In Slovenia we are eagerly awaiting summer, which brings the height of the festival and outdoor events season. In every city you can sample cultural delights that will connect you with the locals and present the local way of life between the Alps, the Mediterranean and the Pannonian Plain, which is more relaxed during the summer. Slovenes love great music and dancing, good food and drinks, long evenings, great socialising, and early mornings, when we can quickly replace our memories of the lively nights with new outdoor adventures.
During the summer, Ljubljana becomes a huge open-air festival. If you love music, theatre, dance or other arts, the cultural capital of Slovenia has a lot to offer. The famous Ljubljana Festival, with its more than 60-year tradition and top-flight international selection of artists, takes place during the summer. It’s main venue is the beautiful Križanke, a former monastery, which the famous Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik converted into a festival venue. The Ljubljana Festival is an essential part of Ljubljana’s summer programme for both locals and visitors.
This year's 64th Ljubljana Jazz Festival will connect different jazz generations and musicians from Slovenia and abroad. Europe’s oldest jazz festival, which began in 1960 as a way to present Slovenian traditional jazz groups, has developed over the years together with the genre. Today it offers jazz lovers a mix of traditional and modern jazz.
A unique institution, and Slovenia’s most popular food market. From early spring to late autumn, fans of good food and pleasant socialising throng to the stalls. Slovenia’s best-known master chefs prepare fresh Slovenian and international dishes in a live setting. Open Kitchen takes place in nice weather every Friday on Pogačar Square in Ljubljana, and often makes guest appearances in other Slovenian towns such as Celje, Koper and Nova Gorica.
The Lent Festival in Maribor is Slovenia’s largest outdoor festival. During the festival, the idyllic promenade along the Drava River turns into the social hub of the city, where locals and visitors get together over good music, theatre shows and culinary delights.
In July, Laško, a town with a two-hundred-year-old beermaking tradition, becomes the centre of Slovenia, which in addition to loyal local guests is increasingly attracting lovers of parties and good music from abroad. The Beer and Flowers Festival is celebrating its 58rd anniversary this year, and over the years it has hosted more than 1000 musical groups and artists.
The Kranfest, a mosaic of events including music, sports, theatre and animation, is held in a variety of locations in Kranj, the capital of the Slovenian Alps, including the old town centre and Khislstein Castle. The festival culminates in Kranj Night. It has been the biggest event in the Gorenjska region since its inception in 1982.
Slovenia's largest festival, which is also the winner of the Greener Festival Award, is coming to Velenje this year at the peak of summer.
During the summer, the green towns of Slovenia are enlivened by performances by street artists: clowns, jugglers, high-wire artists, fire-swallowers, musicians, dancers and actors from Slovenia and abroad. In more than 10 Slovenian towns, the international street theatre festival Ana Desetnica marks the traditional beginning of summer, the time of carefree holidays and parties. The festival is a cultural delight for all ages. Allow the artists to include you in their performances, make you laugh or cry, and steal your ice cream out of your hands if you aren’t watching.
In Brežice, in south-eastern Slovenia, the Seviqc Festival has become synonymous with the enjoyment of ancient music in more than 10 lovely halls in Slovenian castles and churches. Let go of the present and enjoy the cultural heritage in a special setting. The musicians perform on authentic instruments which have become extremely rare. The festival presents the legacy of European and world music in various programmes, and places particular emphasis on the performance of pieces that were composed on the Slovenian territory.
For more than two decades, the festival has connected Slovenia’s romantic town centres, squares, castles and museums, which feature concerts by Slovenian and foreign performers. The festival features world-class performances of classical music by chamber ensembles, choirs and orchestras. This year’s festival will open with a concert by the RTV Slovenija Symphony Orchestra on Congress Square in Ljubljana.
During the summer, Slovenia’s most beautiful city streets and squares become venues for festivals and outdoor events. Have fun under the sun and stars in Ljubljana, the cultural capital of Slovenia, and in the other lively towns in Central, Alpine, Mediterranean and Pannonian Slovenia.
Love is experienced through the stomach.
You can enjoy the work of some of the most important creators and performers from all over the world if you visit festivals in Slovenia.
Lovers of music should experience the diverse offerings of classical and contemporary music and dance in Slovenia.
Slovenia offers a rich selection of film and theatre shows.
Watch or take part. Be a spectator or an active participant: the choice is yours.
At children’s festivals in Slovenia, imagination knows no bounds.
Visit interesting design, nature, and history festivals in Slovenia.
Learn about life as it once was and as it is now at the most well-known ethnological festivals.
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