LUV Fest
One day for love seemed a little modest. So we gave it a month, then added art and wandering. That is how LUV Fest was born, bringing creative and cultural life to Ljubljana during a quieter part of the year.
© Marko Delbello Ocepek
It takes place from 8 February, Slovenia’s national cultural holiday, to 12 March, St Gregory’s Day, when, according to Slovenian folk tradition, birds get married. Between a national celebration of culture and a traditional wedding day for birds, the city fills with cultural, creative and culinary experiences. It would be difficult to imagine a more fitting framework.
LUV Fest is not a collection of unrelated events that happen to share the same logo. We co-create it with more than one hundred partners, including cultural institutions, artists and creatives, producers, restaurateurs, hoteliers, retailers and others. A shared theme, distinctive visual identity, art installations and decorations across the city bring their contributions together into a single festival story, extending from cultural venues to streets, shops, restaurants and hotels.
For residents, the festival brings new reasons to come together during winter. For visitors, it shows that Ljubljana does not switch off when the December lights come down. At the same time, local partners gain greater visibility and new business opportunities during a period when visitor numbers are usually lower.
LUV Fest cannot, of course, claim credit for every additional overnight stay. But the trend is telling. Between 2022 and 2025, overnight stays in February and March increased by 59%, while total annual overnight stays grew by 44% over the same period. The two months covered by the festival therefore grew faster than the year as a whole.
Behind the figures are busier cultural venues, restaurants, hotels and city streets during an otherwise quieter part of the year. LUV Fest cannot conjure up snow, but it can give winter a better programme.