By evening the centre of Banja Luka fills with people moving between cafés, bars and the riverside, and the sound of folk music carries out of many of the places along the main streets. The city has a rich night life, and much of it is concentrated in the middle of town, within walking distance of the Vrbas.
Going out here suits visitors who want a compact, sociable evening rather than a long crawl between distant neighbourhoods. The scene mixes folk and pop venues with a smaller number of places playing electronic or alternative music, so it rewards deciding in advance what kind of night you want.
Where to go out in Banja Luka
1. Gospodska ulica and the city centre
The heart of the city holds the densest cluster of places to drink and dance, and it is where you can move between venues on foot without planning transport. Folk music is the general trend in town, so expect that sound in many bars; if you want something else, the centre is also where the exceptions are found.
Boom Boom Room, on Veselina Maslese in Gospodska ulica, is described as the first club in Banja Luka playing exclusively DJ electronic music, and it opens Wednesday to Saturday. It suits a night built around dancing rather than conversation.
2. The area around Kastel fortress
The fortress and the streets beside it give you a central, walkable base for an evening, with the river and the old core close by. It suits a night that starts with a drink in the centre and stays there.
Demofest klub, at Patre 5, has its entrance across the street from Kastel. It offers a varied programme of live gigs and music of all genres except folk, along with after-parties and average drink prices.
3. Riverside spots along the Vrbas
The Vrbas runs through the city, and its banks are used for warm-weather evenings rather than for a conventional bar crawl. This suits a summer night when you want to be outdoors, and it is a daytime or early-evening option as much as a late one.
At Srpske toplice you can join locals in the small pools of hot springs next to the river; it is free, so do not expect it to be very tidy, and you can buy beer and fruit there. It is about an hour's walk from town along the southern river bed, and there is also a bus stop.
4. Summer swimming and food by the water
Further south along the east shore, the river becomes a place to combine eating with swimming on hot days. This suits a slow evening in summer rather than a night of venues.
Restoran Slap in Novoselija sits next to a small barrage in the Vrbas, and the swimming there is described as excellent on hot summer days when the water is not too high. To reach it, take the east shore of the Vrbas and follow the road south until you come to Novoselija.
5. Cinema and quieter evenings
Not every night out has to be about bars. A film is a straightforward option in the centre, and it suits an early evening before or instead of drinking.
Multipleks Palas, at Trg Krajina underneath Boska, shows a fair number of blockbusters along with some local films.
6. Live football
If your visit coincides with a match, an evening at the stadium is a way to spend time with a local crowd. It suits anyone who wants a fixed start time and a shared atmosphere rather than a wandering night.
FK Borac Banja Luka play in the country's top tier, the Premier League BH, at City Stadium, about a kilometre northeast of the city centre.
How a night out unfolds
The sources describe Banja Luka as a city with a rich night life but do not set out a detailed timetable of when people eat, go out or come home. What can be said is that the centre's clubs keep late hours: Boom Boom Room opens Wednesday to Saturday, and Demofest klub runs after-parties. Warm-weather options follow daylight instead, with the hot springs and riverside swimming belonging to the afternoon and early evening, and the market near the bus and train station running in the morning, from 08:00 to 14:00.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Demofest — a festival of alternative music, usually lasting three days, with two semifinal nights of demo bands and a final on the third day, plus concerts by better-known bands after each part of the contest.
- Kratkofil — a festival of short films, held in summer.
- Banjalukanima — animation films, in October.
- Neofest — pop music, organised by Dom Omladine.
Frequently asked questions
What is the local drink to try?
Rakia, or rakija, is considered the national drink, normally around 40% alcohol, though home-produced rakia can reach 50 to 60%. Common flavours are slivovitz from plums and lozova from grapes, and it is also distilled from pears, peaches, apricots, apples, figs and cherries. It is a usual drink at celebrations, birthdays, holy holidays, slava and even funerals. Nektar pivo is the local beer, brewed in Banja Luka.
Where can I hear music that is not folk?
Folk is the general trend in the city, but there are alternatives. Boom Boom Room plays exclusively DJ electronic music, and Demofest klub programmes live gigs and all genres except folk.
What can I do on a summer evening by the river?
You can swim and eat at Restoran Slap in Novoselija, on the east shore of the Vrbas, where the water is good on hot days when it is not too high. You can also join locals in the hot spring pools at Srpske toplice, where beer and fruit are sold, about an hour's walk from town or reachable by bus.
How do I find out what is on while I am there?
For current events, the English archive of the email list "foreigners in Banja Luka" is suggested as a source, along with its associated Facebook group.
Decide whether you want folk music in the centre, an electronic night, or a warm-weather evening by the Vrbas, and plan your evening around that choice.