Basically, a chance to get wasted dancing feverishly

November 16, 2015 2:39 PM

The Guča Tumpet Festival, also known as Драгачевски сабор, is an annual brass band festival held in the town of Guča, in western Serbia.

600,000 visitors make their way to the town of 2,000 inhabitants every year, both from Serbia and abroad. Elimination heats are held earlier in the year and only a few dozen bands qualify to compete. Guča's official festival has three parts, Friday's opening concert, Saturday night's celebrations and Sunday's competition. The Friday's concerts are held at the entrance to the official Guča Festival building. This event features previous winners, each band getting to play three tunes while folk dancers, all kitted out in bright knitting patterns, dance kolos and oros in front of a hyped-up audience.

posted by growabrain (13 comments total)

My embouchure hurts, and I don't even have an embouchure.
posted by Modest House at 3:01 PM on November 16, 2015 [2 favorites]

I had one once, but I let it go.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:21 PM on November 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

I used to have an embouchure, but then I took an arrow to the knee.
posted by aesop at 4:07 PM on November 16, 2015 [4 favorites]

I used to have an embouchure, but then I took an arrow to the knee lip.

FTFY!
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:49 PM on November 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

My slivovitz hurts and I don't even have a slivovitz.
posted by clvrmnky at 5:01 PM on November 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

This looks like so much fun! I would so like to go and dance and dance and party and dance.

I would think that embouchure-related lip exhaustion could be a real thing, or at the very least a triple-tongue sprain.
posted by kinnakeet at 5:36 PM on November 16, 2015 [2 favorites]

I loved these links. Some year I hope to make it to one of these blowouts. Slivovitz and helicons forever!
posted by charlesminus at 5:58 PM on November 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

This looks amazing. I would love to go.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:38 PM on November 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

There's a fantastic film about this festival called Brasslands.
posted by goatdog at 6:57 PM on November 16, 2015 [4 favorites]

thank you for that, goatdog, i am going to look for this movie!
posted by growabrain at 7:21 PM on November 16, 2015

Thanks, goatdog!
posted by newdaddy at 11:16 PM on November 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

Last year I was in Belgrade during the festival and I flaked out on going to Guča. I'll never forgive myself.
posted by gertzedek at 8:05 PM on November 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Guča is awesome! I never went. I watch later on YouTube. They do things with brass instruments no one else can do.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 12:16 AM on November 18, 2015