in the first week of November in Sarajevo and is the largest of its kind in Southeastern Europe.
WJuventafest is an international theatre festival that takes place annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It exclusively programs high school theatre productions and is held in September. The festival was established in 2013 by a group of Bosnian theatre professionals headed by acclaimed actress Jasna Diklić. It also organizes various workshops and interactive lectures aimed at high school drama groups, amateur student actors and high school drama teachers. It has hosted theatre productions from over 30 countries.
WLutfest is an international puppetry festival held annually in East Sarajevo, Republika Srpska, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established in 1999 and has subsequently become the premier festival of its kind in the Former Yugoslavia. The festival has hosted some of the world's most well known puppeteers, including Paul McGinnis, Bruce Lanoil, and Peter Schumann.
WThe MESS International Theatre Festival (MESS) is a theatre festival that takes place annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the oldest living theatre festival in the Balkans, programming international experimental performances and emerging artists. MESS was the largest theatre festival in the Former Yugoslavia and was named one of Living Theatre's international showcases in 1974. It survived the Siege of Sarajevo, during which it hosted directors such as Susan Sontag and Peter Schumann. It organized the first edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival in 1993 and still acts as a collective board member today. Today it is the largest theatre festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the largest in South-Eastern Europe. In 2009 it expanded its activities to the city of Zenica, which now hosts parts of the regional program.
WOPEN Fest Sarajevo is the largest international libertarian festival in Europe. It is held annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is dedicated to the promotion of ideas of liberty and human rights. The Festival promotes economic and political freedoms, together with the fundamental rights of the individual. The festival was established by the Multi Group in cooperation with the Atlas Network, Students for Liberty and the Rising Tide Foundation. The first edition of the festival hosted over 10,000 guests, 50 NGO's and 40 international speakers.
WThe Open University of Sarajevo is a non-profit experimental school for interactive education, social activism and public debate. Themes that the school has delt with include Neo-Marxism, Yugoslavism, psychoanalysis, Third wave feminism, Crisis theory, Post-Colonialism, Historical revisionism, Post-fascism, social constructionism, revolutionary democracy, linguistic nationalism and philosophy of existence. The school has a festival format and is organized once a year in December. It nurtures the traditions of the Praxis School – a Yugoslav Marxist humanist philosophical movement, whose members were influenced by Western Marxism and organized the Korčula Summer School. The Open University of Sarajevo was an outspoken advocate of the 2014 Bosnia and Herzegovina social riots and called for the continuation of direct democracy that was established by plenums during and subsequently after the riots. The school runs a Free-to-view platform that streams all of its content online, dubbed in various languages, and archives it on its website and YouTube channel. The organizers negate the term school, preferring to use the term platform.
WThe PitchWise Festival is an annual four-day feminist music, art and activism festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established in 2005 by the CURE Foundation and has steadily grown into an international attraction that now includes major touring acts, art collectives, outdoor industry partners, film screenings, exhibitions, political theatre productions, prominent speakers, and more. The 2017 edition hosted over 70 female artists, collectives, musicians and activists from 36 different countries.
WThe Pop Art Festival is an annual art festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established in 2017 by the Sarajevo-based cultural association Pogon in cooperation with the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo, the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the iMTM Institute. It is held in May and lasts for three days.
WPop-Up! Sarajevo is an international student graphics design and visual communications festival held annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The festival was established in 2014 by the Departement of graphics design of the Sarajevo Academy of Fine Arts. It lasts for 7 days. Each year's edition programmes exhibitions, lectures, workshops and film screenings that are focused on the fields of digital illustration, new media, digital animation, video production, motion graphic design, concept art and caricatures.
WSarajevo Beer Festival is an annual beer festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Established in 2012, the festival is held annually over 3 days as a showcase event for various beer producers. In addition to domestic and foreign brews, the festival features live music performances each evening. It has become the largest beer festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina and third largest in the former Yugoslavia, behind the Belgrade Beer Fest and the Macedonia Beer Festival in Prilep. The festival venue is the 17 acre open-air former speed skating ring and encompassing park that makes up part of the Zetra Olympic Center.
WThe Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival is an international multi-day chamber music festival which annually takes place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established in 2011 by the Sarajevo Music Academy in cooperation with the Sarajevo Chamber Music Institute (SCMI) and the Manhattan String Quartet. The festival lasts for 6 days and hosts over 30 international ensembles, lecturers and composers per edition. It is the largest chamber music festival in the Balkans.
WThe Sarajevo International Guitar Festival is an international multi-day classical guitar music festival which annually takes place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established in 2011 and is the only festival of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 2017 it is a full-member of EuroStrings. The festival has hosted numerous international names such as Margarita Escarpa, Rovshan Mamedkuliev, Sérgio Assad, Juanjo Domínguez, Le Trio Joubran, Roland Dyens, Dušan Bogdanović, Yorgos Foudoulis, Petar Čulić, Hubert Käppel, Pablo Márquez and others.
WThe Sarajevo Irish Festival is an annual festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina that celebrates Irish culture. The festival was established in 2015 and is held for three days around and including St. Patrick's Day. It was founded by Irish expatriates in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Culture Ireland. The festival hosts Irish theatre companies, screens Irish films and organizes concerts of Irish folk musicians. The festival has hosted numerous Irish artists, filmmakers, theatre directors and musicians such as Conor Horgan, Ailis Ni Riain, Dermot Dunne, Mick Moloney, Chloë Agnew and others.
WSarajevo Poetry Days is an international literary festival held annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established in 1962 by Bosnian poet and academic, Izet Sarajlić, who was then-chairman of the Association of Bosnian Writers. The festival is the oldest living literary festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
WThe Sarajevo Ramadan Festival is an annual religious and cultural festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina that celebrates the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The festival was established in 2014 by the Sarajevo Navigator Foundation and the Zone of Improved Business (ZUP) Baščaršija in cooperation with the European Union's PHOENIX – Culture for the Future project. It is endorsed by the Oriental Institute in Sarajevo. The aim of the festival is the creation of inter-religious dialogue and the promotion of peace, reconciliation and solidarity among faith groups through the presentation of Islamic art and culture.
WThe Sarajevo StreeAt Food Festival is an annual international street food festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is held in July and August of every year and lasts for three weeks. The festival was established in 2018 by Pro Optimus Tours and is the only one of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
WThe Sarajevo Street Art Festival is an annual street art festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is held in July of every year and lasts for three days. Each year's edition is made up of numerous street performances, the creation of a new street art quarter in the city, concerts, the painting of large murals and the showcasing of other creative art forms. The final day of the festival is dedicated to children and entails stage music, theatrical and gymnastics workshops, jugglers and street magicians.
WThe Smile of Sarajevo Theatre Festival is an international comedy theatre festival that is annually held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established in 2017 by a team of theatre professionals headed by Nedžad Podžić "Poćko". The festival is organized in May and lasts for 9 days. It showcases comedy theatre performances from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Former Yugoslavia.
WSonemus Fest is an international multi-day contemporary classical music festival which annually takes place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established in 2001 by The Society Of New Music Sarajevo (SONEMUS) in cooperation with the Sarajevo Music Academy and the Pro Helvetia Foundation. Its focus is on the promotion of classical composers from the countries of Southeast Europe who belong to the contemporary art music aesthetic. The festival has hosted numerous international composers such as Jürg Wyttenbach, Urška Pompe, Uroš Rojko, Marko Nikodijević, Richard Barrett, Antoine Fachard, Simon Steen-Andersen, Hanan Hadžajlić, Ališer Sijarić, Dino Rešidbegović, and others.
WThe SOS Design Festival is an annual graphics and product design festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established by the Academy of Fine Arts in cooperation with the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Council of Design. It is primarily an educational platform, while also being as an exhibitory event that was originally conceived by the students of the Department of Graphic and Product design of the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo.
WSpiritus Progenitum is an international humanitarian arts and literary festival held annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It exclusively showcases art and literature from the Former Yugoslavia.
WThe WARM Festival, established by the WARM Foundation, is an international festival on contemporary conflicts held annually in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.