HUNTING AND FISHING FAIR AND ECOLOGY FAIR ANNOUNCED

Not since the historic year 1967, when Novi Sad became the hunting capital of the world, thanks to the First Hunting and Fishing Fair, with the international exhibition of trophies, has so much excitement been seen under the fair domes in the announcement!

This year's program pushes all boundaries and the 57th International Hunting and Fishing Fair and the Ecology Fair, from September 30 to October 4, bring an innovative concept that pushes the boundaries of the classic fair format and guarantees top entertainment for professionals, nature lovers, families with children... In addition to the exhibition part, additional attractive contents have been prepared at both events - exhibitions, fashion shows, promotions, education, workshops.
All events at the Fair are easier to organize with the support, and there are the Provincial Government and the Provincial Secretariat for Urban Planning and Environmental Protection, the City of Novi Sad, the Afro-Center Serbia, PE Vojvodinašume...

- As in previous years, the Provincial Secretariat, together with the Provincial Institute for Nature Conservation, participates in the Fair, and this year we will jointly present what has been done during the previous period, as well as plans and activities that await us in the future. Special emphasis will be placed on the presentation "Nature Conservation and Hunting - Challenges, Harmonization and Cooperation". I believe that this topic is very important, especially considering that hunting was presented very well and substantively at the fair this year. The Provincial Institute for Nature Conservation will participate in this presentation by talking about how nature conservation and hunting associations work together and how we can further improve cooperation, in order to contribute to the best possible situation in the field and adequate protection of wildlife. We will also present the Nature Park "Donja Mostonga", which was declared a protected natural area at the last session of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, which is another important step in preserving the natural values of our province. Also, we will do our best to present to visitors the cross-border projects implemented by the Provincial Institute for Nature Conservation and the Provincial Secretariat, together with partners from the surrounding countries. We paid special attention to the youngest at the Ecology Fair. We have also included workshops on the weekend, when the workshop "Green Passport for Magical Places" will be held at our stand, which will be implemented by the Provincial Institute for Nature Conservation. During the two days, from 12 to 15 hours, children will have the opportunity to find out what they can expect in protected natural areas, to get to know their flora and fauna and to learn more about the importance of nature conservation in an interesting way, said Dušan Španović, Deputy Provincial Secretary for Urban Planning and Environmental Protection. "Of course, we are traditionally continuing our program "For cleaner and greener schools in Vojvodina", in which schools and preschools from the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina participate. We will also present the program for the next year, with the desire to include as many children and young people as possible and to further develop awareness of the importance of environmental protection among the youngest, Španović concluded.

- A year ago, the City of Novi Sad wrote history on the world map of environmental leaders. At that time, we took the prestigious, globally recognized title of Ramsar Wetland City and became the first city of wetlands in the Balkans. Since obtaining accreditation until today, we have laid solid legal and spatial foundations through the City Administration for Environmental Protection - through the digital platform Wetland City Novi Sad, which we successfully launched last year. Now in 2026, we are in the phase of concrete works. This year is marked by capital investments in the rehabilitation of watercourses, the prevention of silting of marshes and the opening of the City to European funds for green infrastructure. At the fair, we will show and talk about it because it provides the necessary context for all our activities. It is here that we have rounded up institutional support, connected science, the local community and the state, and clearly showed that every protection project is implemented without compromise, said Vanja Petković, Member of the City Council for Ecology, Energy Efficiency and Environmental Protection. - At the Ecology Fair in 2026, Novi Sad does not talk about what it could do. We show what we have done and how far we have come. In the previous period, the City Administration for Environmental Protection initiated and adopted key strategic documents that directly define the environmental policy of the City for the coming years. First of all, it is the Environmental Protection Programme of the City of Novi Sad for the period from 2025 to 2034 as the most important strategic umbrella document at the local level, which is adopted for a period of 10 years and whose finalization is currently underway. Also, along with it, these are the energy efficiency programme of the City of Novi Sad for the period 2025 to 2027, as well as the air quality control programme in the territory of the City of Novi Sad in 2025 and 2026, Petković emphasized. - Building the ecological future of Novi Sad is not only happening through papers and institutions, but through investing in the future guardians of our City with the desire to bring big topics closer to those who are just learning to love nature this year. We put special emphasis on educational workshops for children, which we will organise at the stand of the City Administration. The workshops are designed to bring the importance of wetlands, biodiversity protection and nature in general closer to the youngest through play and interaction. Visitors will also have the opportunity to participate in a prize game, to get acquainted with the mascot of Vetland, and with the help of VR glasses with the beauty of the protected area of our city. We also owe a great debt of gratitude to our partners JP Vojvodinašume, JP Vode Vojvodine, the Provincial Institute for Nature Conservation and the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, who will help us in the implementation of the program, concluded Petković.

"We are very pleased to be a part of these beautiful International Fairs "Lorist", and we will do our best to present Africa in five days. We have created a program for every day - we will have organized performances, we will present our tradition, culture and gastronomy, but also ecology, said Alfons Siviano from the Afro-Center Serbia. - The first day is dedicated to East Africa, the second day to West Africa... There will also be a Ghanaian dance ensemble, also West African cuisine and traditional fashion. We will also organize workshops for children so that they can learn a little more about Africa, not only about the continent, but also to get acquainted with 54 different countries. It is especially important for us to include African communities living in Serbia. We want to give them space to present their countries, their products, talents and cultures, and I believe that will be fantastic, Siviano concluded.

- I have to say that I cannot understand my colleagues from the Novi Sad Fair who are so modest when they talk about this year's "Lorist". I think we can freely say that we are expecting one of the best fairs in the last 20, maybe even 25 years. The first and certainly one of the most important novelties is what we called the Hunting Exchange, that is, the First Regional Hunting Tourism and Game Exchange. For the first time in the history of the Novi Sad Fair, we are organizing this type of exchange. In a relatively short time, we managed to bring together users of hunting grounds from the Republic of Serbia and the region and to create a space where hunting grounds, hunting associations, companies and potential users of hunting and tourist arrangements will be directly connected. This means that the visitor comes to the fair for the first time and can find and buy a hunting and tourist arrangement directly from the users of the hunting ground in one place, said Branislav Stankov, Executive Director for Hunting, Catering and Fisheries of JP Vojvodinašume. - All exhibitions and contents that we present today in the future should be in the function of the development of the hunting exchange, game exchange and hunting tourism. I believe that this exchange can grow into a serious regional hunting tourism and game exchange in the future, just as the Novi Sad Fair has long outgrown the local framework and has become one of the most important fair institutions in the region, Stankov pointed out. - Another very important segment is nature protection. Colleagues dealing with nature protection will present as many as 13 international projects this year. As far as I know, this is the largest number of international projects in the field of nature conservation that have been presented at "Lorist" so far. That is why we have created a special and very interesting stand, in order to properly show what these projects mean in practice, how institutions can cooperate with each other and how international projects can contribute to the improvement of nature conservation. The third large segment is an exhibition on about 1,000 square meters called "Deer of Serbia". This exhibition was organized in cooperation with the Forest Administration of the Republic of Serbia and the Provincial Secretariat for Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry, and we gathered users of hunting grounds who manage deer populations in different parts of Serbia. Visitors will have the opportunity to see deer from Eastern Serbia and Negotin Krajina, from Homolje, from the hunting grounds of Central Serbia, Danube and Posavina hunting grounds, Eastern Vojvodina, the Carpathian region and the Deliblato sands. In addition to deer, we decided to present two more species for which Serbia is recognizable on the international hunting and tourism market - the Balkan chamois and the wolf. The Balkan chamois is a particularly important species in the Balkans. Its habitat includes, among other things, the areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Western Serbia, and it is highly sought after on the international hunting and tourism market. The interest is best illustrated by the fact that reservations for hunting the Balkan chamois are already being made for 2028. At the exhibition, we will also present some species that are permanently protected, including the Balkan grouse and the leštarka. Most visitors do not have the opportunity to see them live, so we want to point out their value and importance through this exhibition. Hunting for these species is currently not allowed, but we also want to show the importance of international projects that can contribute to the conservation, monitoring and eventual strengthening of their populations. During the fair, we also expect a delegation of the EXPO and we want to discuss the possibility of presenting a part of this exhibition at the upcoming international exhibition. The Natural History Museum of Serbia, which will participate in the EXPO, in my opinion, would not be complete without the presentation of the most important representatives of the hunting fauna of Serbia – species for which our country is recognizable on the international scene, concluded Stankov.

- This year, the Hunting and Fishing Fair and the Ecology Fair open a completely new chapter – through an innovative concept, a richer exhibition program and contents that push the boundaries of the classic fair format, said the Executive Director for Fair Activities, Boris Nadlukač. - More than 120 exhibitors from Austria, Croatia, the Russian Federation, Slovenia and Serbia, along with participants from as many as 50 African countries, will present their products, ideas, destinations and trends that in a special way connect the modern way of life with the primordial need of man to be in nature and with nature. Visitors can expect a rich and diverse offer of top-quality equipment and accessories for hunting and fishing, which will be presented by leading domestic and world brands. This year, we have further expanded the exhibition program with new segments. A special place is occupied by nautical, which brings attractive vessels and nautical equipment at fair prices. Lovers of staying in nature will also be able to enjoy the offer intended for camping and active holidays - from modular facilities, through glamping and rooftop concept, to traditional camping equipment, added Nadlukač. - The content of the fair this year will be further enriched with numerous attractive exhibitions and programs such as the exhibitions "Deer of Serbia" and "Mountain Game of Serbia", with more than 350 exhibits, the First Regional Hunting Tourism and Game Exchange, the entertaining and educational exhibition "The World of Dinosaurs", realized in cooperation with the Natural History Center in Svilajnac, which will take them on a kind of journey into the distant past. As a special attraction, the fish of Vojvodina will be presented in the Auditorium, through a large aquarium that will bring visitors closer to the richness and diversity of the fish world of our region. Special attention will be drawn to the exhibition "Africa", a completely different content that will introduce visitors to the culture, tradition, business opportunities, hunting tourism, authentic products and gastronomic specialties of this continent. Participants from as many as 50 African countries will present their potentials. The atmosphere of the African continent will be further complemented by "Safari", an interactive setting with replicas of zebras, antelopes, Nile crocodiles, wildebeest, warthogs and baby elephants. This year, too, there will be attractive facilities in the open part of Sajmište. Visitors will be able to enjoy team competitions in the preparation of hunting and fishing specialties, while the youngest can expect a real prehistoric adventure. An artificial rock will be set up in front of Hall 2, an exhibition of hunting dogs is also being prepared, while equestrian competitions will be held at Manjež. In cooperation with "Kot 111", the Novi Sad Fair Cup in clay pigeon shooting will be organized. The offer of the fair will be complemented by authentic Vojvodina products and flavors. At more than 80 stands of small producers, as part of the "6th Vojvodina Taste Exchange", visitors will be able to enjoy traditional products, smells and flavors of Vojvodina during the weekend, said Nadlukač.

Special attention of visitors will certainly be attracted by the Gift Game that the Novi Sad Fair, in cooperation with the exhibitors of the Hunting and Fishing Fair and the Ecology Fair, organizes for all visitors who buy a ticket. Valuable gifts from donors await them. Capriolo from Bačka Topola is giving away a bicycle, Novi Sad KS Safety Shoes shoes of their choice, while Zastava Arms from Kragujevac will donate a trophy knife. The complete list of gifts will be published on the website of the Novi Sad Fair and on social networks. This year LORIST has its Family Day. It will be Sunday, October 4, when the whole family can enter the fair by buying one ticket at a price of 800 dinars - parents with children up to 14 years of age.

Novi Sad Fair