Belgrade Irish Festival 2026

31 Mar

Posted at 08:39h in Belgrade Irish Festival 2026 by
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We are republishing a column by Branko Rosić, originally published in Nedeljnik, exploring the connections between Serbs and Irish. In just a few years, the Belgrade Irish Festival has turned from a small event into one of the most important festivals in Belgrade. This was shown by this year's edition, which I have no idea which edition it was…  There is this bond and love between Serbs and Ireland. Even in the depressed nineties, there were St. Patrick's celebrations in Belgrade. Maybe it started in that decade?  In isolated, depressed Serbia, the Orthodox Celts (band) performed Irish folk music and played to people who fantasized about an Ireland you may never see. Some evenings, I even watched ‘characters’ and girls Irish dancing in Belgrade caffes. To be honest, I've never taken to that kind of music, so even in Dublin I dodged offers from pubs with that kind of music. I'm more into the...

26 Feb

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As part of the 14th Belgrade Irish Festival, audience will have the opportunity to attend the European premiere of the performance “Beckett / Poetry”, performed by award-winning Irish actors Stephen Rea and Ruth Negga. The play is scheduled for March 15 and 16 at Atelje 212. The production is directed by Alan Gilsenan, a renowned Irish film and theatre director and former long-time director of the Irish Film Institute. The performance will be staged at Atelje 212, a theatre whose history is closely connected to the work of Samuel Beckett, the father of the Theatre of the Absurd and one of Europe’s and Ireland’s greatest literary figures. Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot” was performed for the first time in Eastern Europe in Belgrade, on the stage of this very theatre, in the autumn of 1956. According to theatre historians, this was one of the most revolutionary moments in the history of Serbian...

19 Feb

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As part of the Beogradski irski festival (BIF), Irish Film Week will take place from March 14 to 20 - a seven-day programme presenting a representative selection of contemporary Irish feature and documentary films, accompanied by conversations with filmmakers and special guests. This year’s film stars and guests of Belgrade are acclaimed Irish filmmakers: director Neil Jordan, actor Stephen Rea, best known for his collaborations with Jordan, and Oscar-nominated Irish actress Ruth Negga. Jordan and Rea will be presented with the Golden Seal of the Yugoslav Film Archive for their contribution to the art of film. Audiences will also have the opportunity to watch the now-classic The Crying Game, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, a BAFTA for Best Film, and a total of 21 awards. (March 20, Yugoslav Film Archive). Irish Film Week opens with Christy, a notable debut feature that captured the attention of European festival audiences and...

12 Feb

Posted at 14:55h in Belgrade Irish Festival 2026 by
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Oscar winner Neil Jordan, acclaimed actors Stephen Rea and Ruth Negga, along with numerous directors, comedians, musicians, writers and visual artists from Ireland, will present their work at the 14th Belgrade Irish Festival (BIF), the largest event dedicated to contemporary Irish culture in the region, from March 12 to 21. This year, BIF connects two eras of Irish culture: the contemporary scene, represented by leading Irish film and theatre artists, and the legacy shaped half a century ago by Samuel Beckett, one of the most influential writers of 20th-century Irish and European literature. Beckett’s legacy runs through all segments of this year’s festival programme. Audiences will have the opportunity to see an exclusive theatre piece inspired by Beckett’s poetry at Atelje 212, the theatre that introduced Beckett to Belgrade audiences 70 years ago, as well as 19 films based on his works and two exhibitions by Serbian and Irish artists inspired by...

17 Jan

Posted at 13:47h in Belgrade Irish Festival 2026 by
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The Belgrade Irish Festival (BIF), the leading event dedicated to Irish culture in Serbia and Southeast Europe, invites volunteers to join the team of its 14th edition, taking place from 12 to 21 March. Volunteering at BIF offers an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in event organization, production, and promotion within an international environment. It is also a unique chance for volunteers to meet Irish artists, experience Irish culture first-hand, and connect with Irish music, film, literature, history, theatre, storytelling — and, above all, with people. The Belgrade Irish Festival is a multidisciplinary cultural festival held every March in Belgrade, showcasing contemporary Irish culture through film, music, theatre, literature, and visual arts. Taking place at various venues across the city, the festival aims to encourage cultural exchange and foster connections between the Irish and regional cultural scenes. As every year, this edition of BIF brings programs that build strong links between Irish...

26 Nov

Posted at 10:42h in Belgrade Irish Festival 2026 by
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The Belgrade Irish Festival and Literature Ireland are seeking applications from creative writers for a residential bursary in Belgrade, Serbia. This is an opportunity for an Irish writer to travel to Serbia and live and work in the exciting cultural capital of Belgrade. The residency will take place from 20 February - 22 March 2026. The bursary will be awarded to a practising writer from the island of Ireland. Travel, living expenses and accommodation will be covered by Literature Ireland. The Belgrade Irish Festival will coordinate the residency locally. The successful candidate will be asked to work on their current writing project, and to immerse themselves in Belgrade’s rich literary and cultural life in the run up to the annual Belgrade Irish Festival. Towards the end of the residency, the successful candidate will participate fully in the festival, including at least one public event focusing on their work. This residency is suitable for...