Lokum Fest Bitola- music and tradition, a cultural amalgam of the Balkans
The festival is organized every year on the third Sunday of July, in the heart of the old bazaar in Bitola by Association for the Protection and Promotion of Cultural Heritage and Development and Cultural Tourism "LOKUM FEST"
Mission of the festival is decontamination of society from negative stereotypes and taboos through culture and art, promotion of positive European values and trends.
Bitola or Manastir is the second largest and most important city in the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The seat of as many as 11 European consulates, a place of progressive ideas and historical events. The old bazaar enters the 5th century of its existence and is the central place of social and economic life. The multiculturalism and tolerance between different ethnicities characteristic of the Ottoman period is also expressed through the customs between people, especially those between the bazaar guild. All of this is translated into an authentic cultural amalgam, specific to Bitola, expressed through customs, and above all through music. Turkish chalgija, Ladino, songs and dances were heard, sung and danced in Bitola, bringing together peoples and cultures.
As such a custom, a symbol of the openness and multiculturalism of the bazaar, is the custom of treating one's neighbor and well-wisher with Turkish delight and coffee. We have therefore taken this custom as a synonym for a "meeting" between different cultures and ethnicities. This is exactly what the "Turquoise Fest - Music and Tradition" celebrates as our heritage and attraction.
More info at : About – LokumFest