In 2008 Serbia has hosted the Eurosong contest. On that occasion it warmheartedly welcomed all its guests offering them an unforgettable time.
With the ceremony of handing over the Eurovision key to the city of Belgrade, Serbia had become the center of Eurosong happenings. The biggest musical event in Europe, the Eurovision song contest took place in Serbian capital in 2008.
“Confluence of Sound” has presented Serbia and Belgrade in the best possible way. During those days, Belgrade was overflowed by the fans of competitors coming for 43 countries that have participated in the 53rd edition of the Eurosong contest.
The broadcast of three spectacular days of Eurosong was the most watched TV program in Serbia ever. Organization of the event matched its magnitude and importance. It was hosted in the Belgrade arena, one of the largest European halls and the symbol of modern-day Serbian capital. The magnificent stage named “Sastajanje” (“Encounter”) has had Belgrade completely conjured up.
Symbolizing its position at the confluence of Sava into the Danube, the stage has perfectly represented the encounter of history and modernity. With its LED screens, the stage could have been seen from any corner of the Arena.
The blue and the red confluent have met at “Veliko ratno ostrvo” (Great war island), where the performances took place.
The event officially began with a spectacular performance of Belgrade’s anthem by the children’s choir “Kolibri”.
It was followed by the display of some magnificent panoramic pictures of the capital.
World famous musician Goran Bregović and the brass band of Slobodan Salijević have also marked the opening ceremony playing some unforgettable Eurovision songs in their own style.
It didn’t take long before the already excited crowd in the Arena started dancing along the familiar sounds the trumpets were making.
And when Novak Djokovic, the world’s best tennis player, has appeared on the stage, he was welcomed with such thundering cheers Belgrade has never seen before. After singing the chorus of Belgrade’s anthem, Djokovic marked the voting process open by throwing a huge tennis ball into the audience.
The contest could then begin. For the first time ever Eurosong contest has had two semi-final evenings. Beside the countries of “the Big five” that always go directly to the finals, there were 38 other countries that participated. The audience in the Arena and thousands of TV viewers around Europe have chosen their favorites during two semi-final evenings.
There were numerous surprising choices, and the most successful performers repeated their shows in the finals on the third day.
After the voting was done, the Eurovision key could start its way to Russia because the winner of the 53rd Eurosong contest was Dima Bilan with his song “Believe”.
During those days in May 2008. Belgrade has readily hosted lots of visitors from many countries and made sure they had a great time.
Well organized tourist programs assured that visitors have met the unique spirit of the city in the best way.
Every Belgrade citizen talked about Eurovision with pride and was ready to direct all the guests to the places of best fun and entertainment. City officials have also arranged a rich program for the visitors – downtown tours, panoramic sightseeing by buses and of course, the Sava and the Danube rivers cruise.
For those who wanted to seize the opportunity and see more of Serbia, trips were organized to Fruška Gora, Sremski Karlovci, antique Viminacium or some of the monasteries.
Along the visits to ethno houses, the visitors had a chance to enjoy the most delicious specialties of Serbian traditional cuisine and taste some homemade wine and brandy.
Photo 1: Daniel Aragay/Wikimedia Commons
Photo 2: Proteusbcn/Flickr
