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