Štip's pastrmajlija will cost 250 denars this year. The price was announced by mayor Ivan Jordanov, who at the same time admitted costs have risen - meaning the 250 denars was held despite the increase, not because nothing got more expensive.

"Pastrmajlijada" takes place on 18 and 19 September at two locations: the Vančo Prke promenade and the City Stadium. More than 30 caterers have already secured stalls. Having learned from last year's edition, the pastrmajlija will be sold from uniform units at both locations.

That sentence about uniform units is more interesting than it sounds. "Having learned from last year's experience" usually means something did not work last year - queues, different prices, a jumble of stands. Nobody says exactly what, but the decision is being taken after the problem already happened.

The music programme is headlined by Željko Joksimović, Sara Jo, Tasko and Lara Ivanovska, and on Saturday at the City Stadium Jovan Jovanov and Elvir Mekić perform ahead of the main concert. Friday's official start is at 13:00 with the traditional cutting of the Štip pastrmajlija, and the programme runs until midnight.

The municipality is announcing extra parking space and changes to the traffic regime for the thousands of expected visitors, including guests from neighbouring countries.

Pastrmajlija is one of the few things Štip has managed to turn into a recognisable brand beyond its own borders - something much larger Macedonian cities have not achieved with anything of their own. The question for every edition like this is whether the event works for the town all year round, or whether two days in September bring in the takings and then everything goes back to how it was. For 30 caterers and a single price of 250 denars, the answer so far is the latter.