Annual International Theater Festival – MESS is the most prominent theater festival in Southeastern Europe and it’s the reason why so many international theater stars come to Sarajevo every year in early autumn.

The International Theater Festival (MESS) was first created in 1960 under the name, Festival malih eksperimentalnih scena Jugoslavije (Festival of Small and Experimental Scenes of Yugoslavia. It was launched by Jurislav Korjenić, a theater visionary and enthusiast.

MESS was held even during the Siege of Sarajevo and, among their many other performances, the festival team put on the cult show, "Waiting for Godot", which was directed by Susan Sontag in 1993 in Sarajevo.

The festival itself is actually comprised of several different programs: World MESS is dedicated to plays from other continents; Mittel Europe MESS brings performances from Southeastern, Southern and Eastern Europe; Children MESS is intended for youngsters and Future MESS continues the tradition of the Festival of Small and Experimental Scenes by presenting the works of young and innovative theater professionals.

The program is available at mess.ba.