WorldFestivalAssociation

I N V I T A T I O N

    With pleasure we INVITE you (children, youth and adults groups),(Folk ensembles,Choral groups,orchestras, brass bands,majorette teams and modern dance groups) to participate on XXXII International music &  dance  Festival“ ST KLIMENT OHRIDSKI”   04 - 09 August 2026 Ohrid,Macedonia

  The intention of our invitation  and the Festival light motive is to present the cultural tradition of different countries and to provide an opportunity for the members of groups to get together, to establish friendships and culture presentation trough dance and music.

  The seven wonders of Ohrid

Macedonia, deep in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, is simply a small country with extraordinary beauty.This ancient and biblical land is probably one of the last visited and least known countries in Europe, which in a way makes it even more mysterious and attractive .Finally, this terra incognita is now ready to be discovered. And without any doubt, its most precious jewels, shining one next to the other, are the city of Ohrid and the lake Ohrid .This is not just another story about some attractive tourist destination in Europe.Unfortunately, not many people in Europian union are still aware about at least 7 remarkable universal achievements connected to the entire human civilization :

According to famous television game show “who wants to be a millionaire “{2007} ,Ohrid is declared as the oldest city in the world, with continuous civilization advancement! Indeed, according to many historians, Lychnidos-the city of light (the ancient name of Ohrid ) was build in the 4th century B.C, but humans have lived there for more then 8.000 years. There are for sure settlements on many other places around the globe, but somehow and sometimes they were turned into abandoned and lifeless ruins. Reasons were different: earthquakes, floods, volcano eruptions , diseases, wars....here in Ohrid, from its beginning until today, life still goes on without ending.

That is why is also called “the kingdom of archeologists”.

This small city seemed to be irresistible for great ancient rulers and kings, such as the legendary Phoenician prince Cadmus who build it, Fillip 2 of Macedon who once conquered and reconstructed it, Alexander the Great who enjoyed in it, Czar Samuel who ruled from it and many more.However, Ohrid is the only place in the world where 2 recognized saints actually lived in the same time - St. Kliment of Ohrid (840-916) and St.Naum of Ohrid(830-910), putting an extremely strong stamp of their existence.

These 2 exceptional persons, the very best students of Cyril and Methodius, were in fact the most educated people in the world in their time. Among other achievements, they will always be remembered as establishers of the first University in Europe (893), located in Ohrid Old Town, long before the University in Bologna (1088)!

Besides that, St. kliments and St. Naum of Ohrid were investors of the Cyrillic Alphabet. As a result of their creativity and incredible work, today more then 200 million people still use this alphabet, mostly in Southeast and Eastern Europe.

Ancient ruins, beautiful amphitheater, 3 citadel walls, St.Sofia Cathedral, many churches and monasteries, gallery of exclusive icons, museums, workshops for hand-made paper, woodcarving and famous Ohrid pearls, are among hundreds sites for tourists worth to visit. There is also a strong Roman connection to the city, since Lychnidos was along the famous route Via Egnatia, build in the 2nd century B.C., connecting the Adriatic and Aegean seas. Considering the number of churches located in the Old town (365 churches according to the immemorial legend, for local people to celebrate every single day by honoring another saint), Ohrid is called “the Balkan Jerusalem”, successfully playing the role as the biggest pilgrimage spot for all the Orthodox Christian in the world.

One of the most extraordinary churches in Ohrid is the mother of god Theotokos Peribletos-“ The most holy who can take a look everywhere”. Build in the year 1295, this church is a pure masterpiece of the medieval sacred architecture. But more than that , the most incredible elements are the frescos inside this church, painted in the same year by Michael and Eutychios . Actually, at the end of the 13th century, before any similar artistic movements on Italian soil, exactly 10 years before the first fresco-painting of Giotto in Padua’s Arena Chapel (1305), the name of god will be glorified in Ohrid with frescos containing exclusive elements of the earliest start.

In 1979 and in 1980, Ohrid and Lake Ohrid were accepted as a Cultural and Natural World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. In fact, Ohrid is one of only 28 sites that are part of UNESCO's World Heritage that are both Cultural and Natural sites.

Lake Ohrid is one of Europe’s deepest and according to most experts the oldest lake in Europe. 

REGULATIONS

   Every folklore and dance group , orchestras and majrette team has the right to participate. 

Application form must be sent, including a photand the conductor as well as a recent audio recording. The requested materials can be sent by email, recording audio can be put on your web site or send by post.

Festival  is not competitive and no age limited.

The program should be fro 12-15 minutes.with orchestra or recorded music on USB.

   Maximum nambers is  70 participants, minimum ahould be 15 participants in the group..  

    By applying to the Festival the groups agrees to respect and to regulate the legal rights of the authors of the works it performs and agrees to give right to the Festival to use any material recorded during the Festival.

Festival program will be held on the outdoor public location - historical places in Ohrid and Struga cities and Centres for culture.

Program:

Day 1

13:00 Arrival in Ohrid, Welcome by the Organizer, meeting to discuss the program during the Festival, accommodation in a hotel

19:00 - 20:00 Dinner at the hotel

Day 2

09:00 - 10:00 Breakfast

10.00 - 14.00 Tour of Ohrid - visit to cultural monuments (Church of St. Sophia, 3 euro entrance fee, Samuel's Fortress, Ancient Theater, Plaoshnik, 2 euro entrance fee, St. Jovan Kaneo Church, Bridge of Desires...)

18:00 Dinner at the hotel

19:00 Parade of Ensembles (Old Town)

20.00 Official opening of the festival

- Welcome speech 

- Outdoor performance

- Festival evening, Dancing together of all groups

Day 3

09:00 - 10:00 Breakfast

10.00 - 15.30 Boat cruise on Lake Ohrid 15 euros organized ticket for groups, visit to the Water Museum and the most famous tourist resort, the monastery of St.Naum Ohridski

17:00 - 19:30 Dinner at the hotel -Parade of the participating Ensembles

20:00 Festival evening, Dancing together of all groups.

Day 4

08:00 - 10:00 Breakfast

10.00 - 14.00 Visit to Stara Karšija, the oldest tree called - Cynar, BiljaniniIzvori, Ohrid pearl factory, shopping... or visit to Struga and Kališta

19:00 - 24:00 Macedonian joint dinner, portion of 2 meats with side dish, salad, appetizer, and unlimited drink, 25 euros per person, Live music, entertainment, Awarding of Certificates for participation in the Festival.

Day 5

09.00 Breakfast

11.00 Departure of the participants

OPTIONAL - if you stay more days:

Day 5

07.00 - 09.00 Breakfast

11.00 Beach time or visiting Struga city or Pogradec city (in Albania)

19-21.00 Dinner in hotel

Free time in the city

Day 6

09.00 Breakfast

11.00 Departure of the participants

Accommodation in hotels and apartments, according to the price selected;

Hotel Delago &  District (Main Suggestion)  in city center

Hotel Delago – https://delago-hotel.carrd.co/

Pricing Options:

Half Board (HB) – Breakfast and Dinner

3 Nights / 4 Days (HB): 110€ per person
4 Nights / 5 Days (HB): 139€ per person
5 Nights / 6 Days (HB): 169€ per person
Additional day: 30€ per person

Ohridati Palace 3* – https://ohridatipalace.mk/ in the center of the city 

Half Board (HB) – Breakfast and Dinner

3 Nights / 4 Days: 109€ per person

4 Nights / 5 Days: 139€ per person
5 Nights / 6 Days: 169€ per person
Additional day: 33€ per person

Apartments in the center of the city

Pricing Options:

Half Board (HB) – Breakfast and Dinner
3 Nights: 91€ per person
4 Nights: 119€ per person

Full Board (FB) – Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
3 Nights: 109€ per person

4 Nights: 129€ per personHotel Desaret  - on the beach

Visit Hotel Desaret 3* Resort https://www.hoteldesaret.mk/en
Type: Lakeside hotel with an outdoor swimming pool.
Pricing Options:

Half Board (HB) – Breakfast and Dinner
3 Nights / 4 Days: 119€ per person
4 Nights / 5 Days: 144€ per person
5 Nights / 6 Days: 179€ per person
Additional day: 36€ per person

Full Board (FB) – Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
3 Nights: 128€ per person
4 Nights: 160€ per person
5 Nights: 194€ per person
Additional day: 41€ per person

Accommodations with prices for 4* hotels"

Hotel Sileks –https://www.hotelsileks.mk/

 Single room supplement – 20 € per person

3 nights HB – 158 € per person

 4 nights HB – 209 € per person

 5 nights HB – 250 € per person

3 nights FB – 189 € per person

 4 nights FB – 242 € per person

 5 nights FB – 299 € per person

 Additional night HB – 50 € per person

 Additional night FB – 60 € per person

Double room supplement – 10 € per person

 Single room supplement – 20 € per person

Metropol Lake Resort –https://metropol-ohrid.com.mk/

 4 nights / 5 days HB – 219 € per person

5 nights / 6 days BB – 220 € per person

 5 nights / 6 days HB – 269 € per person

Additional night BB – 48 € per person

 Additional night HB – 56 € per person

Hotel Granit –https://hotelgranit.com.mk/

3 nights HB – 179 € per person

 4 nights HB – 234 € per person

 5 nights HB – 289 € per person

Additional night BB – 46 € per person

 Additional night HB – 56 € per person

Participation fee include:

- Hotel accommodation in selected hotels with meals

- On 25 people - 1 is free (24+1)

- Certificate and gift for the group

- free bus parking (in some hotels)

- drinkd during performance

- social media promotion

On request, a professional guide can be hired to accompany the group on their excursions, but the travel guide expenses will be covered by the group.

Health insurance (First Aid and Medical Hospital will be available, medical services must be covered by the group).

Free parking for the bus in the central area of the city.

Tourist guide expenses. Macedonian tourist tax (0.80 cents euro per person per day).

    Transportation: The festival will organize the transport for the groups coming by plane by picking them up from Ohrid airport, during the festival days and back to the same Ohrid airport. You can also arrive through Skopje, Tirana or Thessaloniki Airport which are only 200 km from Ohrid. The cost of the transportation will be covered by the group and will be additionally agreed according to their number. Also you can arrive in Ohrid airport and we will arrange transfer to the hotel free of charge.We will also assist you in obtaining visa for Macedonia if necessary.

After the festival finish organizers will send you link from the festival  for each group and photos. 

All detailed information will be supply after your confirmation the participation.