Parni Valjak tickets for the Crekvina Kastav open-air concert on the 50 tour and new album era

Parni Valjak at Crekvina brings a major open-air encounter of rock, memory and a new chapter of the band

Parni Valjak arrives at Crekvina in Kastav with a concert that connects two anniversaries: the "50" tour, with which the band marks half a century of work, and the jubilee 35th edition of the Kastav Cultural Summer. The performance is announced for Sunday, June 28, 2026 at 21:00, on the open-air stage Crekvina in Kastav, a town on the northern Adriatic, near Rijeka and Opatija.

This concert carries special weight because, according to announcements, Parni Valjak is performing in Kastav for the first time. Instead of a large arena image, the audience awaits an open space at the top of the Kastav hill, where sound does not travel through an arena but through a summer evening, stone contours and a view toward Kvarner. For a band that built a large part of its career on a strong relationship with the audience, such an atmosphere can change the rhythm of the evening: less distance, more shared singing and the feeling that the concert is taking place in a space that has its own memory.

Parni Valjak has for decades been recognizable for a pop-rock signature in which guitar sound, big choruses and emotional lyrics are not separated. Their songs function both as radio classics and as concert material that the audience takes over after the first bars. That is why the performance in Kastav is attractive to a very wide circle of visitors: long-time fans who remember the band’s earlier phases, listeners who grew up with the songs of Parni Valjak in different cities and generations, but also an audience that follows the band through the new period with Igor Drvenkar.

Ticket sales for this event are under way.

The "50" tour and a new chapter with Igor Drvenkar

The "50" tour was not conceived only as a nostalgic marking of a large number. It comes at a moment when Parni Valjak is actively building a new chapter, with new studio material and a different vocal energy. Igor Drvenkar joined the band after a period of major transition, and the current concert cycle shows how Parni Valjak is not trying to freeze its own past, but to connect it with today’s sound.

In that context, the album "Kažu pčele umiru...", released in 2025, is important. It is the first studio album in the new period with Igor Drvenkar, and the release brings 12 songs and continues the authorial handwriting that the audience connects with Husein Hasanefendić Hus. Among the songs from the newer material, titles such as "Pustit ću glas", "Kud idemo mi" and "Otkad te ne viđam često" stand out, showing that the band still counts on the song as the center of everything - without excessive distancing from the recognizable sound, but with enough space for the present moment.

The album also received special confirmation at Porin, where "Kažu pčele umiru..." was declared Album of the Year. For the concert audience, this is important information because it says that this performance does not rest only on great old songs. Kastav gets a band that is in a celebratory phase, but also in an active authorial period.

What the audience can expect from the concert evening

One should not expect a set list published in advance, because it has not been confirmed for this performance. Still, the previous concerts within the "50" tour clearly show the basic framework: a cross-section of songs that marked several periods of the band, along with newer compositions that give meaning to the current phase. At previous performances of the tour, the audience reacted especially to songs such as "Lutka za bal", "Jesen u meni", "Ugasi me" and "Sve još miriše na nju", but the specific repertoire for Kastav should not be turned into a promise before the band performs it.

The strength of Parni Valjak live is usually in the gradual building of a shared rhythm. The band’s concerts rarely depend only on one peak. The audience comes because of a series of recognizable choruses, because of guitar themes that are remembered and because of songs that over time have gained personal biographies of their listeners. In the open-air format of Crekvina, that element will probably be heard even more clearly: voices from the audience will not be only accompaniment, but an important part of the evening.

For those who have followed the band from its early phases, the concert in Kastav will be an opportunity for an encounter with songs that have long been part of collective pop-rock memory. For a younger audience, this is a chance to hear Parni Valjak in a format that is not a museum-like view of the past, but a living band with a new singer, a new album and a repertoire that connects several generations.

Crekvina as a stage: a space that changes the experience of the concert

Crekvina is not a standard concert location. The space is connected with an unfinished church building whose history stretches back to the 18th century. According to tourist information about Kastav, Crekvina was supposed to be a large church building, but construction was never completed. Today, its historical remains and arranged square have been turned into a space for concerts and stage performances.

It is precisely this combination of open sky, stone remains and summer stage that gives the concert a different dramaturgy from a hall. The audience is not surrounded by closed walls, but by a space that has architectural character and a view of the surroundings. This does not mean that an intimate club performance should be expected, but rather a concert by a larger band in a space that is open enough to receive summer energy, and recognizable enough to retain a feeling of closeness.

• Location: Crekvina, Kastav, a historical space at the top of the Kastav hill.
• Format: open-air concert, as part of the Kastav Cultural Summer program.
• Atmosphere: stone remains, a square and a summer stage give the space a pronounced scenic character.
• Audience: especially attractive to long-time fans of Parni Valjak, lovers of pop-rock and visitors looking for a concert in a space with local identity.

For visitors coming from other cities, it is important to count on an open space and an evening time slot. Summer concerts at such locations often require somewhat earlier arrival, especially because of entry, finding a place and moving through the old town center. Places disappear quickly.

Kastav and the Kastav Cultural Summer

Kastav is a historic town above the northern Adriatic coast, known for its old center, stone streets, views of Kvarner and a lively summer cultural program. The Parni Valjak concert is connected with the 35th Kastav Cultural Summer, an event that in 2026 brings 30 different programs, including 16 musical ones. The program extends through the summer months and uses several town spaces, from larger open-air stages to smaller locations in the old center.

In that schedule, Parni Valjak occupies a special place because it performs immediately before the ceremonial opening of the jubilee edition. This gives the concert an additional festival framework: it does not arrive as an isolated performance without context, but as an initial strong signal of a summer in which Kastav connects music, theatre, exhibitions, children’s programs and local heritage.

It is also important that the festival anniversary meets the band anniversary. Kastav Cultural Summer marks its 35th edition, Parni Valjak celebrates 50 years of activity with the tour, and the new album confirms that the concert is not only a return to a familiar repertoire. Such an overlap gives the evening a clear theme: duration, change and songs that survive different periods.

Repertoire between classics and the new album

Parni Valjak has a catalogue of songs that naturally transfers into the concert space. Their best-known titles are not only hits but songs that the audience often sings from beginning to end. "Jesen u meni", "Lutka za bal", "Ugasi me" and "Sve još miriše na nju" belong to that part of the opus connected with a strong emotional charge and recognizable choruses. Such songs at large performances create moments of shared singing, which is one of the reasons why the band remains concert-relevant even after several decades.

But the new phase is not only an addition to the old repertoire. The album "Kažu pčele umiru..." brings material that shows how the band seeks a balance between continuity and a new beginning. "Kud idemo mi" and "Pustit ću glas" carry in their titles and atmosphere a question of direction, loudness and presence in a time that has changed. That corresponds well to the moment in which Parni Valjak finds itself: the audience comes because of history, but the band also brings the present to the stage.

That is exactly why the concert in Kastav should not be viewed only as an evening of big choruses. It will be an encounter with a band that knows what the audience wants to hear, but also a band that on the "50" tour must show that the new line-up has its own concert breath. Igor Drvenkar does not have a simple task in such an environment, but the previous performances of the tour show that the new phase of Parni Valjak is being built through respect for the songs, not through copying them.

For whom this concert is especially interesting

This performance has several different audiences. The first are long-time fans who have followed Parni Valjak through the decades and for whom the "50" tour is an opportunity to hear a cross-section of the career. The second is the broader concert audience that perhaps does not follow every discographic phase, but knows the choruses and wants a summer concert with a clear pop-rock identity. The third are visitors attracted by Crekvina itself, because the location is not a neutral backdrop but an important part of the experience.

• Long-time fans will get a concert connected with 50 years of the band’s activity.
• The broader audience can expect an evening of familiar choruses, but without a guarantee of a set list determined in advance.
• Lovers of open-air concerts will get a performance in a space that connects historical architecture and a summer stage.
• Travelers coming because of Kastav can connect the concert with a tour of the old center and the wider Rijeka area.

It is worth securing tickets in time.

Arrival, movement and practical advice

Kastav is situated above Rijeka and Opatija, so for visitors coming from other cities it is practical to plan arrival with enough time reserve. The Rijeka area is connected by city and suburban bus lines, and Autotrolej regularly connects Rijeka and the surrounding towns and municipalities. For the exact evening schedule before departure, one should check the current lines and timetable, especially for the return after the concert.

Arriving by car requires somewhat more patience than arriving at a classic hall with a large parking lot. Old town centers and spaces on elevations often have limited movement and a smaller number of parking spaces in the immediate vicinity of the stage. That is why it is practical to arrive earlier, count on walking to Crekvina and follow local traffic signage on the day of the concert.

For an evening open-air concert, it is good to prepare simply: comfortable footwear, enough time for entry, light clothing adapted to a summer evening and checking the weather forecast before departure. Since there is no confirmed information about an opening act, special guests or additional production elements, the focus remains on the band’s performance and the festival space.

A short reminder before departure

• The concert is announced as a one-day event at Crekvina in Kastav.
• The start is announced for 21:00.
• The program is part of the festival context of the 35th Kastav Cultural Summer.
• There is no confirmed set list, opening act or special guests.
• For arrival by public transport, one should check the evening lines toward Kastav and the return departures.
• For arrival by car, it is useful to plan an earlier arrival because of movement around the old town center.

Why the Kastav evening is important in the tour calendar

Parni Valjak has already passed through large concert spaces with the "50" tour, including arenas and open-air stages. Kastav brings a different emphasis. Here, the large repertoire is not transferred into a space that impresses with size, but into a space that has recognizable character. Crekvina can be just as important as scenography, because its stone outlines and position on the hill create an atmosphere that cannot be repeated in every hall.

For the band, this is an opportunity to present the celebratory tour in a festival environment that has a long-standing summer audience. For Kastav Cultural Summer, it is a strong concert beginning of the jubilee edition. For the audience, it is an evening in which familiar choruses, a new album and an open space can merge into a concert remembered for the way it sounds, but also for the place where it happened.

Tickets for this event are in demand.

Sources:
- Parni Valjak - data about the "50" tour, the concert at Crekvina, the new album and the current phase of the band
- Kastav Cultural Summer - festival context, 35th edition, program and announcement of the performance in Kastav
- Croatia Records - data about the album "Kažu pčele umiru...", the number of songs and newer singles
- Visit Kastav - historical and spatial context of Crekvina as a summer stage
- tportal/Hina - information about the program of the 35th Kastav Cultural Summer and the number of festival events
- Autotrolej - information about public transport in the Rijeka area