Joy of Europe
Date(s) for 2009	October 1 - October 5, 2009
Host broadcaster	RTS Radio Television of Serbia Radio Television of Serbia or Serbian Broadcasting Corporation is the public broadcaster in Serbia. It broadcasts and produces a variety of news, drama, and sports programming through radio, television and the Internet. RTS is, since July 2001, a member of the European Broadcasting Union. RTS is...
Number of entries	14
Debuting countries	Mainland China  India
Returning countries	Independent State of Croatia
Withdrawing countries	Greece  Italy  Kingdom of Montenegro  Norway
Venue	Belgrade Arena Belgrade Arena The Belgrade Arena is an indoor arena located in Novi Beograd, Belgrade. It is designed as a universal hall for sport, cultural events and other programs. With a total space that covers 48,000 square metres, and an official total capacity of 19,982 seats , it is one of the largest indoor arenas in... Belgrade Belgrade Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe... , Serbia Serbia Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

Joy of Europe ( / Radost Evrope) is a European dance

Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....

 festival with a long tradition. The annual event takes place in Belgrade

Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

, Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

 with 30 Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an nations showcasing their culture through dance and music. The European nations are usually accompanied by another country from another continent.

History

The Joy of Europe festival started in 1969 and has been held every year since. The founder of the festival is the City of Belgrade, which together with the Belgrade Children's Centre organises the event. The festival aims to bring together children from across Europe through song and dance by showcasing their own cultures and customs.

Interestingly, Joy of Europe was held even during the 1990s when Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

 (now Serbia) was isolated by the international community. Over the years, the contest has grown and is accompanied by a range of children's programmes together with the main event held on the eve before the end of the 5 day festival. Until 2008 the main event was held at Belgrade’s Sava Centar. Since 2008 the event is held at the Belgrade Arena

Belgrade Arena

The Belgrade Arena is an indoor arena located in Novi Beograd, Belgrade. It is designed as a universal hall for sport, cultural events and other programs. With a total space that covers 48,000 square metres, and an official total capacity of 19,982 seats , it is one of the largest indoor arenas in...

. The event is sponsored by McDonalds, company Voda Voda and Sinalco

Sinalco

Sinalco is a brand of non-alcoholic drinks founded in 1902, with sales in more than 40 countries.In 1902, German scientist Friedrich Eduard Bilz invented "Bilz Brause", a sherbet powder, and started to sell it in partnership with industrialist Franz Hartmann...

. The organiser of the festival is the Children's cultural centre.

2009

The 34rd Joy of Europe will take place from October 1 - October 5, 2009. The actual event which will be broadcast on television will be held on October 4, 2009. The following countries have so far announced their participation:

•  Serbia (host)