In college I made it somewhat of a mission to check out Balkan brass bands and parties like they’d throw at Mehanata or Barbes. It just seemed like a good time. No surprise that the Golden Festival, a celebration of Balkan music and dance, has been going strong for nearly 30 years. I spoke with one of the organizers for the Brooklyn Paper in advance of the weekend fest to get a sense of why it’s so enduring. Short answer: it’s a lot of fun.

Photo by Oresti Tsonopoulus