Do you prefer an elegant dinner ensemble or shorts and plastic sandals? Genre diversity, affordability, artistic quality, and star status are just some of the terms to describe Slovenian music festivals where, if you are in luck, you can get an autograph from your favourite celebrity.
The festival movement swept through Slovenia over 60 years ago, when there was a movement throughout Europe to bring art closer to the people. Today, Slovenia boasts diverse music festivals that will satisfy sophisticated classical tastes, as well as the interests of those who enjoy jazz improvisations or the pulse-pounding sounds of heavy metal.
With a wish to bring musical art closer to a broader audience, the festival takes place in various exceptional locations around Slovenia, in famous squares, in hidden atriums, sacred buildings, and in the street. You can go to many concerts of classical, jazz, and world music for free.
The Nights in Old Ljubljana Town international festival is held within Imago Sloveniae; this festival creates a pleasant summer atmosphere in the very heart of the capital city.
Among other things, Ljubljana offers a wide array of music festivals, which enrich your summer evenings. Don’t miss major music events in some other towns in Central Slovenia either.
Since 1953, a festival that is considered to be one of the largest, oldest, and most important in the region has been providing world-class arts experiences. Every summer, you can enjoy concerts performed by the some of the most renowned world orchestras and performances by other artists as well. These performances take place at Congress Square in the very centre of Ljubljana and at Križanke, a former monastery and a unique gem of medieval architecture renovated by Jože Plečnik.
MoreSince 1953, a festival that is considered to be one of the largest, oldest, and most important in the region has been providing world-class arts experiences. Every summer, you can enjoy concerts performed by the some of the most renowned world orchestras and performances by other artists as well. These performances take place at Congress Square in the very centre of Ljubljana and at Križanke, a former monastery and a unique gem of medieval architecture renovated by Jože Plečnik.
MoreThis is a festival intended for discovering music that is different, apart from the mainstream, and which cannot often be heard on popular radio stations or on MTV. It may be at this festival that you will learn about a different musical tradition and find yourself in agreement with Songlines world music magazine that the Druga Godba Festival truly belongs on the list of the 25 best international festivals in the world that focus on being different.
MoreThe legendary Ljubljana Jazz Festival has been offering legendary and celebrity performers, key musicians and rising stars from all over the world since 1960. These have been seducing audiences with various forms of jazz, from traditional to avant-garde, right up until today. Make sure to socialise with the performers and visitors after each concert.
MoreJazz fans will be excited, particularly in the summer months, to visit Slovenia, since jazz festivals will be held in many cities and towns.The largest one is the legendary Ljubljana Jazz Festival, which is considered the oldest of its kind in Europe. As an introduction to the jazz summer, make sure to visit Jazz Cerkno in May, while you can spend August enjoying the sounds of jazz music at Jazzinty Novo Mesto or Jazz Camp Kranj.
Just like the landscape of Alpine Slovenia is dynamic, so is the offer of music festivals in its territory. There’s no excuse – you can find something for everyone!
If you visit Slovenia in the summer, you should also go “lenting”. You can do this by visiting the largest Slovenian outdoor festival for the general public, which transforms Maribor every year at the end of June into one big stage for performances, where you can enjoy music, dancing, theatre, creative workshops, and much more. You can experience multicultural events on the River Drava, in the streets, squares, and courtyards of the second largest city in Slovenia.
MoreIf you visit Slovenia in the summer, you should also go “lenting”. You can do this by visiting the largest Slovenian outdoor festival for the general public, which transforms Maribor every year at the end of June into one big stage for performances, where you can enjoy music, dancing, theatre, creative workshops, and much more. You can experience multicultural events on the River Drava, in the streets, squares, and courtyards of the second largest city in Slovenia.
MoreEnjoy a music-filled holiday in the idyllic surroundings of the Triglav National Park. A confluence of two rivers in Tolmin transforms into a valley of festivals for a broad spectrum of musical tastes. You can groove to reggae at the Overjam Reggae Festival or go crazy at the Punk Rock Holiday Festival. Refreshment is courtesy of the Rivers Soča and Tolminka.
MoreWhen you visit Lake Bled in the summer, you have to experience three things: a ride in a “pletna” boat on the lake, the flavour of the Cream Cake, and the Okarina Festival. Since 1991, this world music festival has been making sure that evening falls on the idyllic surroundings of Lake Bled accompanied by the sounds of magical flutes, the unusual rhythms of exotic percussion instruments, violins that are unfamiliar with classical notes, or oriental instruments with names that are hard to pronounce. These sounds are joined by voices singing in languages from all over the globe.
MoreDo you like old music? You can experience it in the most authentic way possible or in its latest form at the Radovljica Festival, which is held in August in a charming old town centre with medieval atmosphere. Concerts are mostly held at Radovljica Manor and at the Church of St Peter; the festival also makes a day trip to the Church of the Assumption of Mary in Velesovo pri Cerkljah.
The Maribor Festival has been a staple on Slovenia's musical map for over half of a century; this festival focuses on chamber and orchestra music, from music of baroque origin to post-modern transformations.
Have a Bled cocktail of classical, jazz, and crossover music at the Bled Festival, which is held in early July. The Festival developed from master-classes and later went beyond the scope of chamber music. Concert venues are all around Bled and are known for their relaxed atmosphere and high-quality music.
The festival that will take you to bygone worlds of the medieval, renaissance, and baroque. Listen to the sounds of old instruments, such as the viola da gamba, the harpsichord, the spinet, the vibrandoneon, and the theorbo, which can only be played by a few masters. Locations in various historical buildings around Slovenia, in castles, monasteries, and churches provide for a fully authentic experience.
Every August, in the picturesque surroundings of Piran and Koper, an international summer chamber music festival takes place that is dedicated to Giuseppe Tartini, who was born in Piran. In addition to Tartini's works, the festival also features the works of other great world and Slovenian composers as well as the works of modern creators inspired by Tartini’s art. At the festival, you will have the opportunity to see Tartini's famous 300-year-old violin and hear how it sounds. This violin continues to amaze audiences as they listen to it played by world-class musicians.
Discover the mysterious combination of cultural sights and natural patterns which have had their meeting point in Slovenia, at the crossroads of nations and regions, for centuries. Publication "Cultural experiences" opens doors to travellers into the world of artistic creativity and architecture, into the history of culture and the modern way of life. Come on in, it´s Slovenia Culture Time!
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