Cluj Days 2026 seemed like a great success for locals with small families to enjoy a variety of cultures, music street food, and local crafts. It was not something that we’d travel to Cluj for, but if you were here anyway, it was interesting.
The music performances and dances showed ideas from around the world. On Friday, we saw young Roma performers, some young enough that it was perhaps their first time on stage, dance with beautiful costumes and wonderful songs.
We also saw a traditional Greek dance. It was a bit slow perhaps for tiktok addicted Gen-exers, but the costumes also exhibited traditions beyond the stereotypes of Aristotles and Hercules.
Then, on Saturday there was an international procession. We think this is the first time we’ve seen an Angolan or DRC flag in Cluj.
There was also a march of the Chinese exhibit, wearing traditional clothing and makeup, and even umbrellas, and holding flags.
Many other nationalities were present, we received a book from the Belgians and waiting in line to get a Henna Tattoo from the Indian stand. (It wasn’t free, but it still had a large line.)
We also noticed that there is someone doing traditional braids. The hairstyle that Americans call “Afros” has become popular recently in Cluj, and we wonder if the hairdresser would also do that kind of style. But, we unfortunately lost that stand before we had a chance to ask.
Other interesting crafts included a box with a secret key. This might still be available in the Avram Iancu square market. And we had many of our usual favorite snacks, and tried new ones. We discovered a Japanese restaurant in Cluj, and an allegedly “Tex-Mex” style street food stand, as well as a lot of interesting new dishes for places like La Casa that we don’t see at their bakeries.
Outside of the market, we tried the new ‘Australian’ restaurant. Perhaps that should have its own review. It was delicious to have their pies. As none of us have ever been to Australia, we cannot tell you if they pass the Australian test, but Brits and Belgians should enjoy their menu.
We also saw Gendarms outside the Cluj fair. That is not normally a news story, but we heard there were Gendarms at a concert in Bucharest. I think any event with this many people in our times might need to have some police protection, unfortunately, even if no one feels threatened. Even if there is zero threat, the habit of having someone available will make things go more smoothly if they should be needed in the future.
Some stands seemed to do nothing more than stamp the passports of children who went to the different “countries.”
We also liked the stands of different scientific institutions, such as the Botanical Garden and the
And, there were many events that we didn’t have time for, some of which were hinted at by costumes that caught our attention and curiosity, like Medeival Knights walking through the street.
The giant woman in a dress, unicorns, and other fantastical beings seem to especially amuse the under-eights and added to the atmosphere.
We would not recommend it for those with asthma, however, as there were constant smells of tobacco smoke throughout the festival, especially in the crowded bits.
Some of the stands were less lively than in recent years, but the Latin American stands brought out a lot of dancing and loud music (if you like that kind of thing). And yes, we missed over half of it, so I’m sure we’ll find some videos of things that were worth going to that we never saw.
Do we look forward to Cluj Days 2027? If we’re still here, we’ll hopefully have our own stand.