Sunčani Fest in Kutina brings together Krankšvester, KUKU$, S.A.R.S., IDEM and Podočnjaci in a three-day humanitarian programme
From 4 to 6 September 2026, Kutina becomes the centre of the three-day Sunčani Fest, a humanitarian event that combines a concert programme with art, humour, conversations and content dedicated to supporting people affected by sarcoma and their families. According to the organisers' official programme, the two main concert evenings take place on 4 and 5 September at Sunčana Baraka in Kutina, while the Sunday finale on 6 September is reserved for a theatrical and comedy programme. Among the best-known names of this year's edition are Krankšvester, KUKU$, S.A.R.S., IDEM and Podočnjaci, while 30zona, SBL, Laurakojapjeva, Matt Shaft and Svijest will also perform. The festival is organised by the Sunčani put association, which states that ticket revenue is directed towards helping people undergoing treatment for sarcoma and their families.
This year's Sunčani Fest is not limited to a series of concerts. The programme extends across several days and formats, from street art and quick-draw caricatures to a Renault 4 gathering, a monodrama and a final comedy performance. The festival week already began on 30 August at Caffe bar Cheers, where Brano Jakubović from Dubioza Kolektiv presented the book "Moje Dubioze" in a conversation moderated by Martina Validžić. The main part of the festival, however, begins on 4 September, and the organisers present it as a combination of music, community and a humanitarian mission that grew out of Mihael Fertelmeš's personal story.
Friday brings Krankšvester, KUKU$, 30zona and SBL
The first concert evening takes place on Friday, 4 September, at Baraka at Avenija Vukovar 7 in Kutina. According to current information on the official Sunčani Fest website, the doors open at 7 p.m. and the programme begins at 8 p.m. Krankšvester, KUKU$, 30zona and SBL take the stage, making the first day primarily focused on hip-hop, trap and contemporary urban sound. This line-up also shows how the festival is trying to connect performers from different generations and audiences who might otherwise not attend the same type of event.
Krankšvester and KUKU$ are among the most recognisable names of the evening, while 30zona and SBL further emphasise Friday's urban profile. In their announcements, the organisers do not highlight only the musical value of the performances, but place the entire evening within the festival's broader humanitarian framework. This means that buying a ticket is intended not only as access to the concert, but also as a form of support for the work of the Sunčani put association. According to the official sales page, a one-day ticket for Friday, 4 September, currently costs 20 euros.
In recent years, the musical part of Sunčani Fest has become its most visible segment, but the organisers deliberately connect it with other content. On the official website, the festival is divided into several programme units, including Sunčani Ritam, Sunčani Art, Sunčane Priče and Sunčani Kotači. In this way, the concerts are used as the strongest attraction for audiences, while conversations, artistic activities and humanitarian initiatives give the event a broader social context.
Saturday combines S.A.R.S., IDEM and Podočnjaci with art and Renault 4
Saturday, 5 September, is the most diverse day of the festival in terms of programming. The evening concert at Baraka begins at 8 p.m., and the official programme lists six performers: S.A.R.S., IDEM, Podočnjaci, Laurakojapjeva, Matt Shaft and Svijest. S.A.R.S. brings to Kutina the repertoire of a band that has been performing on major regional stages for years, while IDEM and Podočnjaci represent the newer singer-songwriter and alternative scene. Laurakojapjeva, Matt Shaft and Svijest further broaden the range of performers, so Saturday evening is not confined to only one musical genre.
The daytime programme begins with the second Renault 4 gathering called Sunčani Kotači. According to the festival's official information, participants gather in Kutina, after which they take a joint drive along the Moslavina Wine Road and continue socialising by the lake. The organisers designed this segment as a combination of automotive nostalgia, the local landscape and the humanitarian character of the event. The official registration page states that, after gathering, the convoy heads towards the Moslavina area, while participants who wish to do so can later join the evening programme at Baraka.
Before the concerts in the indoor area of Baraka, Lada Bonacci performs the monodrama "Ostatak života", which the organisers describe as a performance with pronounced stand-up elements. Admission to this part of the programme, according to the festival's official sales page, is free and does not require a festival ticket. On the same day, Nik Titanik will portray visitors with quick-draw caricatures. Music, theatre and caricature thus build on the automotive programme on the same day, making Saturday the most extensive part of Sunčani Fest 2026 in terms of content.
Street art remains an important part of the festival's identity even outside the timetable of the main stage. According to an announcement by the Glazba.hr portal, the new mural in Kutina is being painted by local mural artists led by Alen Miler, together with Allega Klemar and Matija Vnučec. In previous years, the festival has also used public space as part of its artistic programme, so the murals remain a visible trace of the event even after the concert weekend has ended. It is precisely this combination of lasting interventions in the city and temporary festival content that is one of the elements distinguishing Sunčani Fest from a conventional concert programme.
Sunday finale brings Ričard to the cinema hall
After two evenings of concerts, the final day of Sunčani Fest changes the rhythm. On Sunday, 6 September, Enio Meštrović Ričard performs "Oči Uoči Zgospod'non" at the Kutina Cinema Hall. The festival's official website lists the start of the performance at 7 p.m., and a separate ticket with numbered seating is required for this event. The published price is 13 euros, with the organisers also stating that the proceeds from this programme have a humanitarian purpose.
Such a finale expands the festival's offering to audiences for whom the concert programme is not the primary reason for attending. Instead of repeating the format of the previous two evenings on the final day, the organisers have dedicated it to theatre and humour. The festival's three-day core therefore closes with content that differs from the concerts in both production and atmosphere, while remaining connected to the same humanitarian purpose. The programme from 4 to 6 September therefore functions as a whole in which different forms of performing arts alternate without losing the event's fundamental message.
The festival originated from the story of Mihael Fertelmeš
Behind Sunčani Fest is the story of Mihael Fertelmeš, a young man from Kutina whose battle with sarcoma led to the creation of the festival. According to the official history of the event, the first edition was held in 2024 as a birthday present for Mihael's 18th birthday and as a sign of support during his treatment. The organisers state that in August 2023 he was diagnosed with an extremely rare soft-tissue sarcoma. Mihael died on 3 February 2025, after which his family, friends and people gathered around the Sunčani put association continued developing the festival and activities supporting patients.
Precisely because of these origins, the humanitarian dimension is not an addition to the programme, but its starting point. The Sunčani put association states that it aims to provide psychological and financial assistance to people affected by sarcoma and their families, while at the same time increasing the visibility of a group of rare malignant diseases about which the general public knows relatively little. On the Sunčani Fest homepage, the organisers explicitly state that revenue is directed to the association for these forms of support. The festival therefore serves as a publicly visible part of work that continues beyond just a few days in September.
The first edition was directly connected with Mihael, while the second, held in 2025, was already dedicated to his memory. The 2026 edition continues this development, but with an increasingly broad programme and a greater number of formats. The concerts attract the most attention, but conversations, artistic activities and humanitarian fundraising give the event its fundamental purpose. The organisers summarise the festival's message in the idea that patients and their families should not have to go through a difficult period alone.
Sarcomas are a rare and highly diverse group of malignant diseases
The humanitarian focus of Sunčani Fest is particularly important because of the rarity of sarcomas. The US National Cancer Institute, NCI, defines sarcomas as a broad group of rare cancers that can arise in soft tissues or bones, and can sometimes affect both. According to NCI data, sarcomas account for approximately one percent of all cancers in adults, while they are proportionally more common in children. For soft-tissue sarcomas, the internationally reported incidence, according to the NCI, ranges approximately from 1.8 to 5 cases per 100,000 people per year.
The rarity of the disease has practical consequences for diagnosis, treatment, research and the everyday lives of patients. The NCI emphasises that sarcomas comprise a highly heterogeneous group of tumours that can develop in different parts of the body, so the treatment approach differs depending on the subtype, site of origin and stage of the disease. In Europe, rare solid tumours are included in the system of European Reference Networks, among which ERN EURACAN focuses on rare solid cancers in adults. The European Commission states that these networks are designed to connect specialised centres and enable the exchange of expert knowledge about rare, complex and low-prevalence diseases.
For an event such as Sunčani Fest, this context is important because it explains why the organisers emphasise both financial and psychological support. With rare diseases, the problem is often not only the treatment itself but also the path to appropriate expertise, information and family support. The festival cannot replace the healthcare system or professional medical care, but it can increase the visibility of issues that, because of the small number of patients, struggle to reach the centre of public attention. This is precisely why the association, in addition to fundraising, emphasises informing and connecting the community.
Sunčane Priče opened the festival week before the main weekend
Although the main three-day programme takes place from 4 to 6 September, this year's festival week began on 30 August with the Sunčane Priče event. Brano Jakubović, one of the founders and key members of Dubioza Kolektiv, presented the book "Moje Dubioze" at Caffe bar Cheers in Kutina, and the conversation was moderated by Martina Validžić. According to the official programme, the event was open to the public free of charge. This introduction shows that Sunčani Fest does not base its concept solely on evening concerts, but also on conversations about music, experience, life behind the stage and personal stories.
Sunčane Priče is one of the festival's permanent programme pillars. The organisers describe it as a space for conversations, lectures and panels connecting topics such as sarcoma, turning points in life, experiences and social support. Alongside them, Sunčani Art brings together visual-art workshops, murals and caricatures, while Sunčani Kotači uses the Renault 4 gathering as a social and humanitarian event on the roads of Moslavina. Such a structure makes the festival broad enough for audiences to participate even without being interested in every individual musical performance.
Practical information for visitors
The main concert evenings take place at Sunčana Baraka, Avenija Vukovar 7, Kutina. According to the official sales page, the doors open at 7 p.m. on 4 and 5 September, while the concert programme begins at 8 p.m. A one-day ticket for Friday or Saturday, as listed on 4 September, costs 20 euros. The Sunday performance by Enio Meštrović Ričard takes place at the Kutina Cinema Hall at 7 p.m. and has separate numbered tickets.
Visitors arriving from other cities and planning to stay for several days can check accommodation offers in Kutina in advance. Since the programme includes daytime events, two evenings of concerts and a separate Sunday finale, a multi-day stay may be practical for those who want to follow a larger part of the festival. Kutina is located in Sisak-Moslavina County, in central Croatia, and part of Saturday's programme extends beyond the city area towards Moslavina and the surrounding excursion destinations.
In the official information available on 4 September, the main programme continues to be listed according to the published schedule for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Since ticket availability and individual organisational details may change, visitors are advised to check the organisers' latest information before arriving. The humanitarian character of the event remains a constant throughout the programme: from the concerts and Sunday's performance to the accompanying activities, Sunčani Fest 2026 is conceived as a meeting place for audiences, performers, artists and the community centred around supporting people affected by sarcoma and their families.
Sunčani Fest 2026 programme
- Friday, 4 September: Krankšvester, KUKU$, 30zona and SBL at Sunčana Baraka; doors open at 7 p.m., concert programme begins at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, 5 September: Sunčani Kotači and a Renault 4 gathering, a drive along the Moslavina Wine Road, Nik Titanik and quick-draw caricatures, Lada Bonacci with the monodrama "Ostatak života", followed by S.A.R.S., IDEM, Podočnjaci, Laurakojapjeva, Matt Shaft and Svijest in the evening concert programme.
- Sunday, 6 September: Enio Meštrović Ričard with the performance "Oči Uoči Zgospod'non" at the Kutina Cinema Hall from 7 p.m.
Sources:
- Sunčani Fest - official festival website, programme, humanitarian purpose, ticket prices and event location (link)
- Sunčani Fest / Sunčani put - festival history and information about Mihael Fertelmeš and the origins of the humanitarian initiative (link)
- Sunčani Fest - official ticket page and detailed programme schedule from 4 to 6 September 2026 (link)
- Glazba.hr - current announcement of Sunčani Fest 2026, performers, mural, Sunčani Kotači and the final programme (link)
- Kutina Info - official local announcement of the dates and basic programme of Sunčani Fest in Kutina (link)
- National Cancer Institute - expert information on the rarity and epidemiology of soft-tissue sarcomas (link)
- European Commission - information on European Reference Networks for rare and complex diseases, including ERN EURACAN (link)