THE ASSOCIATED EVENTS
 

Besides films, SILAFEST offers its guests a range of associated events that enrich this festival.

This year the planned events are outings, sports competitions, round-tables, as well as culinary competitions.
 

A boat outing down the Danube to the Fortress of Golubački gradwith music and a cocktail party.

Only 20 kilometers downstream from Veliko Gradište and Silver Lake, there is the entrance to the famous gorge of Đerdap and the National Park Đerdap. At the entrance to the gorge, there is thes old fortress of Golubački grad that guarded this part of the Danube Valley in the Middle Ages. The Danube, that is more than 6.5 kilometres wide near Golubački grad, is merely three hundred meters wide here.		  
   

A boat outing upstream to the settlement of Ram. A visit to the Fortress of Ram, on the Danube to the Fortress of Golubački gradand a cocktail party in a restaurant on the Danube bank.

Some fifteen kilometres upstream from Veliko Gradište lies the old Fortress of Ram which dominated this region even since the Roman period. See more at
www.tovg.org		  
   

The round-table: The protected natural values of the Danube basin parts in Serbia and its ecottourism potencials

The objective of the round table is to point out natural potentials of this region, which are at the same time tourism potentials, as well as to call attention to the necessity of protecting natural resources in the Danube basin parts in Serbia in compliance with the principles of sustainable development, including the evaluation of the possible directions of its management and development.		  
   
 

THE GENERAL PROGRAMME OF THE ROUND TABLE

  • THE NETWORK OF PROTECTED NATURAL RESOURCES ON THE DANUBE
  • PROTECTED NATURAL VALUES OF THE DANUBE BASIN PARTS IN SERBIA
  • GEO-INHERITANCE OF THE DANUBE REGION AND GEO-TOURISM
  • THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ECO-DEVELOPMENT WITH THE EXAMPLE OF THE UPPER DANUBE BASIN PARTS IN SERBIA

Also, presentations of particular cases and projects of sustainable eco-tourism aimed at nature protection directly concerning the presentations of the participants in the round table will be held, for example birdwatching on the Danube, cruising along the Danube, and other contents of sustainable tourism development in this region, using fish resource and involving this natural Danube resource into an integrated tourism product, presentations of the project relating to the development of speleo-tourism, etc.
   

The exhibition of paintings,
graphics and sculptures

Although being a small municipality, with only about 6,500 inhabitants living in the town zone, Veliko Gradište has always been culturally nuanced area. It can be seen in the town architecture, as well as in the number of academy-trained painters and sculptors. There are about ten academy-trained painters and sculptors living in the town today.		  
   

Fishhook and float fishing

Silver Lake is also famous for particularly large amounts of fish. It is one of the favourite fishermen’s destinations in Serbia. At the end of the lake, near the dam, close by the guest-houses, there is a marked path for the fishing competition. All the interested participants of the Festival will be provided with identical fishing rods, floats, fishhooks, lures and food for attracting fish. The competition is two hours long, and the winner is the one who catches the largest quantity of fish for the time. The winner is to receive an award, and the catch will immediately be cooked for the guests of the Festival.		  
   

Beachvolley Tournament

Veliko Gradište is famous for its professional volleyball tournaments. VGSK club was the champion of old Yugoslavia many times, and it was at the top of European club volleyball. Today, there are many professional beachvolley courts in the town, so a tournament will be organized for the interested  festival guests.		  
   

Competition in cooking beans

Veliko Gradište is famous in the region for its special sort of beans, called "Gradištanac". Traditionally, every year there is a competition in cooking beans with cured meat, bacon, and vegetables. It seldom happens that there are less than 25 cooking teams in the competition. The gastronomic quality of this specialty is determined by a special jury that gives the prize, and besides sampling this dish, the guests of the Festival will be able to see and take note of some new recipes.		  
   

The competition in cooking fish broth

All Danubian countries have the tradition of cooking fish broth. From country to country, the recipes vary, yet they are always based on the same principal ingredient – fresh Danube fish. In Serbia, there is a tradition of local competition where winners are chosen to represent their town in the central competition at the end of the summer. During the Festival, the guests will be able to get their hands on some old recipes of Danube fishermen, as well as to try this specialty during the local competition.		  
   

Slapstick fishing of catfish with fishermen

It is an old tradition of Danube fishermen to catch catfish using a slapstick. Catfish, one of the biggest sorts of Danube fish (can weigh over 150 kg) is a bottom fish. However, it is very curious, and on a hit of a specially designed wood over the water surface, it rises from the bottom, reaches the boat and takes the lure. The interested guests of the Festival will be enabled to go to the river with fishermen and participate in this specific way of fishing themselves. We recommend this to those who need extra adrenaline, since catfish is caught in the middle of the open flow of the river, close by the border between Romania and Serbia, and there can be pretty enormous fish in a boat. All the catch will end on the plates of the guests of the Festival the same day.