Banja Luka will become a hub of the regional and international rock scene from September 17 to 19, as this year’s Kastel Rock Fest brings three days of diverse music featuring regional sensations, global icons and local performers.
Due to unfavorable weather conditions forecast for the coming days, the festival has been moved from Kastel Fortress to Borik Sports Hall. Organizers have confirmed that the full program and schedule will remain unchanged.
Festival organizer and Hard Rock Radio Director Siniša Tomić said the goal was to bring major international attractions to Banja Luka while creating a program capable of bringing together audiences of all generations.
“Rock and roll has been the most important thing in the world for many generations who grew up over the past six or seven decades. Rock and roll changed the planet and continues to change us, sometimes more, sometimes less. I live rock and roll and I make my living from rock and roll, and I do not want to change that,” Tomić said.
He added that Banja Luka is developing into an increasingly important regional center.
“We are located in a triangle between three major centers – Zagreb, Sarajevo and Belgrade – where people have become accustomed to major international events taking place. However, I love my city and I believe Banja Luka deserves to become a major regional center. The fact that festival tickets have been purchased in 56 cities across the region and the world, in 20 countries from the United States to Russia, supports my belief that only rock and roll can erase all generational differences and differences in musical taste,” Tomić said.
A program for audiences from 7 to 107
According to Tomić, preparations for the festival lasted more than a year, with the program designed for audiences “from 7 to 107 years old.”
The festival will also provide strong support to the local music scene. Rock Simfonija, the Flutete ensemble and a special collaboration between the band Sopot and the Symphony Orchestra of the National Theatre of Republika Srpska will all take the stage.
“Younger generations love younger bands, so I would highlight Lavina, Alexandra Căpitănescu and Baby Lasagna, who are very popular in Europe and around the world and have all performed at Eurovision. On the second night, we will have The Amy Winehouse Band, featuring musicians who created music alongside the late Amy Winehouse, as part of their Amy Forever world tour honoring their former leader,” Tomić said.
“The final night will feature the cult band Laibach, whose new album and current tour rank among the most successful in their history. And, of course, we will close the third evening with the legendary Jethro Tull and Banja Luka’s Rock Simfonija, featuring more than 60 musicians, along with a special performance by Flutete, logically leading us into the concert of one of rock music’s greatest flutists,” he added.
Jethro Tull – the flute as a rock trademark
One of the festival’s biggest attractions is British band Jethro Tull, founded in 1967 and recognized as one of the most distinctive progressive rock groups of the past six decades.
Led by vocalist, flutist and principal songwriter Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull developed a distinctive sound by combining rock with folk and classical music, accompanied by an unconventional stage presence. Anderson became one of the musicians most closely associated with bringing the flute into rock music.
Albums including Aqualung, Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play became classics of the genre, while the band has built an audience of millions around the world during its long career.
Laibach – music, art and provocation
Another major attraction is Slovenian band Laibach, one of the most recognizable and controversial musical collectives to emerge from the former Yugoslavia.
Founded in Trbovlje in 1980, the group has combined music, visual art, performance and political provocation from the beginning. Its militaristic aesthetics and use of imagery associated with totalitarian propaganda provoked strong reactions from the authorities in the former Yugoslavia.
The 1987 album Opus Dei marked a major international breakthrough, helping Laibach gain recognition beyond Yugoslavia. The band is also known for unconventional reinterpretations of other artists’ songs, including “Life Is Life” and “Sympathy for the Devil,” as well as its reworking of the entire Let It Be album.
Laibach remains active and released its new studio album MUSICK in May this year, accompanied by its current tour.
The Amy Winehouse Band keeps the singer’s legacy alive
An especially emotional performance is expected on the festival’s second night with The Amy Winehouse Band, featuring musicians who worked alongside Amy Winehouse during her rise to international fame.
The band is now led by her longtime bassist and musical director Dale Davis and includes musicians who worked with Winehouse during different stages of her career.
Their current tour marks the 20th anniversary of Back to Black, one of the defining albums of the 21st century. Their concerts feature songs from the album as well as other well-known tracks from Winehouse’s career.
From Baby Lasagna to Lavina
Croatian musician Marko Purišić, better known as Baby Lasagna, will perform on the opening night. In just a few years, he has gone from working as a studio songwriter to becoming one of the region’s most popular young performers.
His major breakthrough came in 2024 when he represented Croatia at Eurovision with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim.” He finished second with 547 points, Croatia’s best result in the history of the competition, while also winning the public televote.
The Baby Lasagna project emerged from Purišić’s desire to create music according to his own ideas, blending rock, electronic music and pop with elements of humor.
The opening night will also feature Lavina, a six-member metal band from Niš founded in 2020. The group attracted attention with its debut album Odyssey, released in 2022, and subsequently performed across Europe, including at the Sziget and Eurosonic festivals.
The band reached another milestone this year when it represented Serbia at Eurovision in Vienna with the song “Kraj Mene,” finishing fifth in the first semifinal and 17th in the final.
More than 100 local musicians
Tomić said he was particularly proud that more than 100 musicians from Banja Luka will perform at this year’s festival, while more than 150 people will be involved in the event when technical staff and production teams are included.
“Few cities can bring together so many of their own high-quality musicians at a single festival. In organizational, production and creative terms, this is probably one of the highlights of my career. But my team and I have enough experience, having previously worked on projects involving numerous international stars as well as almost every major regional musician,” Tomić said.
The festival will also welcome prominent figures from the international and regional worlds of music criticism, photography, production and publishing.
Confirmed guests include rock critic Bane Lokner; Goran Lisica Fox, record executive, manager and owner of Dallas Records; musician and producer Denis Gajetić; and internationally renowned photographer Brian Rasic.
According to Tomić, the general patron of this year’s Kastel Rock Fest is Republika Srpska President Siniša Karan. He also expressed particular gratitude to SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, who, according to Tomić, has been one of the project’s strongest supporters, just as he previously supported the idea of bringing the Rolling Stones to Banja Luka in 2007, as well as concerts by Lenny Kravitz, Simple Minds and other major international acts.
A festival with tradition
The first Kastel Rock Fest was held in 2003. Over the past 23 years, the festival has hosted some of the biggest international and regional names, including Lenny Kravitz, Simply Red, Franz Ferdinand, Apocalyptica, Tito & Tarantula and numerous other performers.
This year’s edition continues that tradition with a clear objective of establishing Banja Luka as a meeting point for the international rock scene, regional performers and local musicians.
Venue change and festival schedule
Due to unfavorable weather conditions expected in the coming days, organizers officially decided to move the festival from Kastel Fortress to Borik Sports Hall.
The organizing team confirmed that the entire program and performance schedule will remain unchanged.
Doors will open each evening at 6 p.m., with concerts beginning at 7 p.m.
Source: RTRS
