About the event
35 Years on the Big Stage
Vlado Kreslin, a singer and songwriter who has been opening hearts and crossing boundaries for decades, marks the 35th edition of his annual concert. He performs with his long‑standing ensembles Mali bogovi and Beltinška banda, with the Big Band Šentjur joining as a special guest to bring new colours to his music. The evening promises a blend of nostalgia, warmth, and the unmistakable energy that defines Kreslin’s artistic world.
Interesting facts
- He has been on the scene for more than 40 years and was the first musician to start playing on his balcony during the pandemic, entertaining his neighbours with 50 songs, one for each day of lockdown.
- Beltinška Banda’s current line-up incorporates members from the folk group’s second and third incarnations. The oldest member is Milan Kreslin, father of Vlado Kreslin.
- He grew up by the river Mura, where he loved to fish. He was always outdoors as a child – which may be why the metaphors he uses in his songs are frequently connected to nature. He mentions the Mura, the flat plains, storks and other birds, and more.
- The feature-length documentary Sing Me a Song, released in 2018, explores both sides of Vlado Kreslin’s musical identity – as a rocker and as an ethnomusicologist – and looks at his music and the people who love it.
Performers
More information
Vlado Kreslin, a Slovene singer-songwriter who has been breaking boundaries and opening the hearts of audiences at home and around the world for decades, is set to draw us into the pools and rapids of his music for the 35th time in September. As usual, he will be accompanied by his regular groups Mali Bogovi and Beltinška Banda, while the Šentjur Big Band, this year’s special guests, will give Kreslin’s timeless compositions a new colour and sound.
“Vlado Kreslin remains a youthful seventysomething, to the extent that he actually comes across as a fiftysomething. He makes an important contribution to Slovenia’s national cultural identity and the audience, quite simply, feels this. In a certain sense, whether intentionally or unintentionally, consciously or unconsciously, he realises in artistic practice that philosophy of being expounded by Martin Heidegger, the greatest philosopher of being of the twentieth century. He speaks of the identity of essence and existence, which, as can be seen from everything happening in the world, is actually an increasingly distant goal for humanity.”
Marijan Zlobec on the concert by Vlado Kreslin (Križanke, Ljubljana Festival, 2025)
Accessibility for visitors with reduced mobility
Festival Ljubljana is committed to ensuring a welcoming and accessible experience at cultural events for persons with reduced mobility.
Selected venues offer designated wheelchair-accessible spaces as well as seating for accompanying persons. Wheelchair users can inquire about availability and reserve accessible seating by calling +386 (0)1 241 60 28 or emailing blagajna@ljubljanafestival.si.

Free rides on LPP city buses
Ticket holders for events within the 74th Ljubljana Festival are entitled to free rides on LPP city buses within two hours before the start and two hours after the end of each event.
