Two Faces of Serbia

1 Speaking Look at the photos. What can you see?

What adjectives would you use to describe the
people and the atmosphere?
2 FACT FILE Read the text quickly and find the data
GUCA

EXIT

Place
Month
Dating from
Approx. No. Of
visitors
3 Read the text again and match sentences a-e
below with gaps 1-5 in the text
a) Social responsibility is still a very important aspect
of the festival activities.
b) The atmosphere is unique and the excitement
unrivalled.
c) Guca is a traditional Serbian Trumpet festival, an
authentic Serbian brand.
d) Renowned stars and artists from all music genres
perform on the Main Stage.
e) Over the years its popularity has grown and gone
beyond the borders of Serbia.
4 Vocabulary Find the adjectives in the text to
complete adjective + noun collocations
________responsibility
________ brand
________ population
________ attraction

________
________
________
________

gathering
sound
food
experience

5 Speaking Work in pairs. Roleplay the interview

with a musician

Serbia is an incredible country, a country of

contrast, a place where centuries old tradition and a
modern way of life meet and permeate. Two major
music festivals, Guca and Exit, best reflect it. 1 __
Exit, on the other hand, is a modern European music
festival featuring both famous and promising
musicians from Europe and the rest of the world.
Try to imagine a brass orchestra playing blues
or dance music with elements of traditional Balkan
sound. Every beat echoes inside you and makes you
move. 2 __ Guca Trumpet Festival is far more than
just a competition of brass bands from the country
and abroad. Unforgettable hospitality of the local
population, delicious traditional food, home-made
plum brandy and dazzling sound and rhythm make
the whole experience memorable.
The festival dates back to 1961 when the first
Guca Trumpet Festival was organised. 3 __ Nowadays
brass bands from all over the world come to Guca
festival. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to a
small village in Western Serbia each year. Its magical
attraction still puzzles sociologists, ethnologists, and
musicologists. What is the secret? What makes it so
special? Come to Guca in August and figure it out for
yourselves!
Exit is unique in the festival world. It was
founded in 2000 as a student movement fighting for
peace and democracy in Serbia and the Balkans. 4 __
It is held at the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad
every July. It gathers musicians and DJs from all over
the world. 5 __ Attracting some 200,000 music lovers
from over 60 countries each year, the festival boasts
22 stages of music.
The festival has received several awards over
the past few years. In January 2014, Exit was
proclaimed as the Best Major European Festival at
the fifth annual European Festival Awards in
Groningen. So, be there this July and become a part
of a superb cultural and social gathering!