Ljeto na Gradini 2026 ends with Two Days Late and The Amy Winehouse Band at Trsat
Ljeto na Gradini is entering the final days of its 21st edition after a three-month programme that, since 12 June, has transformed Trsat Castle and the neighbouring Nugent Park into one of Rijeka's main summer stages. According to the announcement by the Rijeka Tourist Board, the finale consists of two more musical evenings: TDL LIVE AGAIN by Two Days Late on Friday, 11 September, and The Amy Winehouse Band on Saturday, 12 September 2026. The first concert brings a selection of songs that have marked the regional rock scene, while the final evening will be dedicated to the work of Amy Winehouse, performed by musicians who shared the stage and studio with the British singer. This year's event will therefore end with a range extending from the regional rock repertoire to soul, jazz and pop associated with one of the most recognisable music catalogues of the 21st century. The final weekend also rounds off a programme in which more than 30 concerts, performances, exhibitions, workshops, children's activities and other events were announced throughout the summer.
Two Days Late brings a musical journey through regional rock on Friday
The penultimate programme of Ljeto na Gradini will take place on Friday, 11 September, at Trsat Castle. The official Visit Rijeka website states that TDL LIVE AGAIN by Two Days Late begins at 9 p.m. and that admission is free. The concept of the evening is not focused on the original catalogue of just one performer, but on well-known songs by bands that shaped rock audiences across the former Yugoslavia and the wider region over several decades. The announcement specifically mentions Bijelo dugme, Prljavo kazalište, Parni valjak, Daleka obala and Azra, along with other performers whose songs have remained present in concert and radio repertoires. Such an approach gives the finale of the event the character of a shared musical reminder spanning different generations, from 1970s rock and new wave to major concert hits of the 1980s, 1990s and later years.
For audiences who follow regional rock music, the Two Days Late programme functions as a concert retrospective rather than a classic performance dedicated to just one band. The organisers describe it as a musical time machine, which corresponds to a repertoire made up of songs by performers from different styles and periods of activity. Bijelo dugme represents one of the key components of Yugoslav rock of the 1970s and 1980s, Azra is strongly associated with new wave, while Prljavo kazalište and Parni valjak built extensive concert catalogues over decades. Daleka obala brings a different, Mediterranean-coloured rock sensibility that marked part of the scene in the 1990s. Instead of attempting to make these performers stylistically uniform, TDL LIVE AGAIN relies precisely on their recognisability and on the fact that their songs have remained part of the collective concert memory.
Free admission distinguishes this evening from the final concert the following day, for which tickets are being sold. When presenting the programme in June, the Rijeka Tourist Board emphasised that some of this year's events would require payment while others would be available without a ticket, with the aim of making the programme accessible to different groups of visitors. Immediately before the finale, TDL LIVE AGAIN therefore retains the free-access model that accompanied part of the events at Gradina throughout the season. Visitors from outside Rijeka who plan to stay throughout the entire final weekend may also find accommodation offers in Rijeka useful, particularly because of the two consecutive evening programmes at Trsat.
The finale in Nugent Park belongs to Amy Winehouse's musicians
Saturday, 12 September, is reserved for the final event of the entire programme, the concert by The Amy Winehouse Band in Nugent Park next to Trsat Castle. The final announcement by the Rijeka Tourist Board and the CoreEvent sales page state that the programme begins at 8 p.m. CoreEvent also states that DJ Luca Montecchi will entertain the audience before and after the performance, while a separate Visit Rijeka page for the concert itself lists the band's performance time as 9 p.m. The available information therefore indicates that the evening programme begins at 8 p.m., while the band itself may take the stage later. Since both times appear on official websites, it is reasonable for visitors to check the latest organisational announcement before arriving.
The Amy Winehouse Band is not a project made up of musicians who merely reproduce familiar arrangements without any direct connection to the original performances. According to the band's official website, the project is led by Dale Davis, Amy Winehouse's long-time bassist, musical director and close collaborator, and its line-up includes musicians connected with her studio and concert work. It is precisely this connection that makes the main difference between this project and a conventional tribute format. The audience is not listening to an imitation conceived as a stage copy of the singer, but to a repertoire performed by people who were part of the musical environment in which those songs were created, rehearsed and performed before audiences. The official description of the project emphasises preserving her sound, concert legacy and the way the original band shaped live performances.
The Rijeka announcement highlights “Rehab”, “Back to Black”, “Valerie”, “Tears Dry on Their Own”, “You Know I’m No Good” and “Love Is a Losing Game” among the songs audiences can expect. It is a repertoire that connects soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, pop and a production aesthetic inspired by the music of the 1960s. Winehouse combined these influences with a highly personal songwriting approach and a voice that made her music easily recognisable even beyond the boundaries of individual genres. The rhythm section, brass, keyboards and backing vocals play an important role in the concert line-up, elements that were also important in her original performances. Alongside Davis, the official website of The Amy Winehouse Band lists guitarist Hawi Gondwe, drummers Nathan Allen and Stuart Anning, backing vocalist Ade Omotayo, keyboardist and vocalist Xantoné Blacq, and horn players David Temple, Frank Walden and Henry Collins among the musicians involved in the project, together with vocalists who perform with the project; the exact line-up may vary from one concert to another.
Rijeka is part of the band's September tour leg
The performance at Trsat is not an isolated date, but part of a tightly packed European schedule for The Amy Winehouse Band. The project's official calendar lists a concert on 9 September in Zagreb, 10 September in Budapest, 11 September in Belgrade and 12 September in Rijeka, followed by a performance on 18 September in Banja Luka. Such a schedule shows that the Rijeka concert is part of a regional tour leg that links several cities in Central and Southeastern Europe within a few days. For Ljeto na Gradini, this means concluding with an international project arriving at Trsat in the middle of an active tour rather than as a line-up assembled for a one-off appearance. At the same time, the concert fits into this year's programming logic of the event, which throughout the summer combined performers from Rijeka, Croatia, the regional scene and abroad.
The year 2026 carries additional symbolism for the Amy Winehouse repertoire because it marks 20 years since the release of the 2006 album “Back to Black”. The Recording Academy states that Winehouse won five awards in a single evening at the 2008 Grammy Awards: Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Rehab”, Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album for “Back to Black”. She won six Grammy Awards in total during her career. The album became the central point of her international breakthrough, and songs from it continue to form the core of the programme performed by her former band for new generations of audiences. The current official Amy Winehouse website also highlights the 20th anniversary of “Back to Black” in 2026, confirming how important the album remains in presenting her body of work two decades after its release.
For Dale Davis and the musicians who performed with Winehouse, such a concert project has a different starting point from a conventional retrospective show. Davis was her bassist and musical director, so he participated in shaping the way studio songs were transferred to the concert stage. The Amy Winehouse Band emphasises on its official website that its performances are conceived as a celebration of her music, life and legacy rather than an attempt to replace the singer. In practice, this means that the emphasis is on arrangements, the dynamics of the band and the sound that audiences associate with the original concerts. For the Rijeka audience, the final event therefore offers an encounter with a repertoire that is globally known, but performed by musicians who have a direct professional connection to its concert history.
More than 30 programmes over three months
This year's Ljeto na Gradini began on 12 June and ends on 12 September, meaning that the programme lasts a full three months. In June, the City of Rijeka announced that this was the 21st edition of the event and presented it as its richest and most diverse programme to date. Following the presentation of the programme, Hina reported that more than 30 events had been announced at two locations, Trsat Castle and Nugent Park. The range was not limited to concerts: the programme included theatre performances, monodramas, exhibitions, children's programmes, themed parties and other cultural and entertainment events. Throughout the summer, Gradina therefore functioned as a multi-month open-air stage rather than as a classic festival concentrated into several days.
The season opened on 12 June with Rijeka Summer Fest, and over the following months the programme included Darko Rundek & Ekipa, Natali Dizdar, Porto Morto, Tomislav Bralić i klapa Intrade, Tony Cetinski, Damir Kedžo, Let 3, Dalmatino, Josipa Lisac, Neno Belan, Vanna, klapa Rišpet, Vesna Pisarović, Buč Kesidi, Električni orgazam and other performers. Alongside the musical programmes, the organisers included theatre and family activities as well as separate evenings such as Sunset Castle, Milde Sorte Party and Disco Revival. When presenting the event, the City of Rijeka particularly highlighted programmes for children, including an open-air disco, a carnival party and Cirkus Day. It is precisely this breadth of genres and age groups that explains why the finale featuring Two Days Late and The Amy Winehouse Band does not feel like a separate addition, but rather the final stage of a programme that from the beginning combined different types of audiences and performance formats.
The event has been held for more than two decades, and the Rijeka Tourist Board states that during that period more than 200 different programmes and tens of thousands of visitors have passed through Ljeto na Gradini. The City of Rijeka described this year's edition as one of the most important summer cultural and entertainment programmes in the city, with an organisational role played by the Tourist Board and its partners and support from the City. Its longevity is also important because the programme developed around a venue that itself carries a strong identity, so concerts and performances are not placed at a neutral festival location. Trsat Castle and Nugent Park have become a recognisable part of the visual and atmospheric identity of the event. The conclusion on 12 September therefore also closes another season of using the historic site as a contemporary summer stage.
Trsat Castle as a stage above Rijeka
Trsat Castle is located on an elevation above Rijeka and is one of the city's recognisable historic landmarks. Visit Rijeka states that the fortress stands on a 138-metre-high hill and was first mentioned in 1288, while the area had an earlier strategic role because of its position above the transport route towards the sea. The site's present-day function is considerably broader than its historical role: exhibitions, educational activities, concerts and open-air theatre performances are held at the castle. Ljeto na Gradini builds most of its identity precisely on this combination of heritage and contemporary programming. Nugent Park, where The Amy Winehouse Band will perform, is directly connected with the Gradina complex and allows a different organisation of larger evening programmes.
For visitors arriving from the centre of Rijeka, official tourist information lists bus line number 2 towards Trsat, with passengers getting off near the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat and continuing on foot towards the castle. Another option is to climb the Trsat Steps, which connect the central part of the city with Trsat, although such an arrival involves considerably more walking and climbing. Trsat Castle itself is located at Partizanski put 9A, while the final concert is situated in Nugent Park next to the fortress. Since both events take place in the evening and outdoors, it is useful to check the organisers' current information before arriving regarding entry, possible timetable changes and other practical details. This is particularly important for Saturday's finale because of the current difference between the published start of the entire programme at 8 p.m. and the 9 p.m. time listed on the separate page for the performance itself.
The final two days therefore summarise two different sides of this year's Ljeto na Gradini. Friday brings a free concert featuring songs from the regional rock tradition and an emphasis on a widely familiar repertoire, while Saturday closes the event with an international project directly connected to Amy Winehouse's musicians. After more than 30 announced programmes spread over three months, the finale will not merely be the final concert on the calendar, but the concluding point of the event's 21st edition. In the setting of Trsat Castle and Nugent Park, it closes a summer cycle that since June has brought together music, theatre, children's programmes, entertainment formats and the historic atmosphere above Rijeka. The coming weekend brings the final opportunity to experience the programme in the format for which Ljeto na Gradini has become recognisable over more than two decades.
Sources:
- Rijeka Tourist Board / Visit Rijeka - final programmes of Ljeto na Gradini, schedules and content of the Two Days Late and The Amy Winehouse Band concerts (link)
- CoreEvent - official sales page for The Amy Winehouse Band concert in Rijeka, schedule, location and DJ programme before and after the performance (link)
- The Amy Winehouse Band - official project website, information about Dale Davis, band members and the concept of the performances (link)
- The Amy Winehouse Band - official performance schedule for September 2026, including Rijeka and other dates on the regional tour leg (link)
- City of Rijeka - presentation of the 21st edition of Ljeto na Gradini and overview of the programme from 12 June to 12 September 2026 (link)
- HRT / Hina - information on more than 30 programmes at this year's Ljeto na Gradini and the event's two main locations (link)
- Visit Rijeka - official information about Trsat Castle, its location, history and access from the city centre (link)
- Recording Academy / GRAMMY - official information on Amy Winehouse's awards at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008 (link)
- Visit Rijeka - separate announcement of The Amy Winehouse Band concert listing the performance time as 9 p.m. and repertoire information (link)