Guča's official festival has three parts, Friday's opening concert, Saturday night's celebrations and Sunday's competition.

This event features previous winners, each band getting to play three tunes while folk dancers, all kitted out in bright knitting patterns, dance kolos and oros in front of a hyped-up audience.

Records show that trumpeters were part of the Serbian army of prince Stefan Vojislav, which defeated the Byzantines in the Battle of Bar on the Rumija mountain in 1042.

Together with the drummers, they are mentioned being in the armies of prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and his successors, despots Stefan Lazarević and Đurađ Branković in the 14th and 15th century.

[2][4] In time, three schools of brass music developed: eastern (Zaječar, Boljevac), southern (Vranje, Surdulica, Vladičin Han) and western (Užice, Čačak, Požega).

[6] The inaugural festival was held on 16 October 1961 in the churchyard of the Church of St.Michael and St. Gabriel in Guča, with 4 orchestras from the neighboring villages competing.

Two obligatory were Sa Ovčara i Kablara and Bledi mesec zagrlio zvezdu danicu, plus two kolos and a march by choice.

However, the Assembly gradually grew and expanded its magical influence, and over the past ten or so years has become the folk remained its key symbol and raison d'etre.

Some church music festivals notwithstanding, the Assembly of Trumpet Players is the best known event of this kind extending uninterruptedly for 43 years and attracting guests and musicians alike from every continent.

Trumpet players and Folk Song and Dance groups from around the world feel it a great honor to be invited to the Assembly, and the number of visitors increases with each coming year.

The names of Boban Marković, Ekrem Sajdić, Elvis Ajdinović, Fejat and Zoran Sejdić have carried the glory of the Serbian trumpet across the world.

The sound of the trumpet traditionally accompanies every major event in Serbia's rural and small communities' life: births, baptisms, weddings, slava (family patron saint day), farewell parties for those joining military service, state and church festivals, harvesting, reaping, and also funerals.

In the several days of the Guča Festival, hardly anyone can resist giving themselves to the adrenalin-rushing rhythms and melodies that simply force one to jump to one's feet and dance.

Serbian brewery MB, the main sponsor of the 2006 festival, reported beer sales of 4,000 hectoliters, or more than 700,000 British pints.

[12] While visiting the festival, Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica stated: Guča represents in a best way what Serbia is today - its openness, belief in oneself, hospitality, party and music.

If became a Member State of the EU without our melodies and colours, that wouldn't be the real Serbia.In 2010 the organizers issued invitations to Russia and U.S., Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama, and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, to attend the 50th anniversary event.