Music, film and theater festivals taking place in Romania are getting ready for new editions, with a mix of international guests and local talent and productions. Below is a selection of events to mark in the cultural agenda for this year.

Jeunesses International Flute Competition Dinu Lipatti

May 13 – May 20

This year’s edition of the Jeunesses International Music Competition Dinu Lipatti will be the flute competition, with a section open to musicians up to 18 years old and one for those aged 18 to 30. The competition gathers each year musicians from more than 30 countries.

The agenda of the event is being updated here.

Sibiu Jazz Festival

May 18 – May 21

The oldest jazz festival in the country, it features each year concerts in traditional and unconventional spaces, street shows, exhibitions and many more. Ron Carter, Toots Thielemans, Bill Evans, Charles Lloyd, Chucho Valdes, and Arturo Sandoval are just some of the musicians who performed at past editions of the festival. The competition associated with the event runs from May 26 to May 28.

The program of the event will be updated here.

Transilvania International Film Festival

June 2 – June 11

The largest international feature film festival in Romania, Cluj-Napoca-based TIFF counted among its guest since its 2002 beginnings film stars such as Sophia Loren, Nastassja Kinski, Wim Wenders, Catherine Deneuve, Claudia Cardinale, Vanessa Redgrave or Franco Nero. It regularly organizes industry and educational events, in addition to numerous film premiers. The festival takes a selection of films screened in Cluj and presents it in various cities throughout the country.

More on the festival’s upcoming program here.

Sibiu International Theater Festival

June 9 – June 18

At its 24 edition, the Sibiu International Theater Festival (pictured) brings international theater companies and guests to the Romanian city that held the European Capital of Culture title in 2007. The event is regarded as one of the most important performing arts festivals in Europe, after the ones in Edinburgh and Avignon. Last year it gathered artists from 70 countries and featured a total of 472 events, to an average of 67,000 spectators daily.

The program of the festival is being updated here.

Gărâna Jazz Festival

July 6 – July 9

The 21st edition of the open-air jazz event takes place in the Semenic Mountains, in Caraș-Severin county. Established in 1997, the festival is running this year an anniversary edition, celebrated with the launch of a photo album with pictures taken at the event by Horațiu Șovăială and Mihai Șovăială.

The program of the event is being updated here.

George Enescu International Festival

September 2 – September 24

The classical music festival brings this year to Bucharest a star-studded line-up including among others: the pianists Martha Argerich, Lang Lang, Daniil Trifonov, and Khatia Buniatishvili; violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter; the tenor Jonas Kaufmann, the mezzosoprano Magdalena Kožená, the countertenor Philippe Jaroussky; conductors Zubin Mehta, Antonio Pappano, Daniele Gatti, Valery Gergiev, Charles Dutoit, Riccardo Chailly, Michail Pletnev and Vladimir Jurowski. Top orchestras such as Orchestra Scala di Milano, Orchestra Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Münchner Philharmoniker or London Philharmonic Orchestra are also expected at the event.

Passes for most concert series in the festival are sold out but individual tickets go on sale in February.

The full program of the festival can be checked here.

Bookfest & Gaudeamus Book Fairs

The two major book fairs taking place in Bucharest usually run in spring (Bookfest) and autumn (Gaudeamus). Book launches, public readings and autograph sessions await the public at both events. Bookfest expanded in 2012 with local editions in Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Targu-Mures, and Brasov, while Gaudeamus is the longest-running book fair in the country.

European Night of Museums

May

The event organized each year across Europe offers visitors a chance to see what local museums hold in their collections. After-dark type events have multiplied in recent years, with dedicated events such as The White Night of Galleries, The European Night of Literature, The White Night of Romanian Film or The Night of the Independent Theater.

B-Fit in the Street

June

The street theater festival has been running for the past eight years, bringing at each edition international companies to perform in downtown Bucharest locations genres as varied as pantomime, comedy, dance, acrobatics or parades.

Anonimul International Film Festival

August

The festival features independent films and young directors and takes place each year in the Danube Delta, in the village of Sfântu Gheorghe. It also runs a feature film and shorts competition, with prizes awarded based on a vote of the public.

Les Films de Cannes a Bucarest

October

The festival presents each year films that were awarded or were screened in the Cannes Film Festival. In addition to film screenings, it brings to Romania international filmmakers and organizes various master classes and retrospectives. Last year it expanded with editions in Cluj-Napoca, Iași and Timișoara.

SoNoRo

October/November

Besides Bucharest, the international chamber music festival runs editions in Cluj and Iași, lining up each year international musicians and ensembles for various, themed concerts.

Early Music Festival Bucharest

November

The festival promotes early European music, and features Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Byzantine music. It combines musical events with visual and theater representations for a month-long celebration of early music, performed with historical instruments or their modern replicas.

editor@romania-insider.com