THE SINGING OF THE NIGHTINGALE – International Festival of Contemporary Art & Culture
75+ Creators from Eight Countries Meet by
the Closed Greece–North Macedonia
Border
Night on the Border | Laimos, Prespa | 18–20 September 2026
THE SINGING OF THE NIGHTINGALE – International Festival of Contemporary Art &
Culture takes place in Prespa from 18 to 20 September 2026, under the central theme “Night
on the Border.”
This year’s edition unfolds in Laimos, Prespa, just a few metres from the historic Laimos–Markova Noga border crossing, which has remained closed since 1967. More than 75 creators from eight countries come together through visual art, music and film, transforming the border into a space for cultural encounter and exchange.
Presented within the framework of the 4th Multidisciplinary Festival “Pluralism in Life – Co- Creation at the Boundaries of the Human and the Artificial”
THE SINGING OF THE NIGHTINGALE – International Festival of Contemporary Art &
Culture takes place in Prespa from 18 to 20 September 2026, under the central theme “Night
on the Border”, while the International Contemporary Art Exhibition will be presented in
Laimos from 5 to 20 September 2026.
This year’s edition unfolds in Laimos, Prespa, just a few metres from the historic Laimos –
Markova Noga border crossing, which has remained closed since 1967. In a place where
borders have for decades been a symbol of separation, the festival transforms them into a
space for cultural encounter and exchange.
More than 75 artists, musicians, poets, writers, filmmakers and researchers from Albania,
Argentina, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye participate in this year’s
edition through artworks, music events, film screenings and artistic interventions.
THE SINGING OF THE NIGHTINGALE is an open international cultural initiative connecting
creators and local communities through the Digital CHARTA of the Nightingales, an evolving
online cultural map documenting works, memories and cultural routes linked to specific places.
DIGITAL CHARTA / DIGITAL MAP
The digital map functions as a continuously evolving field of collective cultural expression, a kind of “Google Maps” for sounds, images, memories, local histories, and artistic contributions from the Balkans and the world.
Each contribution becomes a new point within a shared digital territory of memory, freedom, and cultural connection beyond borders.
🗺 Explore the Digital CHARTA
https://nightingale.pgk.gr/
International Contemporary Art Exhibition
5–20 September 2026
Old Town Hall of Laimos
Opening | Friday, 18 September, 20:00
An international contemporary art exhibition presenting works by creators from around the world and serving as the on-site presentation of the Digital CHARTA of the Nightingales.
Night on the Border – Cross-Border Music Meeting
Saturday, 19 September | 20:00
Outdoor area of the Old Town Hall of Laimos
A cross-border music meeting bringing together musicians from Greece and North Macedonia,
dedicated to intercultural exchange through jazz, Balkan musical traditions and improvisation.
Featuring Pantelis Stoikos Like Quartet, MOIRA, TRETO KOLENO and Within the World Duo, bringing together jazz, Balkan musical traditions and improvisation.
Place as a Field of Transformation and Coexistence
Selected Screenings from the Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival and the
Florina International Film Festival
Sunday, 20 September | 20:30
Municipal Library of Prespa
A selection of short films from the Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival and the
Florina International Film Festival, exploring memory, identity, movement and coexistence
across the Balkans.
Co-organised by
BUFF – Western Strokes, NI Manifestation “Smilevo Congress” / Kooperacija
Sessions, University of Western Macedonia – School of Fine Arts, Florina – Third Studio,
Municipality of Prespa, Region of Western Macedonia.
In collaboration with: Balkans Beyond Borders, Florina International Film Festival
Under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture
Powered by Samsung
CONTACT
For more information and the full project description:
Email: thenightingale.2026@gmail.com
Phone / WhatsApp:
+306987683766
+306972890252
The Team
Sofia Antonakaki
Vasko Gjorgiev
Harris Kondosphyris
Panos Kountanis
Dimitra Marini
Sotiris Minas
Leonidas Nikolaidis
Maria Papagelou
Pece Trajkovski “Brada”
Our Partners
BBB logo
Deskati
Co-organized by
- Regional Unit of Western Macedonia (Greece)
- Municipality of Prespa (Greece)
- Municipality of Deskati (Greece)
- University of Western Macedonia – School of Fine Arts of Florina, Third Studio (Greece)
- PELEKANOS – Agricultural Cooperative of Bean Producers of the Prespa National Park (Greece)
- Smilevo Congress Festival (North Macedonia)
- BUFF Visual Arts Collective (Greece)
Supported by (alphabetical order)
-
A & B Primary School of Deskati (Greece)
-
Floroi Visual Artists Platform – Third Studio (Greece)
-
Antonis I. Petsas Art & Culture Center, Deskati (Greece)
-
Western Macedonia Model Forest (Greece)
-
Third Studio, University of Western Macedonia (Greece)
-
Florina Conservatory of the Region of Western Macedonia (Greece)
Graphic Design
Vasko Gjorgiev
Communication
ecozani
Coordination and communication management
Anastasia Mimikou
Maria Papagelou
