What to do this weekend (July 1-3) in Bucharest

Summer days are getting hotter and hotter, which only makes Romanians’ desire to go out and have fun even stronger. Luckily for them, the capital is always buzzing with events, so there’s definitely something to choose for everyone.

In true Romanian spirit, this weekend welcomes the launch of the second edition of “Festivalul IEsc”, an event dedicated to the celebration of the Romanian national blouse. The festival will be held in Gradina cu Filme and Creart’s headquarters (7, Lahovari Street) between July 1-3 and will consist of concerts, film screenings, makeup and hair styling booths, as well as traditional blouses and accessories’ exhibition and many others. The entrance to the event is free.

Movie lovers will be delighted by the eight edition of the “Long Night of Short Films” film festival (Noaptea Lunga a Filmelor Scurte), which will bring 29 recent short films that won Oscars, Sundance or Cannes awards. The festival will be hosted in the Romexpo Pavillion on July 2, from 20:00 to 05:00. The price for a ticket is RON 35 (in the pre-sale period) or RON 40 (bought on the spot) and they can be purchased online from MyTickett, Eventbook and Eventim.ro.

If you prefer documentaries, don’t panic! The “Retrospectiva Pelicam” event is bringing in Bucharest the most appreciated documentaries from the fifth edition of the “Pelicam” festival from July 1 to July 3, at Cinema Elvira Popescu (tickest can be purchased at the cinema’s ticket booth).

This week is also a great one for music festivals, which are definitely going to please music fans of all genres. The “Shine Festival”, named “Best Alternative Festival” in 2015, promises to bring big alternative bands before the Romanian public, such as Alternosfera, Subcarpati and Robin and the Backstabbers. The show will be held at Arenele Romane on July 1 and July 2, between 17:00 and 23:30. Two-day passes are available online for special prices, as well as single-day passes, prices varying from RON 55 to RON 100.

The “Outernational Days” music festival is not one to be missed either. This year, bands and musicians from various countries around the world, such as Congo, Burkina Faso, Turkey and Egypt will perform at Uranus Garden and Control Club this weekend from 17:00, together bringing the concept of “world music” in Romania. Tickets can be purchased online off eventbook.ro, prices varying from RON 30 for a one-day ticket to RON 70 for a full pass (an additional RON 10 is paid for access to the Control Club performances).

Andreea Dulgheru