The Balkans hit Brooklyn

celiclu
Jan 26, 2020
2 min read

This year the Golden Festival had their 35th anniversary celebrating music and culture from the Balkans for two nights. Hosted at the Grand Prospect Hall in Brooklyn, Friday is the warm up before the big party on Saturday. This was my second time volunteering for the event and it did not disappoint.

I would suggest to buy your ticket in advance because the line gets big. The perk for volunteering is that you can either attend for free or half price depending on your shift. I had the great privilege of checking in all the performers playing that night. It was the first time I ever put a wristband on someone and realized it's a bit tricky. After my two hour shift, I got to go explore the great Grand Prospect Hall, a Victorian banquet hall that was constructed in 1892 in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Its huge! Each room had a different band playing on Saturday night and the party starts from 6pm to 2am. Get ready to burn calories.

If you don't know any of the dances, it's not a big deal. They're not very hard to learn and you'll pick up in less than a minute. That's the fun part, something about holding strangers' hands and dancing at the same beat feels good.

All of the musicians were great. It's impressive to blow a trumpet for that long. I learned when you play brass you start to use new muscles in your lips. (Slideshow of performers below.)

If you love shopping like me the good news is that they have a small market of items that are popular in the Balkan regions. You can choose from scarves, jewelry, or pipes all at a reasonable price.

I picked up a little gift for myself, a beautiful ring from Michal Golan. I love her work and highly recommend giving her shop a look. (www.michalgolan.com)

There is food, but unfortunately I lack to report what it was that they were serving. I was too busy running around and dancing. It could easily happen and so maybe eat before you attend.

My synopsis for the night, if you've never traveled to any of the Balkan countries in Eastern Europe, and you're in Brooklyn, you really should go. It's a fun night full with music, dance, food and drinks, and no, contrary to some stereotypes of the region and the people, no fights broke out. Since my parents are both from Montenegro, it was great to get a little taste of their home in my home, New York,