Open City Mostar Festival opened its doors on 1 September with a classical music performance and a rock concert. For three weeks, the festival will bring exhibitions and public discussions to this city in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The festival supports the culture and tourism sectors, which have been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as using culture to promote dialogue and inclusivity and bring down the barriers dividing communities in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the region.

EU Special Representative and Head of the EU Delegation to BiH Johann Sattler commented that cultural events can be a powerful medium to demonstrate that there is more that people have in common than that divides them. Such events also offer new ways of thinking and opportunities to understand different perspectives.

Funded by the EU, the Open City Festival is organised by the Mostar Rock School in cooperation with the City of Mostar. In addition to musical acts, and theatrical and audio-visual performances, discussions on the future of the city, ecology and BiH’s EU path also feature in the programme.