OFF-Fest was established in 2002 as a second festival coming out of the event with a much longer tradition: Skopje Jazz Festival (30 years). The idea was to move the world music from the jazz festival and to create another important festival in a different period and with a wider music orientation. It was a natural decision to start this festival in the decade of full globalization and fast growing creativity and the awareness of the so called world music. It presents the variety of music from all continents, focusing on different categories of world music: traditional, ethno, folk, roots, to urban, and more contemporary and experimental musical styles. A lot of renowned artist from all over the world performed throughout OFF-Fest's history.
The 10th edition of OFF-Fest will take place from June 2-7 with a line-up containing: the famous Corsican polyphonic vocal group A Filetta, Brazilian guitar virtuoso Yamandu Costa, the rocking Tuaregs - Terakaft, the amazing couple from Mali - Amadou & Mariam, Galician singer and multi-instrumentalist Mercedes Peon, the spectacular South Korean group Noreum Machi and two of the leading representatives of Macedonian music today, introducing their new projects - Baklava and Zoran Madzirov.
OFF-Fest is a member of European Forum of Worldwide Music Festivals.
