The village of Guca in Central Serbia, has gained world fame owing to its Festival of Trumpet Players, the largest trumpet event and competition in the world.
The first festival was held on October 16, 1961 in the yard of the Church of Sts. Michael and Gabriel in Guca. Initially, it was a very modest Festival, but gradually grew.Think Mardi Gras meets Balkan beats. A riotous event of upbeat -- and at times ear splitting music -- roast meat and barrels of bear, the event has become one of Southestern Europe's biggest annual music events and is increasingly attracting an international audience. Billed as the largest trumpet festival in the world, over half a million people descended on the small town last year to see dozens of bands face off to see which could claim the title of the region's best.
The sound of the trumpet traditionally accompanies every major event in Serbia's rural and small-town life: births, baptisms, weddings, farewell parties for those joining military service, state and church festivals, harvesting, reaping, and also funerals.
The music, made internationally famous by the films of Emir Kusterica, is very diverse, from indigenous melodies to, marches and characteristic southern Serbian dances, all the way to tunes that have emerged more recently.
