Skopje, 30 August 2024 (MIA) — The Sound of Green Eco Festival will take place at the MKC Youth Cultural Center park on Friday, offering several music performances in exchange for recyclables, organizers said in a press release.

The festival will begin with an outdoor performance by the local band Moira at 8:30 pm. A concert by Igor Dzhambazov and Guru Hare will follow at 9:25 pm.

Starting at 9:30 pm, the MKC cafe will host a set by Swiss DJ Alex Nantaya. Also from Switzerland, Orphia will perform at the MKC park beggining at 11 pm.

Admission is an empty plastic bottle, a can, or an installed Pakomak Ekomak phone app.

The aim of the festival is to raise environmental awareness in young people while offering them quality entertainment, organizers said.

"Recycling should become part of our daily routine. We invite our fellow citizens to join us, to bring empty bottles or cans, and we will take care of their recycling," said Pakomak deputy executive Iko Brdaroski.

The event also celebrates Pakomak's long-term cooperation with the Swiss Embassy as well as 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and North Macedonia, organizers noted.

As a result of this cooperation, in addition to the performances of the two Swiss artists, the festival will present an exhibition on clean technology and Swiss solutions to modern challenges.

"Technology and innovation are key to ensuring a sustainable future, but they have to be coupled with a new way of thinking," Ambassador of Switzerland Véronique Hulmann is quoted as saying in the release.

The exhibition will present young startups and companies in Switzerland dedicated to promoting sustainable solutions as well as successful initiatives in North Macedonia that have contributed to promoting environmental protection, according to Hulmann.

"The Sound of Green is a great opportunity for young people to learn more about environmental protection while having fun," she said, adding that the festival was also a platform for communicating with young people about their active role in bringing about change and pioneering environmental solutions.

The festival is organized by Pakomak Packaging and Packaging Waste Management Company in cooperation with the Swiss Embassy, with the support of Makstil, the Faculty of Tourism and Management and MKC. mr/