Night of the Nightingales 2024 to take place in Bucharest, Cluj, and Buzău

The 11th consecutive edition of the Night of the Nightingales event takes place in three cities in Romania this year, namely Buzău, Bucharest, and Cluj-Napoca.

The event, organized by the Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR), is held in Crâng Park, Buzău, on June 1. In Bucharest and Cluj, the public is expected on June 9 at the campus of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine and in the "Romulus Vuia" National Ethnographic Park.

2024 marks the centenary of the event that inspired the Night of the Nightingales - the first live radio broadcast in nature, conducted by the BBC in May 1924. Back then, radio listeners had the opportunity to hear a duet performed by cellist Beatrice Harrison with nightingales in her garden.

The event in Romania combines guided ornithological tours by bird experts, specialists or volunteers, outdoor educational workshops for children of all ages, and bird and nature photography exhibitions, all culminating in an outdoor instrumental classical music concert.

“The Night of the Nightingales is an event that attracts children and parents, nature and music lovers, or those curious and eager for new experiences. This combination of educational activities, conducted outdoors, with an instrumental music concert, also held on a stage in nature, continues to gather numerous participants around us even after so many years. Therefore, we want to maximize this gathering and increase the number of those who protect birds and nature,” said Teodora Domșa, the coordinator of the Night of the Nightingales project.

Events in Buzău, Cluj, and Bucharest start around 17:00 with guided tours and end with recitals.

“We hope that participants will leave our event more connected with nature and themselves. To realize the beneficial effects of relaxation and spending time outdoors with loved ones, and that they don't need to travel far to access nature,” Teodora Domșa added.

“Our cities have reserves of oxygen and well-being in their parks and gardens, and it is our duty to fight for them, to keep them as natural and accessible as possible, and even to increase their number and area. Urban nature is gaining a paramount role worldwide in ensuring the physical and especially psychological well-being of city dwellers,” she concluded.

(Photo source: the organizers)