Somehow it had become customary for theaters, publishers, museums, and other cultural institutions and organizations to make an annual review of their achievements at the end of the year, and especially to announce what they planned to do in the coming year.
And then, some time ago, that custom gradually but surely began to fade, so that before 2026 it would almost completely disappear.
In an attempt to find out the cultural plans for this year, the most common answer was "we have a plan, but we have no budget which guarantees that that plan will be realized" which in translation would mean that what and as much money will be done will be done.
Because this year it will be seen loud and clear the consequences of last year's non-announcement of the competition by the Ministry of Culture and the Secretariat for Culture of the City of Belgrade, and the distribution of the budget to the obedient and loyal, while completely depriving those who are not.
In such a situation, at least as far as is known, the only theater that has announced a plan for 2026 is the Belgrade Drama Theater, the only publisher is Akademska knjiga from Novi Sad, and the only festival is the Belgrade Play Festival.
Academic book
"We are preparing a lot of new titles for you," reads the announcement of "Academic Book" in which it recalls the results from last year.
One of the big releases last year
They say that in 2026, among those titles are "capital historical works: Partizani Jože Pirjevac, On anti-Semitism Marko Mazover, Balkan Odyssey Mari-Žanin Čalić, The Ottoman Empire Halil Inaldžik, Mediterraneans. History of the movement of people (1492–1750) Guillaume Calafa and Mathieu Grene, the biography of Joseph Goebbels by Peter Longerich... We will continue to publish the literary works of Ismail Kadare, Kamel Daoud, Matthias Henard, Karl-Marcus Gauss, the second round of the edition is being prepared The Hispanic Novel of the 21st Century, as well as essays by Umberto Eco. We are also preparing the second part of the romanticized autobiography for you Memoirs of the painter Paja Jovanović. "
Belgrade Drama Theater
Announcing the annual repertoire, the Belgrade Drama Theater notes that all tickets purchased until the end of January will be discounted by 30 percent.
The Arts Council decided that this would be the year of comedy and quoted Henri Bergson's essay line About laughter in which he claims that the theater provides an enlarged and simplified picture of life and that in that case comedy will teach us better than the reality in which we live.
The season opens with the play by Alfredo Žari, adapted and directed by Staša Koprivica, on the Big Stage "Oliver and Rada Marković". The premiere is scheduled for February 20, 2026, on the Day of the Belgrade Drama Theater. Andrija Milošević and Paulina Manov play the roles of Iba's father and mother.
The premiere of the premiere will follow in March Crno zlato Dejan Dukovsky, directed by Oliver Frljić, on the Big Stage of "Oliver and Rada Marković". The premiere is on March 14, 2026, and the main roles are played by Anja Ćurčić, Milutin Milošević and Nataša Marković.
The premiere of Shakespeare is planned for May Epiphany night, directed by Lidija Dedović, on the "Oliver and Rada Marković" Big Stage. The premiere will be held on May 16, 2026, and the main roles will be played by Jelisaveta Teodosić and Miodrag Radonjić.
On June 6, 2026, the first performance will be performed on the Summer Stage of the BDP Millenium team arena. Our parents Patrik Lazić, directed by the author. Starring Milica Zarić.
The summer season will also be marked by the first performance of the play The woman is tying the tail Marije Rakočević, directed by Maša Pavlović, whose premiere is scheduled for August 29, 2026 at the Summer Stage of the BDP Millennium team arena. The performance will be realized in co-production with Hartefakt within the BDP New Voices project.
The premiere of the play follows in October Nada based on the novel by Ante Tomić, directed by Jovana Tomić, on the Big Stage of "Oliver and Rada Marković". The premiere is on October 24, 2026, and the play, among others, stars Jovo Maksić, Marko Gvero and Iva Ilinčić.
The last premiere in 2026 will be a play Kus petlić Aleksandra Ace Popović, directed by Radmila Vojvodić, on the Big Stage of "Oliver and Rada Marković". The premiere is planned for December 1, 2026 at the opening of the RUTA festival, where we will see Zoran Cvijanović in the title role.
Belgrade Festival of Games
Belgrade Festival of Games announces the twenty-third edition, which will be held from March 13 to April 8, 2026, under the slogan "be the GAME YOU WANT to see", with 15 companies from 11 countries as guests, with a world premiere in Belgrade and Novi Sad.
And then follows the precise program of the Festival - we mention only the first one from the list: "March 13 Gotje Dans from Stuttgart with choreography Turning the bones Akram Khan, on the SNP stage in Novi Sad. In front of us on this occasion will be the most beautiful anthology of Khan's works", announces the Belgrade Play Festival.
Those that follow are no less attractive and important for the contemporary artistic game in the world. In this context, the money that this country gave Aja Jung to implement the Belgrade Dance Festival seems justified and given for a reason.
Only, the question arises as to why the state judged that others are less, or even not at all, worthy of its help.
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