Last weekend, the 40th Annual Zlatne Uste Golden Festival took over the Marquee Astoria, bringing the nation’s largest Balkan dance festival to the world’s borough, including two nights of music, dancing, food and community.
The event, which took place at the venue formerly known as Astoria World Manor, at 25-22 Astoria Blvd. in Astoria, saw over 700 guests explore two floors of continuous performances, along with dance workshops, complimentary Balkan bites and more.
The annual event featured over 50 bands from the Balkans and beyond, including Greek, Klezmer, Albanian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Macedonian and many more. Some of the event’s featured acts included Slavic Soul Party, Merita Halili and Raif Hyseni accompanied by the MSU Albanian-Balkan ensemble, Chris Tiktapanidis, the Harris Brothers Balkan band and many more throughout the weekend-long event.
On Friday night, the special event featured Balkan dance workshops and bands who performed, followed by their Saturday evening lineup, which included four stages with live music throughout the evening and dancing all night among friends, family and strangers who joined hands together.
On both evenings, a cash bar featured wine and spirits from the Balkans, along with beer from local Queens brewery Fifth Hammer Co. and non-alcoholic beverages from Industrial Arts Brewing Co., based in Beacon, NY. Other beverages included Balkan drinks like peach nectar and bitter lemon tonic soda. As guests enjoyed live music and dancing throughout the night, they had the chance to refuel with a complimentary meze buffet featuring pita bread with a range of spreads, such as hummus and baba ghanouj, salads and bites like burek and stuffed grape leaves.
Another section featured a cozy Balkan coffeehouse area to unwind, courtesy of the Balkan Grind, an Albanian Balkan coffeehouse based in Williamburg, Brooklyn, which sold handmade sweets like baklava, lokum (Turkish Delight), prepared with pistachio, dark chocolate and berries and Turkish coffee, traditionally prepared on a sand pit, with brews like dark chocolate, cardamom, coconut and more.
Whether guests came with a friend or on their own, the festival provided a unique opportunity in the midst of the cold winter for strangers to hold hands and dance together while enjoying music from around the world, whether it was their first time exploring the festival or they were regulars at the annual event. The festival is definitely a must-try for those who may not have had the opportunity to enjoy it this year, to make sure to put it on their radar for next year to explore the rich Balkan festival of music, culture and community.
To learn more about the Golden Festival, visit their website or follow them at @zugoldenfest.
