Colorful music program of the Garden Fest

One of the longest-running music festivals in Montenegro - Garden Fest will gather local and regional stars this year in Njegošev Park. Scheduled for the penultimate day of May, organized by the NGO Muzika alternativa kultura Podgorica, with the support of partners and friends of the festival "Altera", the Secretariat for Culture of Podgorica and other associates, this year's edition continues the tradition of promoting the local scene and contemporary music trends.

"The Garden Festival was created back in 2007. All these years we have been expanding the story, changing the concept. Last year we created this format in order to present as many musical genres as possible at a festival that lasts only one day. The program is diverse and we try to have something for everyone, from rock to hip-hop to DJ performances. As part of the festival, we also organize an MC Battle competition. Combining all of this in a way that is interesting to the audience and keeps them engaged throughout the day is not easy at all, especially considering that Montenegro has a lot of similar events, so most of them have already been seen. However, we made an effort to create something interesting for people who love music and socializing in Njegoš Park on Saturday, May 30," he says in an interview with Vijesti Damir Ibisevic the creator of the Garden Fest.

The audience can expect performances by the bands “Roba bez grece”, “Rupa u tepihu” and “Paradigma”, and those who like to enjoy electronic sound have not been forgotten, and DJs and producers from Podgorica will also take part in the Garden Fest. A special segment of the festival is dedicated to the hip-hop scene, where performers Džukela i Talja, Wicked Ras, Ronaldo Maximum, Coka and others will be presented, with live performances and original work.

As in previous years, a 1-on-1 MC Hip-Hop Battle is also being organized, for which applications are open via the Garden Festival's Instagram and Facebook pages, and the winner will win a prize of 200 euros.

Throughout all of its events, the NGO Muzika Alternativa Kultura gives priority to local performers, and they stuck to that at this year's edition. Given that they don't have many opportunities to play at similar events across the region, but are mostly focused on local events, Ibišević points out that it is very important that festival organizers in Montenegro don't forget them.

"From the beginning, the Garden Festival has been designed to support local bands and performers because they are an important part of our culture. We have been working with our performers for years, and we continue with that practice. Today, there are commercial festivals that are interested in attracting as many audiences as possible, so their line-up is made up of popular performers. However, the Garden Festival has always nurtured local artists and will remain so, and let the audience come and judge the quality of the program for themselves because admission is free," notes Ibišević.

In addition to local performers, this year's festival will also host bands from the region. Pera Brada Potomak will be coming from Belgrade, while the central part of the program will feature a performance by the group Deca loših muzičara, known for their hits "Dobar dan", "Prolećni dan", "Vlade Divac" and "Ljubav". The audience will also be entertained by hip-hop performers from Serbia, including Braca Green, Ban and other guests.

Garden Fest used to last for several days and brought together some of the most famous names in the regional scene, such as the bands Letu štuke, Dubioza kolektiv, Leb i Sol, Goribor, Obojeni program and Zoster. Today, it is a smaller festival in Montenegro compared to events such as Lake Festa, Bedem Festa, Rockstrikcije, City Groovea. Ibišević explains why Garden Fest did not expand to the same extent, but adapted to new circumstances and format from year to year, maintaining a focus on the local scene and a more intimate festival atmosphere.

"In the beginning, we lasted several days and hosted big names like Darkwood Dub, Zostera, Block Out and many others you've already mentioned. However, we didn't really want to grow much because our goal was to remain 'open' for visitors and socializing, and the festival's concept was based on a financial structure. In recent years, we have been very focused on promotional gigs by local original bands in clubs. Last year, we returned to the open air again, created a multi-hour program so that we could offer the audience more musical genres and therefore a more diverse program," emphasizes Ibišević, adding that in addition to the musical program, there will also be exhibitions by various artists.

"We haven't forgotten about fans of the seventh art, so there will also be a corner for those who love comics. It would be nice to have more festivals like this, because it is important that this story spreads among the audience. I am sure that everyone who comes on May 30th will enjoy it, the program starts at 15 pm and will last until midnight," concludes the "Vijesti" interviewee.