Balkan Bound — International Shibari Festival

About the Festival

Where the Balkans Get Tied

Balkan Bound is an international shibari festival held in Belgrade, Serbia, running as a full festival week from November 25 to 29, packed with workshops and masterclasses from international presenters.

The main festival day takes place on November 28, bringing together rope enthusiasts, educators, performers, artists, and curious beginners from different countries to learn, practice, perform, and connect.

The festival experience extends beyond a single day. Workshops and seminars with international presenters begin on November 25 and continue throughout the festival week. Additional seminars and an afterparty will take place on November 29, giving participants even more opportunities to learn, practice, and connect with the community.

Whether you are taking your first steps in rope or have years of experience, Balkan Bound offers opportunities to explore shibari in a welcoming and supportive environment.

The festival program includes:

Workshops and seminars with international presenters
Performances by international artists
Rope Jam and open practice spaces
The Rope Escape Challenge
Volunteer tying area for first-time visitors
Social activities and networking
Festival afterparty

No partner? No problem.

Many participants attend alone, and our volunteer area helps newcomers experience rope safely and comfortably. Visitors who would like to try being tied, as well as those who would like to practice tying volunteers, are welcome to participate.

Balkan Bound is a place to learn, share knowledge, discover new perspectives, and celebrate the art of rope together.

Join us in Belgrade this November and become part of an international gathering united by curiosity, creativity, and a passion for rope.

The Lineup

Artists

Coming soon.

Arseniy Nazaruk is a shibari master from Saint Petersburg with 8 years of continuous rope experience. He runs sessions, training, and workshops, and creates shows and art projects that showcase the aesthetics of shibari.

In his practice, Arseniy balances the tactile, aesthetic, emotional, and sensual sides of shibari. Rope isn't an end in itself for him — it's a tool for visual expression, practical application, and self-expression. His approach avoids rigid dogma: he treats shibari as a living dialogue, where technique supports improvisation and mutual exploration. In class, he helps you settle safely into practice — technique as a foundation for improvisation and shared discovery, with the partners' attention and comfort always coming first.

At Balkan Bound he brings Simple Ties to a Confident Semi-Suspension — a technique anyone can learn. Starting from simple, reliable wrist, leg, and thigh ties with no complex prep, the workshop builds step by step into a full semi-suspension: learning to distribute weight and guide a partner's body so both of you stay comfortable and safe, closing with a short dynamic sequence with smooth transitions between elements. All practice, nothing you can't repeat on your own right away — calm and confident, no excess theory.

Arseniy Nazaruk — rope suspension session

Arseniy Nazaruk — forest rope installation

Coming soon.

Vlada Vedmovskaya is a kinbakushi who in many ways has formed the Russian bondage community. For 10 years she has been organizing international shibari festivals in Moscow, Moscow Knot (later Moscow Bound), and participating in thematic shows all over the world. Her sessions are spectacular and endlessly creative, cruel and sensitive – every interaction with a model has its own unique plot.

At the Balkan Bound festival kinbakushi Vlada Vedmovskaya will show you the first steps to start a long journey into the art of shibari — the theory and practice of the very basics of safe and sensuous tying. After the lecture you'll be able to take the ropes yourself and try to talk to your partner through them: as with speech, these will be the first simple words, but this is how your story begins.

Teljes Szakall and TarraXinha have been tying together since 2023, when they went to their first shibari camp, rolled up their sleeves and studied diligently in workshops given by Bo and Ewa of MyShibari, Wlada Wedmovskaya, Haag, Tifereth, Ludvig, Pedro Cordas and others.

For Teljes Szakall, shibari is a way to build experiences together with partners, using rope as the medium and tool for examining what happens when the outside world disappears and trust and vulnerability remain.

As a model, TarraXinha focuses on the possibilities of her body and the deep relaxation she gets from opening up to the rigger, with a special focus on connection, letting go and power exchange. She has recently started learning to tie herself, advancing now on both sides of the rope.

At Balkan Bound they bring Opposites — a shibari storytelling performance using rope to express the driving forces of the Balkan region: passion, melancholy and loud celebration, intertwined parts of everyday life.