Bucharest authorities spent over EUR 6 mln this summer on festivals and fairs

There had been many events organized in Bucharest over the summer, from festivals and concerts to fairs and other kind of shows, and these cost the Bucharest authorities a total of EUR 6.2 million, according to local Recorder.ro. The local publication took into account all the events financed by the Bucharest City Hall and the city halls of the capital’s six districts between early May and end September. The most expensive events organized in Bucharest in this period, which were financed with public money, were the Bucharest’s Days event, which took place in the September 21-23 weekend and cost the authorities more than EUR 1 million, the Days of District 5 event – EUR 700,000, Green Sound Festival - EUR 311,000, Hey Day festival – EUR 300,000, and the Vlaicu Voda theater event in Constitutiei Square – EUR 430,000. On September 26, the Bucharest General Council approved a budget amendment according to which two of the cultural centers subordinated to the Bucharest City Hall will receive additional funds. In the first 11 months of 2017, the public institutions organizing shows and concerts received more than RON 403.8 million (some EUR 87 million) from the Bucharest City Hall’s budget, according to data collected and presented by Geeks for Democracy platform. Popular Romanian band faces image crisis after lead singer gets involved in event organized by city hall Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com