Serbia’s once-isolated capital Belgrade is gaining fame as one of the world’s top party towns, luring hordes of young budget travelers with open-air music festivals and underground dance clubs.
Dozens of quirky venues have sprouted between the cracked facades of its Socialist-era architecture and new low-cost air links are bringing in visitors for good times that are more affordable than in more glamorous European cities.
“If you can stay on your feet for 24 hours, there will always be somewhere to go and have fun,” said German Andrea Lutz, who flew in with friends for a rock concert but quickly decided to stay for a whole week to party.
PHOTO: AFP
Lutz, in her 20s, was drawn by word-of-mouth rave reviews of the city and also tickets for a concert by Bristol legend Massive Attack that were cheaper than in other parts of Europe.
“So many of my friends enjoyed their time here last summer so I decided to come and see for myself,” she said, standing in line for another rock performance at alternative hangout Zica (Wire).
This kind of enthusiasm led famed tourist bible, the Lonely Planet, to put the city at the top of its list of “the world’s top party towns,” beating out Buenos Aires and Cape Town.
“The long years of bad press that kept Serbia off the map have now passed, and foreigners are now realizing what locals always knew — that Belgrade really rocks,” its 1,000 Ultimate Experiences guide says.
Bombed during World War II and again in 1999 during the Kosovo War, the city was the capital of the former Yugoslavia after a communist takeover that claimed thousands of lives.
A decade ago it was known to the world largely through news reports about the violent break-up of Yugoslavia, but the 2000 fall of late war crimes-accused president Slobodan Milosevic has seen a blossoming of sorts.
Every year since then the number of foreign visitors has increased, attracted by an unusual mix of Turkish-Oriental influences, Socialist architecture and a vibrant modern culture.
Last year, it attracted more than 400,000 foreign tourists, tourism official Jasna Dimitrijevic said, and this year the number is expected to be even higher.
Along the shabby streets that are desperately in need of renovation, dozens of clubs, restaurants and bars have sprung up.
“Belgrade is not a historic or artistic jewel, although we do have a lot to be proud of,” said Goran Tuseljakovski, the owner of a small hostel in the downtown area.
“I like to call it a diamond in the rough — what you see is not what you’ll get,” he said in the hostel lobby, where he was helping visitors from England plan a Sunday night out.
One of them was Lisa Pearson, 20, visiting en route to the four-day, open-air EXIT festival that drew thousands of people to Serbia’s second-largest city, Novi Sad.
“I already like it more than I could imagine. There is a party everywhere you go, a concert almost every night and it’s much cheaper than anywhere in Europe,” Pearson said.
She and her 21-year-old boyfriend, Jerry Gordon, have found it easy to find out where to go, not least because of the plethora of venues and friendly local advice.
“We knew a few clubs, but then we met new friends who have suggested we go here or there,” Gordon said.
They head to a newcomer to the scene, Tribal, in the river district, where two Italian DJs blast out techno hits mixed with world music behind the club’s metal doors — remnants of its previous incarnation as a car repair shop.
“We try to get new, young DJs who are making their name at the international scene, to let our guests be in tune with the newest trends,” said one of the managers, Sandra, who did not give her last name.
Italian Maurizio, who declined to give out more personal information, is a second-time visitor to Belgrade and says things have improved in the past years.
“There are signs in English in the center, even some bus stations are clearly marked with maps and directions. Four years ago, it was almost like an ‘orientation’ game for a foreigner,” he said, pointing to a street sign written in Cyrillic, the Serbian alphabet.
The occasional linguistic difficulties are offset by advantages such as the lack of entrance fees or dress codes at most clubs, even the more popular ones.
“Tickets are sold only when we have a star DJ or a theme night, otherwise, profits from drinks are the main and sufficient source of income,” said Marko, who did not give his last name, a manager of the popular Tube club.
For 30-something Jelena Ros and her friends from Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, this is a welcome change from club rules elsewhere in Europe, allowing them to hop from one party to another.
This evening they are heading to a “splav,” one of dozens of river-boat clubs that line the Danube and Sava rivers in the summer, offering music, meals or just a lazy evening to chill out after the summer heat.
At one of the oldest, Blaywatch, glamorous sponzoruse (sponsored girls) dance to turbo folk, a typically Serbian mix of Oriental folk and heavy beats to which they show off in the hope of attracting a rich boyfriend or husband.
“There is a graffiti nearby saying ‘Belgrade never sleeps,’” Ros said.
“Compared to my hometown Ljubljana, where everything closes at 12pm, it’s true. Here, the fun starts at midnight,” she said.
People with missing teeth might be able to grow new ones, said Japanese dentists, who are testing a pioneering drug they hope will offer an alternative to dentures and implants. Unlike reptiles and fish, which usually replace their fangs on a regular basis, it is widely accepted that humans and most other mammals only grow two sets of teeth. However, hidden underneath our gums are the dormant buds of a third generation, said Katsu Takahashi, head of oral surgery at the Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital in Osaka, Japan. His team launched clinical trials at Kyoto University Hospital in October, administering an experimental
‘GOOD POLITICS’: He is a ‘pragmatic radical’ and has moderated his rhetoric since the height of his radicalism in 2014, a lecturer in contemporary Islam said Abu Mohammed al-Jolani is the leader of the Islamist alliance that spearheaded an offensive that rebels say brought down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and ended five decades of Baath Party rule in Syria. Al-Jolani heads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is rooted in Syria’s branch of al-Qaeda. He is a former extremist who adopted a more moderate posture in order to achieve his goals. Yesterday, as the rebels entered Damascus, he ordered all military forces in the capital not to approach public institutions. Last week, he said the objective of his offensive, which saw city after city fall from government control, was to
IVY LEAGUE GRADUATE: Suspect Luigi Nicholas Mangione, whose grandfather was a self-made real-estate developer and philanthropist, had a life of privilege The man charged with murder in the killing of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare made it clear he was not going to make things easy on authorities, shouting unintelligibly and writhing in the grip of sheriff’s deputies as he was led into court and then objecting to being brought to New York to face trial. The displays of resistance on Tuesday were not expected to significantly delay legal proceedings for Luigi Nicholas Mangione, who was charged in last week’s Manhattan killing of Brian Thompson, the leader of the US’ largest medical insurance company. Little new information has come out about motivation,
‘MONSTROUS CRIME’: The killings were overseen by a powerful gang leader who was convinced his son’s illness was caused by voodoo practitioners, a civil organization said Nearly 200 people in Haiti were killed in brutal weekend violence reportedly orchestrated against voodoo practitioners, with the government on Monday condemning a massacre of “unbearable cruelty.” The killings in the capital, Port-au-Prince, were overseen by a powerful gang leader convinced that his son’s illness was caused by followers of the religion, the civil organization the Committee for Peace and Development (CPD) said. It was the latest act of extreme violence by powerful gangs that control most of the capital in the impoverished Caribbean country mired for decades in political instability, natural disasters and other woes. “He decided to cruelly punish all
RSS