Celebrations Begin for North Macedonia's 35th Independence Anniversary — A Month of Events Across 11 Cities
The official programme marking 35 years of North Macedonia's independence began on 8 August and will run for a month, with decentralised events across 11 cities and a closing concert by David Guetta on 8 September.
Celebrations marking 35 years of North Macedonia's independence have officially begun and will run for a full month — from 8 August to 8 September 2026 — spanning a total of 11 cities across the country. Rather than being confined to a single event or location, this year's celebration has been designed as a decentralised programme running across multiple hubs, tied together by a shared theme: the story of independent Macedonia told through music, acting and dance.
The cultural portion of the commemoration symbolically began on Ilinden, 2 August, in Bitola, while the central project — a music-and-stage spectacle featuring more than 120 Macedonian artists — has already been performed at the "Biljanini Izvori" stadium in Ohrid, where Igor Džambazov and more than 30 performers told the country's story through the key moments of the past three and a half decades.
A Major Music Programme
Several major international performances are planned over the course of the month. On 16 August, electronic music legends Paul van Dyk and Paul Oakenfold will perform together at the City Park in Strumica. On 1 September, at Macedonia Square in Skopje, world-renowned tenor José Carreras will perform alongside some of Macedonia's biggest musical names — Vlatko Stefanovski, Karolina Gočeva, Kaliopi, Suzana Spasovska, Naum Petreski, Igor Durlovski and Ana Durlovski.
The entire programme will culminate on 8 September, Independence Day itself, with a concert by French DJ David Guetta at the "Toše Proeski" stadium in Skopje. All 50,000 tickets for the performance have sold out at a symbolic price of 35 denars — a number chosen to mark the anniversary.
A Message From the Prime Minister
Marking the start of the celebrations, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski posted a video on his social media accounts featuring key moments and figures from the history of independent Macedonia. "A bright day has dawned! 35 years of independence," he wrote alongside the video, in which the central figure is Igor Džambazov, the creator of the celebration's central stage project.
MKNews Hub · Culture · 9 August 2026