Serbian Ministry of Culture denies support to Nisville Jazz Festival

Blagojevic said in a statement that the festival had been denied financial support after 20 years and that the ministry’s decision damaged the festival’s international reputation.

The Nisville Jazz Festival director said that Telekom CEO Vladimir Lucic told him in February this year that, after many years, “he would not be able to help the festival (Nisville had been receiving 17,000 euro annually from Telekom)” because they were “forced to cut costs after purchasing SBB sports channels.”

“This attitude from the Culture Ministry toward Nisville comes at an especially inopportune moment, when Nisville is attempting to have the City of Nis included on the UNESCO list of jazz cities in 2027. The candidacy needs to be submitted in November, and it requires a recommendation from the Ministry of Culture and the City of Nis," Blagojevic said.

He went on to say that if Nisville did not get support from the Culture Ministry or the Serbian government for 2027, “the status of one of Europe’s best festivals will not be enough,” and neither will the support of the City of Nis, while Serbia and the entire region will have “missed a unique cultural, tourist and economic opportunity."

The Nisville Jazz Festival is an international festival that takes place in Nis every August and was started in 1995.