We decided to spend more time in Romania because (1) we love Romania, (2) it’s not – for the moment – Schengen, and (3) it’s far less expensive than western Europe. So we headed back to Transylvania, to a city we loved during our brief visit a few weeks ago: Sibiu. Sara found an Air BnB in the perfect location, just off the Piati Mare – the Great Square –
FITS 30: Festival of International Theater, Sibiu: A great surprise: we arrived just in time for a major international festival of theater and performing arts. The SibFest is now in its thirtieth year, 2023, and is the third most important such festival, behind Edinburg’s Fringe Festival. The ten-day schedule is overwhelming with hundreds of choices: theater (comedy, drama), street theater, dance (flamenco, ballet, modern), acrobatics, concerts (gospel, pipe organ, harmonica, marching bands, big stage rock music in the Main Square each evening), workshops for dancers, singers, and actors, and so, so much more. Even robotic living statues silently re-enacting scenes from Shakespeare. Much of it is free, like the many street performances, acrobatic performances, and concerts in the great square at night. Some events require no-cost tickets to manage limited space, while others charged a very reasonable admission.
Here are just a few SibFest events that we enjoyed:
Drone & Laser Shows: Instead of fireworks to open and close the festival, we were treated with Drone & Laser Shows. The dark skies filled with light and color as hundreds of drones built pictures in the sky. Fireworks may be great fun, but these drones and lasers offered much more vivid pictures and writing in the sky. It’s fantastic, probably the way of the future. And the pollution level was surely far less than that of a fireworks display.
On the Main Square: Piata Mare was host to major events each night. Thousands filled the Piata Mare to enjoy concerts featuring all kinds of music, from traditional Romanian to modern rock. There were amazing acrobatic performances, such as “Rouge” with acrobats hanging from a huge crane, illuminated in red lights. On another night the colorful “Circles of Light” made their way up Nicolae Balcesque Street and into Piata Mare. On another night we saw “Mo and the Red Ribbon,” with a huge child coming to life walking the same route to finish in the square. Piata Mare was the center of activity throughout SIBFEST 30.
The video below shows excerpts from Mo and the Red Ribbon. As you can see, Mo is a very, very big “puppet” figure. The music is haunting. This is happening in the same big square.
Free Street Entertainment daily along Nicolae Balcescue Street, the main pedestrian street leading from Piata Mare. Events were family friendly and invited lots of crowd participation, great fun for young and old. All of this was quite convenient to our apartment.
- Rats: Two big rats led by one very tall and friendly Piper. Remember the story of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” who saved the town from the rats. After the town council refused to pay his promised reward, he led all of the town’s children away.
- Ca Va Waltz: Five accordionists roam the street providing lively entertainment.
- Arrived: Dressed as mid 20th century European immigrants, a man and woman ARRIVE, silently making new friends in Sibiu, exploring the street while engaging the crowds.
- Bubble on Circus: Lots of bubbles, music, and entertaining street performers.
Musical Performances:
- UK Gospel Choir: This ensemble from the UK won the crowd over with great renditions of Motown Classics. Beautiful voices in harmony, and terrific fun.
- Judy’s Harmonica Ensemble: Just five players on harmonicas, of all different sizes, creating an amazingly full sound. We were fascinated that this harmonica quintet could produce such a brilliant and satisfying sound.
- Much Ado and All That Jazz: He sings and plays the lute, while she just sings. Their concert of jazz classics — all about love won and lost — is held together with quotes from Shakespeare’s plays.
- Convergence: A fascinating Flamenco Performance with five male dancers, a singer, a percussionist, and of course an impressive Flamenco Guitar.
- Wind & Hands Duo: Fabulous sounds from a duo, one on saxophone or a clarinet with another playing hand pans (steel drums). Tremendous music.
Dramatic Performances: No photos allowed here. But some wonderful drama.
- Boyz ‘n Zinc: Based on the work of Svetlana Alexievich, this moving play featured a panel of Russian mothers sharing their stories about sending their sons off to war in Afghanistan. Some came home in boxes, while others were alive but different people, psychologically injured by the experience of war.
- The Imaginary Invalid by Moliere: A French production that seemed to us both tedious and weird. Now I have to read the play to ascertain where the weirdness comes from.
- Drinking in America, originally by Eric Bogosian (1986). A fabulous one-man show, with multiple scenes and a variety of characters.
- Time Keepers: This one from Israel: a wonderful three-man show about prisoners of the Nazi’s: a Jew, a gay man, and a criminal. It’s a simple but wonderful play about living through the holocaust. Humorous and touching.
Other fun beyond the FITS 30.
A Day Trip to Corvin Castle, also known as Hunyadi Castle. It’s a Gothic-Renaissance castle in Hunedoara, Romania. Well-preserved and renovated, it’s one of the largest castles in Europe. Its history goes back to the fifteenth century, when Hungary ruled the area. Its name recalls the great Hungarian ruler, Mattias Corvinus, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490, who once claimed it as his home. Today, Corvin Castle is well worth a visit.
Eating Out Favorites: Konak: a terrific Turkish Restaurant. Hermania: German style restaurant with German & Romanian food.
Astra Museum, now The “ASTRA” Museum of the Traditional Folk Civilization, is the largest open-air museum in Europe. In the space of one square kilometer, it features more than 300 traditional buildings that are hundreds of years old, all brought to this site. It’s a fascinating and beautiful walk through history.
Although Sara and I visited this museum on our recent visit to Sibiu, we returned (July 1) as ÄSTRA” hosted a festival of Hungarian life, including a cooking competition for the best Gulash. This was fun. Sara enjoyed a lovely goulash with chicken, beans and spätzle, while I had some delicious sarmale, a traditional dish with meat and rice wrapped in cabbage.
We truly enjoyed our time in Romania, and especially in Sibiu, but now we head back to Western Europe, and to Copenhagen.
