Guca is a very small village located in the mountains a few hours south of Belgrade. Every August for the past 50years the village hosts the world's largest Gypsy Festival. This means BRASS!
Among the 500,000 people that pass through the festival over the weekend, small time gypsy orchestras walk the streets like buskers on the move willing to stop and play for anyone waving a couple hundred Dinars (about 250/1€), the more you pay, the longer they play.
There is drinking, dancing, more drinking, enough meat to keep the veggies away and not one entry fee in sight (apart from the 30Dinars handed over to the Gypsy family that patrolled the bus station's bathroom, this bathroom put the worst bathroom in Scotland to shame).
The camping site is located high up looking across the small village but wherever you can find a bit of grass to pitch, its yours. The main event of the festival is a competition where 30 orchestras compete for the golden trumpet. This involves a huge main stage used every night and the winners announced on the final day. Small stages throughout the village host morning and daytime music and not to forget the trumpeters wake-up call at 7am!
(Top two pictures by Ania)
Lots of pictures taken and plenty of sound recorded.
More pictures at my Flickr account. Link over on the left. Enjoy.
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