54th Guca trumpet festival opens

GUCA - The traditional Trumpet Festival in Guca, central Serbia, opened on Wednesday with a flag-raising ceremony and the festival anthem, while writer Radomir Andric, the host of the biggest trumpet festival in the Balkans, proposed a toast to visitors.

This festival is the "the biggest festival of love, companionship and joy amid the sound of the trumpet," Andric said, noting that it "strengthens the friendship among the nations."

The chairman of the festival committee Mladomir Sretenovic said that the festival honouring the trumpet promotes Serbia in the best of lights, as a country of joy, optimism and sincere hospitality.

The 54th iteration of the Guca festival will feature 1,080 participants, including international competitors such as bands from Macedonia, Italy, Moldova and Slovenia.

For the first time in the festival's history, a lady - Danijela Veselinovic - will compete for the Golden Trumpet award, performing with a band based in Arilje, western Serbia, on Sunday.

In a preliminary competition held on Mt Zlatibor, the jury selected the best 17 bands that will be competing in the final.

The finalists include a 24-year-old Serbian girl.

In addition to trumpet performances, the festival will feature diverse cultural and entertainment events, and visitors will also be able to become acquainted with old Serbian trades, folklore and art.

The competitors and the audience will be able to enjoy and take part in the events in the festival programme from August 6 to 10.

Organisers say that everything is ready for the hundreds of thousands of visitors from Serbia and other countries of the world. Around 450,000 people attended the Guca trumpet festival last year.