10 Reasons Why You Have to Visit the Street Musicians Festival – Gradić Fest
The Street Musicians Festival – Gradić Fest – will take place from August 30th to September 1st, in the Lower Town of the Petrovaradin Fortress. If you still haven’t decided what to see there, we have decided to help you. Here are top 10 events at the Street Musicians Festival!
1. David Moreno (Spain) + the festival’s opening ceremony
At 9 p.m. sharp, in front of the Belgrade Gate, you will have the opportunity to see David Moreno, who sings, plays the piano and percussions while floating SIX meters above the stage. His performance is full of surprises, unexpected effects and unique sensations, and the sky is his stage. Be in Gradić at 9 p.m. sharp and attend the unique opening of this year’s Street Musicians Festival – Gradić Fest.
2. The Wackids (France)
How do the greatest hits sound when they are played on children’s instruments? You will discover that at the Street Musicians Festival – Gradić Fest – on Saturday at 9h30 p.m. on the Main Stage. The Wackids play rock hits on a Japanese synthesizer and a set of Hello Kitty drums, and their repertoire includes the greatest hits of all times. So far, they have covered songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, Wind of Change, Killing in the Name, etc.
3. Svemirko (Croatia)
“The sound you hear while you are dreaming of swimming butterfly-stile in a sea of jam” – that is the band Svemirko, which will play on Friday, at midnight, on the Main Stage of the Street Musicians Festival – Gradić Fest. This group of magi is coming straight from the cosmos to Gradić to part you from your consciousness. After the album Vanilija, this emo-macho-pop band are continuing their progression with their second studio album Tunguzija, which they will perform at the Street Musicians Festival – Gradić Fest.
4. Sol Cinema (Great Britain)
The smallest cinema in the Solar system is coming straight from Great Britain to Gradić! You will have the opportunity to watch short films with friends from Thursday to Saturday, starting from 7 p.m., in front of the Belgrade Gate. Red carpet, popcorn and usherette service will take you to the old times when cinema was glamorous! Search for the unique mobile cinema in a vintage caravan powered entirely by solar energy. Come to help us turn the Sun into Fun!
5. Sana Garić
You had the opportunity to see her while she was performing with the band Xanax from Belgrade. Now, having taken a part of that experience, she is continuing to build the personality of Sana Garić through the authentic sound of electronic music mixed with guitar sound and percussions sound. You can see the performance by Sana Garić and her band on the Main Stage, at 11 p.m. The members of the band are Feđa Tom Franklin (from the band Fish in Oil) on drums, Pavle Popov on keyboards and guitar, and Miki Tistić (from the band Darkwood Dub) on bass guitar.
6. Gradić Cinema
During Gradić Fest, the Street Musicians Festival will organize an open-air cinema at the place where once the toll for crossing the bridge was charged, near the ex military pub in Petrovaradin. The intention is to show new cinematic releases of different genres, so we will have the opportunity to see the many times awarded documentary by Mila Turajlić “Druga strana svega” (“The Other Side of Everything”); Kosta Ristić’s debut film, “Banditi u potrazi za mamom” (“Bandits in Search of Mother”), a film atypical for our region; Petar Pašić’s “O bubicama i herojima” (“About Bugs and Heroes”); as well as the extremely courageous feature film debut of the young Croatian director Igor Bezinović “Kratki izlet” (“A Short Trip”).
Besides feature films, this year’s cinematic selection will include the documentary “Fenomen Tvrđava” (“Fenomenon – Fortress”), directed by Szilard Antal and Dragan Stojmenović, a documentary about the Lower Town and the symbol of our city – the Petrovaradin Fortress; as well as the music documentary about the great Žikica Simić “Gubitnici su dosadni” (“Losers Are Boring”), directed by Olivera Miletić and Vojin Ivkov.
The students’ part of the program includes just 3 films, and the idea is to show 3 films from 3 ex-Yugoslavian schools, so we will have the opportunity to see the film “Roze” (“Pink”), directed by Tamara Todorović and produced by FDU Belgrade (Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Belgrade); the film “Sitnica” (“A Small Detail”), directed by Mladen Stanić and produced by ADU Zagreb (Academy of Dramatic Art, Zagreb); and the film “Žeđ” (“Thirst”), directed by Nikola Vučinić and produced by FDU Cetinje (Faculty of Dramatic Arts, Cetinje). The program starts at 10 p.m. All the projections are free.
7. Ana & The Changes
She was born in Bagdad, grew up in Moscow, lives in Belgrade, and she plays Americana! When she is not playing Americana, she does covers of songs of different genres! Do not miss Ana Ćurčin’s performance on Friday, on the Main Stage of Gradić Fest, at 10h45 p.m.!
8. MKDSL
Intelligent dance music is the definition of the genre which this maestro plays on his turntables (and other instruments). He is a well-known producer, multi-instrumentalist and live performer, and he is coming to Gradić for the second time, after having successfully performed last year with Bojana Vunturišević. This year, he is performing on Saturday, on the Main Stage, at midnight sharp!
9. Sara Renar (Croatia)
She often performs in Novi Sad, and when she does, the venues are easily filled! This year, Sara Renar is bringing subtle melodies with the elements of electronic music and theatrics to the Lower Town. Come to see her on Friday, on the Main Stage of the festival, at 9h30 p.m.!
10. Reflektor teatar
“Muškarčine” is a hit play, a theatre documentary about the current perception of manhood in this region, with the ultimate message that we have the freedom of choice. It won the NIN Award for the Best Theatre Play in 2012. “Smrt fašizmu! O Ribarima i Slobodi” is also a hit theatre documentary – it is a story about Ivo Lola Ribar, a hero of SFRJ revolution – which offers a revision of the fight against fascism in the times of rising nationalism across Europe. See these two great plays on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 7h30 p.m., on the Little Stage of the festival.