IFF Šumperk

19^th International Šumperk Folklore Festival

12 to 17 August 2009, Šumperk

Once a year, Šumperk blossoms with with folk songs, dances, and music. It turns into a stage on which musicians, singers, and dancers from all imaginable corners of the world incessantly take turns. On Wednesday, the eve of the opening of the festival, the organizers prepare a meeting with dulcimer bands Under the Lime Tree. On Thursday, the festival gates are opened, as has become traditional, with the Regional Harvest Celebration featuring the harvesters´ parade and the handing over of harvest wreaths. The show draws on authentic folk customs and usages and is accompanied by a review of Šumperk brass bands. Friday is dedicated to children´s ensembles and foreign folk groups. Saturday is the main festival day. After being welcomed in front of the town hall, the participants leave for the Main Street, where they introduce themselves to the spectators in anticipation of the main, early-evening show. The ensembles take leave of Šumperk  in the closing program on Sunday.

The town of Šumperk was founded in the 13^th century. Apart from its many historical monuments, you may also make a trip to its surroundings to visit the chateau and the historical paper mill at Velké Losiny or the pumped-storage Dlouhé Stráně Hydro Power Station, which is deemed a technical wonder.

More information at www.festivalsumperk.cz, www.sumperk.cz.