Balkan ethno-fusion and world music festival Lokum fest-music & tradition

About the festival

"Lokum Fest - Music and Tradition" is an ethno-fusion festival manifestation with a regional and international character that has been held in the old Bitola bazaar continuously since 2007. Next year we will realize the 18th edition of this festival, a kind of coming of age of the festival. It is a protected trademark. The project treats the so-called "consular" period of Bitola, as an extremely important part of the historical identity and image of the city. It is a period of prosperity, multiculturalism, penetration of European spirit and openness of Bitola. In fact, the city of Bitola itself is most recognizable by the attribute "consular city", an amalgam of cultures, interculturality and penetration of Europeanism. It represents an excellent basis for such a manifestation, which is directly inspired by the spirit of that period and exhibits exactly those values and heritage through a festival form. The very name of the Lokum Fest festival is actually a synonym for "meeting" and is inspired by the guild and city custom of welcoming neighbors, friends, well-wishers with lokum and coffee... This tradition was especially present among shopkeepers and was part of the guild codex. A meeting between different ethnicities, cultures, classes, etc... It is precisely that spirit of cosmopolitan consular Bitola that is the inspiration and driving energy for this festival event.

The target group of the festival is wide ranging from young people to retirees and adults, and of course domestic and foreign visitors. The reason is the ambience and tradition, the closeness and immediacy that the festival provides. The program is designed so that there is something for everyone, from traditional chalgia, to electro fusion and ambient, world music, handicrafts, exhibitions of rarities and antiques... In the area of artists, our target group is Macedonian musicians and ensembles who create and produce in the area of original and stylized ethnic music or styles derived from it. Lokum Fest is the only festival in the country that consistently presents all authors, performers, albums of this genre. Attached is the reference list of contractors. The target group includes hotels, restaurants, crafts and agencies, which have passes based on our festival.

A brief overview of past editions

In the past 17 editions, as long as this festival has been held in continuity, around (100) concert performances of domestic and foreign performers were realized such as: Vlatko Stefanovski trio, Dragan and Ratko Dautovski duo, Rudnina, Baklava, Ljubojna, Swarovski band, Tony Kitanovski and Cherkezi orchestra, King Velinov and Kochani Orchestra, String Forces, Chalgia Sound System, Jakov Drenkovski, Vaska Ilieva, Ibrahim Jengis, Zoran Dzorlev and Baisa, Veleshka Chalgia, Violeta Tomovska, Monistra, Chalgia Merak, Vasko Dukovski, Jordan Kostov, Marko Bosco, or contractors from Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Spain, Egypt, Brazil, India, ... (list of previous contractors as attachment) * Realized 17 crafts fairs in partnership with ZUR Macedonian Handicrafts with over 300 participants from the country and the region, and the number of visitors is over 13,000 visitors. Realizing 16 exhibitions of photographs, old furniture, clothes, documents, instruments, weapons, and everything that originates from the consular period, and some value from domestic family collections. Lokum Fest is the only festival in the country that regularly promotes Sephardic music with guests from USA, Israel, Spain...

Promoting cultural heritage as part of the festival's mission.

It is precisely at these exhibitions that the untold stories, legends, memories of Bitola from that period should be told... This segment of the program ensures the participation of the local population on a topic that is of particular importance to the majority of citizens, the glorious consular past and the personal connection of many with that passed through family ties, legacy and tradition...Behind us are a dozen exhibitions of family rarities, from old Bitola families through which history is told and common memory and sense of belonging is created. We are particularly pleased with our cooperation with the State Archives-Department of Bitola, with whom we have prepared and presented exhibitions of rare objects and photographs that tell the story of cosmopolitan Bitola or Monastery for three years in a row.

This year's program of the festival continues the planned conception of the festival which combines traditional music (chalgia, ethno, ladino) + additional forms of ethno fusion, from the country and abroad. We must underline that with the membership in Most music, our participation as Most music meeting in Veszprem - Hungary, brought us a European perspective and a program that is the most competitive in the Western Balkans region. On the occasion of the 18th anniversary, the festival will last 5 days from July 17-21, 2024.