Public New Year's Eve Celebration in Sarajevo: Let's Go Wild, Let's Go Strong into the New Year 2016!

The City of Sarajevo will organize a Public New Year's Eve Celebration outdoors for the 15th consecutive year, together with its partners: Canton Sarajevo and four city municipalities: Stari Grad, Centar, Novo Sarajevo and Novi Grad. The central program will be held at the Children of Sarajevo Square, in front of the BBI Center, under the slogan "Let's go wild, let's go strong into the new year 2016!". The program will start tomorrow, December 31st, at 9 PM and will last until 1:30 AM with the participation of BiH artists: Amel Ćurić, Zoster, Velahavle, and Radarska kontrola, announced the City Administration, reports the Patria News Agency.

Elvir Hadžiahmetović, secretary of the City Administration of Sarajevo and president of the Organizing Committee for the Public New Year's Eve Celebration, stated that the City of Sarajevo decided to hold this event despite not having money in its account a month ago due to the known financial situation it found itself in.

"We convened a meeting, consulted with our partners, and agreed to proceed with the organization of the celebration. When we work together, we achieve good results. The four city municipalities and Canton Sarajevo are participating in the financing, and without their involvement, it would not have been possible to organize a public celebration. In the meantime, the City of Sarajevo has also systematically resolved its financing. Therefore, this year everyone is participating in the organization costs, which was not the case before," Hadžiahmetović pointed out.

He added that consideration was given to what our public wants, which is to have local artists engaged.

"The cost of the organization is close to 70,000 KM. We consider this not a cost but an investment. All indicators from the KS Tourist Board show a sharp increase in the number of tourists before New Year's, from which everyone benefits financially and in every other way," said Hadžiahmetović and invited all citizens to be good hosts.

Nedim Lipa, on behalf of the technical organizer and implementer of the Public New Year's Eve Celebration, stated that the program will be of the same quality as in previous years.

"The artists are performing for amounts they certainly wouldn't perform for elsewhere. We thank our local artists for their cooperation. The same applies to the security agency and the company handling the technical aspects," said Lipa.

He emphasized that the media patrons of this event are Radio Stari Grad and Antena Sarajevo, the portal klix, and TVSA, which will broadcast the celebration live. The New Year's program of TVSA will also be available for our diaspora around the world for the first time via the portal www.tvsa.ba by clicking on the Live Stream TVSA link.

The first performance will be by the band Radarska kontrola, followed by Zoster. Citizens will enter the New Year with Amel Ćurić, and in 2016, they will be entertained by the band Velahavle. Exactly at midnight, a multi-minute fireworks display will be held from the Feroelektro building.

"It is a great honor for me and the band to perform in front of BBI. We are a young band, just starting out, and we perform cover songs. I hope you will enjoy it and warm up for the bands that follow us," said Emir Avdić from the group Radarska kontrola, and Samir Hodović from the group Velahavle added that "anyone who comes in front of the BBI Center will surely have fun".

Patrols will be circulating all night

The members of the MUP KS will ensure security on the wildest night of the year. Irfan Nefić, head of the Public Relations Department of the MUP KS, stated:

"We have prepared a security plan and have reserve personnel. Activities will be distributed throughout the canton. Patrols will be circulating everywhere. We have taken a series of measures and activities to cooperate with agencies, so they can provide us with all necessary information, but so far there has been nothing that could endanger the public celebration."

Nefić also took this opportunity to ask all citizens, especially parents, not to allow children to use pyrotechnics, to avoid injuries, as was the case in previous years, according to the statement from the City Administration.