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 On a recent trip to Belgrade, Paul Croft finds more than just idyllic streets and old-world palaces. Among them: 20,000 Eurovision fans.
The die was cast when Marija Serifovic won the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest: we were bound for Belgrade and Eurovision 2008.
Belgrade sits at the convergence of the Danube and Sava rivers. It is not a rich or beautiful city, but it is a bewitching city of worn and discoloured facades, which tell the tale of a land fought over for centuries by the powers of West and East. What Belgrade may lack in beauty is more than compensated by the secrets it yields as you wander its spacious squares or narrow, tree-lined streets by day, and are captivated by its charm at night. These combined give Belgrade a certain appeal that makes it instantly endearing.
The people of Belgrade, though not outwardly gregarious, are welcoming and friendly. Most also speak English.
Getting around Belgrade is fairly easy and cheap, and because of its size a lot of exploring can be done by foot. There are two parts to Belgrade: the Old and the New. Trg Republike (or Republic Square) is the heart of Old Belgrade and the starting point for exploring the city’s many sites including the Kalamegdan fortress (which offers fantastic views across the city as well as views of young heterosexual couples making out); the Orthodox churches of St Mark and St Michael, the Archangel; and Princess Ljubica’s Palace.
Time permitting, a day trip to the historic town of Zemun (about 20 minutes by bus) is a must. Set along the Danube, and with a beautiful riverside promenade, Zemun is a delightful myriad of narrow, winding streets. A short walk to Millennium Tower offers a stunning view of the town, taking in the baroque St Nicolaj’s Church.
Belgrade has a lot to offer when it comes to (non-gay) night life: excellent (and cheap) food, restaurants full of music and song, bars that stay open till late in the morning, and the dozens of ‘splavs’ that line the Sava river. Open only in spring and summer, the splavs are floating restaurants, bars and clubs, moored along side each other, providing a wide selection for a night out.
All our travel brochures advised that, while homosexuality is not readily accepted in Belgrade, an underground gay scene exists. Unfortunately for us, after a number of hours searching unsuccessfully for the two known gay bars, we agreed that the scene could only have been, literally, underground!
The raison d’etre of the Belgrade trip was the Eurovision final. Held in the Beogradska Arena in New Belgrade, and holding 20,000 Eurovision devotees, we’ve never experienced an atmosphere of such international goodwill and unadulterated schlager! The phenomenal opening of the final had all the trappings of a Mardi Gras show and was a definite two-fingered salute to the anti-gay Serbian groups! Our Australian flags drew attention from fans and TV crews alike, amazed that we would travel so far. We were surprised (and proud) by the number of Australian flags in the audience – the only non-European flag on display. We’ve vowed to lobby the government to join for 2010.
Homosexuals were everywhere at Eurovision, most prominently at the Eurobar and Euroclub after parties. Euroclub, after the final, was the place to be, a truly international disco where every song was a Eurovision hit. Everyone knew the words (regardless of the language) and there were Eurovision stars everywhere. The only way to describe Euroclub: G-A-Y! Or EuroGAY.
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