Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Konvertibilna Marka (BAM; symbol KM) = 100 feninga. Notes are in denominations of KM200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 and 50 feninga. Coins are available in denominations of KM2 and 1, and 50, 20 and 10 feninga. Some Euro notes (but not coins) are widely accepted.

Electricity

220 volts AC, 50Hz. Two-pin plugs are in use.

2020

New Year’s Day: 1 and 2 January 2020
Epiphany: 6 January 2020
Orthodox Christmas Day: 7 January 2020
Republic Day: 9 January 2020**
Independence Day: 1 March 2020*
Catholic Good Friday: 10 April 2020
Catholic Easter: 12 and 13 April 2020
Orthodox Good Friday: 17 April 2020
Orthodox Easter: 19 and 20 April 2020
Labour Day: 1 and 2 May 2020
Victory Day: 9 May 2020
Ramadan Bayram (End of Ramadan): 24 May 2020
Kurban Bayram (Feast of Sacrifice): 31 July 2020
All Saints’ Day: 1 November 2020
All Souls’ Day: 2 November 200
Dayton Agreement Day: 21 November 2020**
Statehood Day (Republic Day): 25 November 2020*
Christmas Day: 25 December 2020

All information subject to change.

Held every year since Sarajevo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984, this winter festival keeps audiences entertained for the best part of two months. Over 1,000 artists from around the world present a thrilling mix of concerts, literary discussions, film screenings, dance displays and art exhibitions.

Held for two weeks beginning on or near Sarajevo’s Liberation Day on 6 April, the Collegium Artisticum gallery’s annual exhibition is a highly anticipated event. Around 200 Bosnian artists display their recent work, hoping to win one of three prestigious prizes awarded by the nation’s leading art and architectural associations.

Symphony orchestras, brass bands and classical choirs from across both Bosnia and its neighbours perform at this fabulous five-day music festival. The carefully planned programme often ties in with anniversaries of composers or historic events and features a superb array of concerti, opera overtures and folk tunes.

Over 40,000 children take part in this fantastic festival at the end of the Bosnian school year. A colourful parade of kids wearing national and fancy dress kicks off the festivities, followed by four days of fun ranging from dancers and magicians to movies and a mini circus.

Throughout July, Sarajevo’s Old Town plays host to a terrific series of events at cultural venues and on open-air stages. Among the free performances are film screenings beneath the stars, dramatic opera singing, boot-stomping rock concerts and enchanting puppet shows.

Founded in 1995 towards the end of the four-year Sarajevo siege, this festival has been going strong for two decades. Around 100,000 movie fans are treated to high-quality cinema from across South-East Europe in a variety of venues from the intimate (seating fewer than 200) to 3,000-seater open-air cinemas.

One of the region’s oldest theatre festivals, MESS has been entertaining audiences for more than half a century. The festival stages local, national and international plays by leading playwrights, but also aims to unveil works by up-and-coming writers. Theatre companies travel from across Europe to perform in this much-loved event.

Sarajevo’s international jazz festival stages a cracking programme of music, with one or two concerts taking place every night. The line-up invariably features an enviable rundown of some of the world’s leading (and often Grammy award-winning) jazz artists, such as Dianne Reeves, Gregory Porter and John McLaughlin.