In the finale of the Echo Festival, Katarina Grujić, Magla band and Ceca

The third part of the Kolašin Echo festival, entitled “No Control,” began last night in Kolašin with a concert by folk singer Katarina Grujić. The festival will conclude with a concert by the Magla band tonight, and on Saturday evening, folk star Svetlana Ceca Ražnatović will perform at Kolašin's Trg Borca.

According to unofficial information, there is great interest in the Ražnatović concert, and as previously announced by the municipal services, around 10.000 fans of the Serbian singer are expected to arrive, which is a few thousand more than the total number of residents in the Kolašin municipality. Extensive preparations for the Ražnatović concert have been going on for days, and as announced by the Parking Service, 50 security guards will be deployed, among other things. A temporary traffic regime will also be in effect, while transit traffic through Kolašin will be suspended on Saturday from 2 p.m. to Sunday at 2 a.m.

Echo Festival began at the end of June, when Sanja Vučić, Mirza Selimović and the SARS group performed in Kolašin. After the first part of the Echo Festival, the Echo After Party was organized, opened by Bojan Vasković and the Lexington Band.

Echo Festival, the organizers explain, "confirms the ambition to make Kolašin an unavoidable point on the tourist maps of the region."

The name of the Ko festival was conceived as a symbolic continuation of the former "Voice of Tara" event, the spirit of which, according to the Municipality, is now returning in a more modern and urban form.

"With this festival, we want to further strengthen the position of Kolašin as a modern tourist destination. The goal is not only entertainment, but also the creation of a long-term brand that will bring measurable effects to the local economy. The name of the festival is symbolic and we wanted Echo, as an echo, to be associated with a sound that does not die down, that lasts. And just as an echo spreads through the mountains, so Kolašin Echo helps shape the modern image of the city as an attractive tourist destination," said Vuk Vuković, Secretary for Finance, Property and Economic Development of the Municipality of Kolašin.

The budget rebalance for this year significantly increased funds, including for concerts, which are part of the media services, promotional activities and tourist events item. For this purpose, the amendments to the budget decision provided 350.000 euros instead of the originally planned 170.000 euros. The Secretariat for Finance justified this by "enriching the tourist offer and creating conditions for a more successful tourist season."

"Funds for media services, promotional activities and tourist events have been increased. The aim of these allocations is to improve the promotion of Kolašin, enrich the tourist offer and create conditions for a more successful tourist season. Of particular importance is the continuation of the organization of the Kolašin Echo festival, which has been very positively received by the audience and has aroused significant public interest so far. The achieved response indicates the potential of the festival to develop into a recognizable event and an important part of the tourist offer of Kolašin," the draft budget revision explains.