Nišville Jazz Festival Receives No Funding from Serbian Ministry of Culture

Serbian Ministry of Culture announced that it will not allocate any funds for the 32nd edition of the Nišville Jazz Festival, stating that the event can be organized with its own resources and sponsor contributions. This marks the second consecutive year the country's leading jazz festival is left without support from the ministry's competition.

Previously, under former minister Maja Gojković, the festival received between 4 and 5 million dinars. The current ministry justified the decision by expressing confidence in the organizers' ability to raise the necessary money. Festival director Ivan Blagojević criticised the minimal overall allocations, noting that the ministry earmarked only 55 million dinars for more than 370 applicants – a sum comparable to the pandemic‑era budget of 2020.

The competition, which ran from 25 February to 30 March, attracted 375 applications. After a two‑month delay beyond the legally required 60‑day announcement period, the ministry disclosed that 55.95 million dinars were distributed among 79 projects, including 41 festivals and other musical initiatives. Specific grants ranged from 500 000 to 3 million dinars for various events across Serbia.