Novo Mesto Summer Festival: Bort Ross and Nomadi with guests
From legendary stories to the new wave – welcome to the Novo Mesto Summer Festival, taking place in Novo Mesto from 19 June to 28 August 2026.
This year once again, the Novo Mesto Summer Festival brings seven evenings of music, social gatherings and summer atmosphere across three carefully selected venues surrounding the town centre. The central theme of this year’s edition is the Slovenian music scene – artists and bands that have been shaping the rich musical landscape of Novo Mesto and Slovenia for decades, alongside a younger generation of musicians proudly and successfully carrying this legacy forward. The new Novo Mesto wave is singing louder than ever before.
The festival will open with an evening of nostalgia and a tribute to Novo Mesto’s musical history, as well as the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Rock Otočec festival. Performances will feature Slon in Cvet je v jeseni and Generacija Rudolfovo with selected guest artists, who will also perform songs by the legendary Novo Mesto band. The evening will also include a preview of an exhibition dedicated to Rock Otočec.
The programme will continue with concerts by the contemporary folk ensemble Bakalina Velika, the Janez Dovč Sounds of Slovenia Quartet with modern arrangements of Slovenian folk songs, local emerging acts Plateau and Martina ET AL. as part of the biennial Festival of New Novo Mesto Music, the ethno-rock band Ana Pupedan from Pivka, a performance by the timeless Avtomobili featuring Marko and Mirko Vuksanović, and the closing concert by Bort Ross and Nomadi with guests, bringing the festival to an end in their distinctive melodic style.
All events, with the exception of the final concert at the Museum Gardens, are free of charge. Voluntary contributions in support of the festival will be warmly appreciated.
PROGRAMME
Friday, 19 June 2026, 9.00 pm – Museum Gardens
Slon in Cvet je v jeseni with guests
Generacija Rudolfovo
Wednesday, 8 July 2026, 8.00 pm – Growing Book Park
Bakalina Velika
Wednesday, 15 July 2026, 8.00 pm – Growing Book Park
Sounds of Slovenia Quartet
Friday, 24 July 2026, 9.00 pm – Main Square
Plateau, Martina ET AL.
Festival of New Novo Mesto Music
Saturday, 1 August 2026, 9.00 pm – Main Square
Ana Pupedan
Wednesday, 12 August 2026, 8.00 pm – Growing Book Park
Avtomobili Duo
Marko & Mirko Vuksanović
Friday, 28 August 2026, 8.30 pm – Museum Gardens
Bort Ross and Nomadi with guests
The Museum Gardens, Growing Book Park and the Main Square will once again host evenings where ethno, rock, singer-songwriter music, alternative pop, acoustic performances and contemporary interpretations of folk heritage intertwine.
The Novo Mesto Summer Festival remains a space for encounters, new musical stories and connections between generations of artists, proving that Slovenian music is still alive, powerful, sincere and almost heavenly – like in the days when the Krka River lay by its left and right foot, and we always found our way back home – to Novo Mesto.
