View source for Sarajevo Winter Festival

{{Short description|Annual cultural festival in Sarajevo, Bosnia}}
{{AI-generated|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox festival
| name           = Sarajevo Winter Festival
| native_name    = Sarajevska zima
| logo               = File:Sarajevo_Winter_Festival_logo.png
| logo_size          = 200px
| logo_alt           = Official logo
| image          = 
| caption        = 
| status         = Active
| genre          = [[Multidisciplinary arts]]
| frequency      = Annual
| location       = [[Sarajevo]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
| years_active   = 1984–present
| founders        = [[Ibrahim Spahić]]
| dates          = February 7 – March 21
| website        = [https://sarajevskazima.ba sarajevskazima.ba]
}}

The '''Sarajevo Winter Festival''' ({{langx|bs|Sarajevska zima}}; {{lang-sh-Cyrl|Сарајевска зима}}) is an annual international cultural festival held in [[Sarajevo]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], since 1984. It encompasses a wide range of artistic disciplines, including music, theatre, visual arts, literature, and film. The festival serves as a platform for artists from around the world to showcase their work and engage with the local community.<ref name="Klix2017">{{cite web |title=Sarajevo Winter Festival begins its 33rd edition |url=https://www.klix.ba |website=Klix.ba |date=5 February 2017 |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref>

== History ==
Over the years, the festival has attracted thousands of artists and visitors.<ref name="BBC2024">{{cite web |title=Sarajevo Winter Festival: A Cultural Gem of Europe |url=https://www.bbc.com |website=BBC |date=12 February 2024 |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref> By its 40th edition in 2025, the festival had hosted over 45,700 artists and cultural workers, presenting nearly 5,000 events.<ref name="Oslobodjenje2020">{{cite web |title=The Evolution of Sarajevo Winter Festival |url=https://www.oslobodjenje.ba |website=Oslobodjenje.ba |date=23 February 2020 |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref> 

The festival is a member of the [[European Festivals Association]] (EFA).<ref name="Source2023">{{cite web |title=European Cultural Festivals: Sarajevo Winter Festival's Role |url=https://www.source.ba |website=Source.ba |date=11 December 2023 |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref> 
[[File:Sarajevska_zima1.jpg|thumb|right|International exhibition of South Korean art, '''Nine Dragon Heads''', 7 February 2025.]]
In 2019, the festival opened with the performance ''Buka i bijes'' ("Noise and Fury") by artist [[Braco Dimitrijević]], where artists marched through Sarajevo's streets carrying messages of peace and coexistence.<ref name="Klix2019">{{cite web |title=Otvorena Sarajevska zima: Festival slobode sa više od 1.500 učesnika |url=https://www.klix.ba/magazin/kultura/otvorena-sarajevska-zima-festival-slobode-sa-vise-od-1500-ucesnika/190207130 |website=Klix.ba |date=7 February 2019 |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref>  

In 2017, the 33rd edition of the festival awarded the "Silver Snowflake" to Mila Melank and Collegium Artisticum for their exceptional contributions to the arts.<ref name="Klix2017">{{cite web |title=Sarajevo Winter Festival begins its 33rd edition |url=https://www.klix.ba |website=Klix.ba |date=5 February 2017 |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref>  

The festival has also featured international collaborations, such as the ''Silk Road of Art'' program held at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.<ref name="Avaz2021">{{cite web |title=Sarajevo Winter Festival continues with global performances |url=https://www.avaz.ba |website=Avaz.ba |date=4 March 2021 |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref> 

In 2015, the festival included a Japanese Film Week.<ref name="Oslobodjenje2024">{{cite web |title=Sarajevska zima 2024: Festival evropskog duha i bosanske tradicije |url=https://www.oslobodjenje.ba/o2/kultura/sarajevska-zima-2024-festival-evropskog-duha-i-bosanske-tradicije-912853 |website=Oslobodjenje.ba |date=3 February 2024 |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref>  

By its 40th edition in 2025, the festival had hosted over 45,700 artists and cultural workers, presenting nearly 5,000 events.<ref name="Euronews2023">{{cite web |title=Sarajevo Winter Festival: A Showcase of International Art |url=https://www.euronews.com |website=Euronews |date=8 January 2023 |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref>
== Notable Editions ==
[[File:Sarajevska_zima2.jpg|thumb|right|'''Tablao los caminos''', [[flamenco]] performance, 21 March 2024.]]
[[File:Sarajevska_zima3.jpg|thumb|right|Children's theatre performance, March 2023.]]
=== 2018: 34th Edition – The Other Face of the World ===
The 34th International Sarajevo Winter Festival in 2018 was held under the slogan ''The Other Face of the World.'' The opening ceremony featured a concert by the Guardian Orchestra of Bulgaria, dedicated to the Bulgarian Chairmanship of the [[Council of the European Union]]. The festival gathered 1,500 artists from 43 countries,.<ref name="Avaz2022">{{cite web |title=Sarajevska zima: Umjetnici iz cijelog svijeta donose duh zajedništva |url=https://avaz.ba/kultura/umjetnost/715212/sarajevska-zima-umjetnici-iz-cijelog-svijeta-donose-duh-zajednistva |website=Avaz.ba |date=6 February 2022 |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref>  

=== 2020: 36th Edition – Time for You: Pick Up Art ===
The 36th edition of the festival in 2020, themed ''Time for You: Pick Up Art,'' was cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="RadioSarajevo2020">{{cite web |title=Sarajevo Winter Festival 2020 canceled due to COVID-19 |url=https://www.radiosarajevo.ba |website=Radio Sarajevo |date=19 November 2020 |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[Culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
* [[List of festivals in Sarajevo]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://sarajevskazima.ba Official website]

{{Sarajevo}}
{{Members of the European Festival Association}}

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[[Category:Tourist attractions in Sarajevo]]
[[Category:Winter in Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
[[Category:Festivals in Sarajevo]]
[[Category:Cultural festivals in Yugoslavia]]
[[Category:Annual events in Bosnia and Herzegovina]]
[[Category:1984 establishments in Yugoslavia]]
[[Category:Culture in Sarajevo]]