Events and Festivals

Sarajevo Film Festival – Perhaps the most famous of all, Sarajevo Film Festival is an international film festival with a great focus on the region of South-East, shining an international spotlight on films, talent, and future projects from the region. It takes place annually in Sarajevo each Augusts. The premier and the largest film festival in the Balkans region, Sarajevo Film Festival is also one of the largest in Europe and became the most honored festival in all of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This film festival brings together international cinema and film creators from all over the world including Hollywood, Europe and local talent.

Apart from the performances on the main stage, the regional shows and the ‘Panorama’, host some of the world’s best documentaries. This event is the best venue to get a taste of the works of some of southeast Europe’s best filmmakers. Attendance can reach 100,000 visitors. In a way, this is a great chance to meet some famous celebrities, without having to face the difficulties that are associated with going to places like Hollywood.

Jazz Fest Sarajevo is an annual celebration of contemporary, jazz and improvised music, since 1997. The week-long event features well-known jazz musicians from around the world but also invites new and prospective artists for performances in several venues around the city. In the past 25 years it has earned a reputation of a trend setting international music festival in the Balkan region, with more than 770 artists, who have presented more than 270 different ensembles to audiences. It is the largest festival of its kind in Southeastern Europe.

The main objective of the festival is the popularization and promotion of jazz and improvised music in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Within its program, dedicated to offering audiences a relevant cross section of contemporary music, Jazz Fest has presented top artists in their field, rising stars and local talents every year anew, including many premieres. At its 20th-anniversary edition in 2016, it presented yet another European premiere – John Zorn’s Bagatelles Marathon, presenting 11 ensembles with a stellar line up of Zorn’s longtime collaborators from New York’s downtown scene.

With a growing local and international fan community which appreciates the festival’s high production standards, diverse and adventurous programming and educational content for kids, young musicians and music students, Jazz Fest Sarajevo has become the most important musical event in the country, as well as an event of high cultural significance for its society. Jazz Fest Sarajevo is a member of Europe Jazz Network – the European family of organizers of artistic musical programs.

Related events: Kid’s Day, Music Meeting Sarajevo, Xenophonia.

The Nights of Baščaršija is the largest cultural event – summer festival devoted to culture held in Sarajevo. The festival is held each year between July 1-31 with events held at various locations throughout Sarajevo. Every year, Baščaršija Nights offers top performances from the world of opera, ballet, and theater, as well as concerts, literary evenings, children’s programs and film screening.

Performances usually take place outdoors, in the streets of Sarajevo’s Old Town district and its historic Baščaršija neighborhood. Admission is free. It is estimated that about 150,000 people attend the festival’s 40–50 events each year. The first day of the festival always features a performance by the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra, which is attended by numerous city and canton politicians.

MESS, which stands for Small Experimental Stage, offers theater and modern dance performances that are hand-selected from all Europe. This theatre festival takes place every October in Sarajevo and exists since 1960. Theatre and modern dance performances are chosen from all over Europe and performed in their original languages, sometimes with local language translation displayed above the stage. It is the oldest living theatre festival in the Balkans, programming international experimental performances and emerging artists.

MESS was the largest theatre festival in the Former Yugoslavia and was named one of Living Theatre’s international showcases in 1974. It is the largest theatre festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the largest in South-Eastern Europe. In 2009 it expanded its activities to the city of Zenica, which now hosts parts of the regional program.

The longest-tenured and longest lasting of all Sarajevo festivals, the international Sarajevo Winter Festival, lasting over two months, has become an inseparable part of the Bosnian capital city and a symbol of Bosnian cultural creativity. The festival is held annually since the winter of 1984-1985, between February and March every year with at least one event on the agenda daily. This is a festival that includes many genres of art. The performances include music concerts, contemporary art shows, sculpture exhibitions, modern dancing and cultural shows among various others.

The Sarajevo Winter Festival has traditionally been held under the auspices of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, European Union, UNESCO, The Presidency of B&H, The Federation of B&H, The Council of Ministers of B&H, Sarajevo Canton, City of Sarajevo and Stari grad Municipality.

The international “Kozara Ethno” festival has been held since 2005 in Banja Luka, at the beginning of July. This festival tells the story of people from Kozara, the National Park, and Potkozarje, the region around the mountain. It shows how they used to live there back in the past. Their customs are a real attraction for tourists from everywhere. Kozara Ethno festival is open to visitors from all over the world, as an authentic experience in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The event presents different village activities such as mowing, harvesting, processing of textiles, cooking, weddings, and more. Many cultural events, including exhibitions and seminars, accompany the festivities.

Recently, the festival started promoting rich diversity of the world cultures, encouraging local people to appreciate the performances of foreign troupes and ensembles.

The traditional event ”Summer on the Vrbas” is held in the second half of July under the walls of Kastel fortress in Banja Luka. The idea for the name of the “Summer on the Vrbas” has been given to uniting continuous events over the summer on the Vrbas River and its banks. This is one of the oldest events in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The main activities of the event are dayak and kayak racing boats, jumping from the city bridge, as well as performances of cultural, artistic and musical groups. It is the perfect combination of cultural pursuits with athletic events that make this event unique.

The first Banja Luka´s music festival was held for the first time in 2003 under the former name “Month of Music”. This festival is traditionally held during the month of June on the Fortress Kaštel. During the past decade the festival has been characterized by performances by the most renowned rock artists from the city, the region, Europe and the world.

The festival has contributed to promotion of Banja Luka as a regional music center, center of contemporary culture and urban music. In 2011 the organization of the 9th edition of the festival “Month of Music”, the festival changed its name to “Kaštel Rock Fest”. Changing the name of the festival was the best way to promote our fortress Kaštel, through rock culture and the city of Banja Luka to recognized tourist attractions.

Nektar FreshWave Festival is held every year in the month of August at the Banja Luka fortress Kaštel. What makes this festival specific from other festival is its stetting as the one of the oldest castles in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The world’s largest DJ names make a FreshWave Festival unique and memorable experience. The festival is one of the best electronic festivals in the region.

Artists performs on three stages: the Main Stage, which is reserved for the biggest stars of the festival; Energy Stage, which will bring together the biggest stars of the regional electronic underground scene and Massive Stage which will host hip-hop and drum & bass performers.

Banja Luka hosts a variety of other festivals that cater to various tastes: Banja Luka International Film Festival, International Children’s Theater Festival in October, Banja Luka Choir Meetings in October, Kestenburg (festival of student theaters) in November, Koćić’s word (dedicated to writer Petar Koćić) in August, International Festival of Animated Film in October, Evening with the Tambourine (tamburitza orchestras festival) in April, Neofest International Peace Festival (hip-hop, funk, and reggae bands) in June, Jazzlook Festival in October, Kratkofil International Short Film Festival in June.

Mostar Summer Fest is a music festival that, for three days during summer, brings together the most important names of the regional music scene of various genres: from rock, alt rock, indie, pop, alt pop, hip hop, trap, reggae, funk, punk, crossover, all the way to sevdah and blues expressions.

With music as a universal language, the festival creates unforgettable moments of happiness, unite all people of positive vibes, encourage them to greater social engagement and the necessity of their own activation for the benefit of society as a whole.

Building on the heritage of Mostar as a city at the intersection of cultures through the ages, we see Mostar Summer Fest as a strong festival that, with its rich musical lineup, remains one of the most important cultural events in the country every year, thus achieving the common goals of its visitors, the cultural and wider community.

Initiated in 2003, the Mostar Blues & Rock Festival celebrates and honors America’s most significant musical forms – blues and rock and roll. 2003 was the year that marked 100th anniversary of blues music. Modestly, Mostar joined this celebration, initiating the first international blues music festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In past editions, Mostar Blues & Rock Festival has presented big musical names such as: Ten Years After, Coco Montoya, Ana Popović, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Sugar Blue, Snowy White, Dr. Feelgood, Tito & Tarantula, Deborah Coleman, Danny Shephard, and regional performers were: Majke, Partibrejkersi, Dado Topić & Telephone Blues Band, Josipa Lisac, Zdenka Kovačiček, Vlatko Stefanovski, Yu Grupa and others.