Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The Bohemi Festival – a cocktail of Balkan rhythms and emotions

Photo: Bohemi Fest

A colorful cocktail of Balkan rhythmic patterns plus plenty of emotion sums up the spirit of Bohemi (Bohemians) Festival’s first edition. On 26 and 27 June Bansko is the meeting point of musicians from Serbia, Greece, Macedonia and Bulgaria. Some of them are internationally acclaimed – legendary clarinetist Ivo Papasov-Ibryama, the Serbian master of the ballad Zeljko Joksimovic and his fellow countrymen from Barka Brass Band.

“Bohemi is the festival that generously invites the audience to savor the specific taste and sound of the Balkan Peninsula. Its purpose is to urge anyone in love with Bohemian ways to share their experience with the very best”, the organizers vow.

On top of the festivals’ playbill is the folklore group from hosting town Bansko, the Bansko Old Men. The band Baildsa has arrived from Greece, as well as Gadjo Dilo that Bulgarian audiences know from the 2013 International Bansko Jazz Festival. Vocalist Iliana Tsapatsari and the boys from Gadjo Dilo play Manouche gypsy jazz. Their inspiration is Django Reinhardt unanimously recognized as a genius. Gadjo Dilo members admit they have been greatly influenced by the style of the prominent Roma musician, as well as by the jazz music trends of the 1930s and 1940s.

The lovers of Balkan music will also listen to Macedonian pop singer Karolina Goceva. She has already released five albums and has had a few joint projects with Vlatko Stefanovski, Vesna Marinova etc. The program of Bohemi Festival also features the Bulgara ethno-group which for more than ten years has been playing their own songs inspired by traditional Bulgarian music and the folklore of the Balkan countries.

The concerts at Bohemi Balkan Music Festival in Bansko will be held in the open, in the central square of Bansko. Admission is free. Hopefully the weather will be kind to the participants and fans of the passionate Balkan music.

English version: Daniela Konstantinova



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Virtuosos perform in the jubilee edition of the European Music Festival in Sofia

Three prominent European orchestras will be special guest performers at the 25 th European Music Festival in Sofia. The festival opens on 12 March, and features 19 events divided into a spring and an autumn segment. The diverse programme will..

published on 3/12/25 7:15 AM

Miro dedicates the song "Razkazhi mi Prikazka" to his compatriots who live far from Bulgaria

"Razkazhi mi Prikazka/Tell me a story" is the title of Miro's latest song, which he dedicates to all compatriots who are far away from Bulgaria. "The song is about love and belonging, which time and distance cannot change. I dedicate it to..

published on 3/11/25 11:50 AM

Symphony concert at an altitude of 2,550 m. in Mount Pirin

The Aramis orchestra of the Mannheim international cultural centre in Germany gave a concert on Todorka peak in Mount Pirin. An open-air snow stage was set up at an altitude of 2,550 m. for the purpose, and a grand piano was taken up the mountain,..

published on 3/10/25 9:28 AM