Jerma Art Festival

Jerma Art Festival is a non-profit, self-sustaining cultural event that celebrates creativity in all its forms. The festival lasts three days and is dedicated to presenting a dynamic combination of traditional, ethnic, alternative and electronic music, along with screenings of international films, art workshops and environmental initiatives in the community. More than an ordinary music or film event, Jerma is a true art festival. It is an all-encompassing experience where different artistic expressions meet sustainability and community spirit.

At the foot of the Wallachian Mountains, in the village of Vlasi near Pirot, where the Jerma River flows quietly between the cliffs and forests, a festival was launched - quiet, modest, but powerful in its intention. Jerma Art Festival , held from August 2 to 4, 2024 , was designed as a meeting place for art, nature and community. It is not an event that measures success by the number of tickets sold - but by the number of genuine encounters and the depth of the impression.

Festival vision

The festival was initiated by the Association of Citizens of Jerma , with the support of the EU Resource Center for Civil Society in Serbia , the Belgrade Open School , ENECA from Niš , and the Pirot Tourist Organization . The goal? Revival of cultural life in rural areas, decentralization of art and preservation of local heritage through contemporary artistic expression.

Program and participants

During three days, Jerma Art Festival offered a diverse and carefully created program:

· Screenings of documentary films

· Performances by classical and traditional musicians

· DJ sets in natural surroundings

The festival gathered more than 250 participants and guests , among whom were artists, musicians, ecologists, volunteers and visitors from Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and other parts of the region. Visitors stayed in the camping area next to the river , but also with local hosts as part of rural tourism - from the village of Držina to Zvonačka Banja.

Donors and partners

The festival was realized thanks to the support of:

· EU Resource Center for Civil Society in Serbia

· Belgrade Open Schools

· ENECA from Niš

This cooperation between the civil sector, public institutions and the local community was crucial for the successful realization of the first edition of the festival.

Effects and impact

Although the festival budget and number of visitors were not large, the impact of the festival is multi-layered :

· Cultural contribution : The festival brought art to a space where cultural events are rarely organized.

· Tourism development : The visibility of the village of Vlasi and the surrounding areas as potential destinations for cultural and eco-tourism has increased.

· Community : Bonds were established between the artists and the local population, which created a foundation for future projects and collaborations.

Plans for the future

The organizers plan for the festival to grow into a permanent platform for artistic and cultural exchange , with the following directions of development:

· Expanding the artistic program and including new formats (performances, visual arts, residencies)

Strengthening the educational and environmental component

Additional promotion of the festival in the media and on social networks

Development of sustainable practices in the organization (recycling, local products, minimal ecological footprint)

Jerma Art Festival is more than a festival - it is an invitation to a different rhythm of life. To stay in nature without noise, to art that reaches people and not the other way around, to exchange without barriers. Its importance is not reflected in the spectacle, but in the silence in which space for connection is created. In a world that is increasingly forgetting its roots, the Jerma Art Festival brings us back to what is authentic, local and human.