Largest Children's Gathering in BiH: 14th Kid's Festival on Sunday, June 4

The 14th Kid's Festival will be held on Sunday, June 4, under the slogan "In Celebration of Children and Childhood," and organizers announce that children and visitors will enjoy diverse content divided into five segments for five senses, reports Patria news agency.

The Kid's Festival will open with a traditional colorful parade, and participants will gather at 12 PM in Baščaršija near Sebilj. Haris Bilalović, Head of the Communications Department of the Kid's Festival, stated that the parade route will be changed this year.

- The parade will follow the historic route of the city of Sarajevo, first to the City Hall, along the Miljacka River, Zlatarska Street, through Ferhadija to the Cathedral, where the Kid's Festival will be opened at Alija Izetbegović Square at 1:30 PM - said Bilalović.

A record number of participants is expected, with numerous activities and workshops prepared, allowing children to learn and have fun. The festival will be held at multiple locations, including the House of the Armed Forces of BiH and the National Gallery of BiH, where some workshops will take place.

- We look forward to children from Ljubinje, Sarajevo, Visoko, and Brčko showcasing their talents through plays and dances on the Kid's Stage. We are also pleased with the cooperation with the French Institute - said Bilalović.  

Raiffeisen Bank is a long-time partner of the Kid's Festival and has supported it again this year.

- I hope this year's program will bring smiles to both children and visitors. Besides this festival, we support all activities for children. We want everything to be joyful and beautiful, as in previous years - said Mirha Hasanbegović.

Representatives from the UNDP agency will have a special thematic program. Kent Larson from the USAID Mission stated that they are all there to celebrate and support the children of BiH. USAID has been supporting the Kid's Festival for five years.

- We support all civil projects; all children deserve happiness and joy. We invite all children to visit the USAID happy corner. It is a place for all children, regardless of gender or any other basis. All children will be equal and respected during the Festival, as should be the case every day of the year.

Since 2015, the Kid's Festival has been under the patronage of UNESCO, and this year too, words of support have come from the Director-General Irina Bokova.

Siniša Šešum, Head of the UNESCO Mission, stated that this is one of the most significant events for Sarajevo and BiH.

- Messages of peace have been sent from Sarajevo for the last 13 years, and again this year through the Kid's Festival, and that is important to us. This year, the Kid's Festival will have a historic route, which we are pleased about, as culture and heritage are one of the pillars of UNESCO's mandate, and it is very important for children, not only from Sarajevo but also from other cities, to become acquainted with the values that BiH possesses and to promote them appropriately.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton is also a partner of the Kid's Festival throughout these years, and according to the Festival Directorate, it is their most loyal partner.

- The police have a dual role in this Festival; one is that we are partners, and the other is to ensure the safety of all participants - said the spokesperson of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton, Irfan Nefić, who added that educational workshops for children will also be organized, and they will have the opportunity to meet search dogs.