The festivals held in Ljubljana range from prestigious cultural events featuring excellent artists, such as the Ljubljana Festival. In the summer, a large number of free festivals are held on open-air stages and city streets, such as Summer in Ljubljana Old Town and Nights in Ljubljana Old Town. One of the most interesting is the ever-surprising Ana Desetnica street theatre festival.
At the end of the year, the centre of Ljubljana hosts a festive fair and countless entertainment events as part of the December in Ljubljana festival. The festive atmosphere reaches its climax with the New Year's Eve celebrations held in several centrally located squares.
Open-air events
Dragon Carnival (2nd Mar 2019)
Ljubljana's traditional Shrovetide Carnival includes a procession through the streets of Ljubljana and a programme of entertainment for children and adults. The carnival procession consists of groups of traditional and other themed carnival figures from Slovenia and abroad.
Antique Flea Market (Every Sunday)
Ljubljana's Antique Flea Market offers antiques, art pieces and all kinds of bric-a-brac of collectable or simply nostalgic value.
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Art Market (Every Saturday, May-Oct 2019)
Each Saturday during the warm months, Slovenian artists set up their stalls on the Breg embankment on the river Ljubljanica, where they sell and often also create their wares.
ARTish (Every Saturday, April – October 2019)
The ARTish festival, held in Ljubljana every last Saturday of the month, features a selling exhibition of original works by Slovenian creators. From May to September, it will take place in the old city centre's Gornji trg square. ARTish is an event where artists not only show their works but also present their methods and ideas. The festival programme also includes free creative workshops for adults and children, theatre performances, music concerts, charity projects such as the exchange of used clothes, and various fundraising events.
Library under the Treetops (30 May - 31 August)
The Library under the Treetops has been designed as a handy collection of possible reading. Among the selected books, newspapers and magazines, you will find representations of all book genres and many formats, above all those that seem suitable for a calm environment of carefully selected urban spots.
June in Ljubljana Festival (7 – 21 June 2019)
June in Ljubljana is a unique festival offering visitors, including those who do not regularly attend art events, an opportunity to get an insight into the finest in contemporary art production. Throbbing to the rhythms of different arts for two weeks in June, the Slovenian capital seeks to raise a wider audience of cultural event-goers and offer the city's cultural institutions the opportunity to present their work to larger audiences.
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Pride Parade (22 June 2019)
The Ljubljana Pride Parade is the best-attended LGBTQ social, political, cultural and entertainment event in Slovenia. Since 2001, the Ljubljana Pride Parade has been an annual event bringing together large numbers of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals from Slovenia and abroad.
Ana Desetnica - street theatre festival (3 – 6 July 2019)
The Ana Desetnica festival features large numbers of street artists, clowns, circus performers, jugglers, tightrope walkers, fire eaters, musicians, provocateurs, dancers and actors from Slovenia and abroad.
Nights in Ljubljana Old Town (August 2019)
Nights in Ljubljana Old Town is a festival traditionally livening up summer evenings in Ljubljana with mainly free classical music concerts held in the picturesque settings of the old city centre.
December in Ljubljana (December 2019)
Each year in December, Ljubljana’s historical centre turns into a major hub of social life and attracts more and more visitors. The city is known for having one of the most original Christmas lights displays, as well as its vibrant Festive Fair, accompanied by countless free open-air events. Festivities in Ljubljana begin with a special event - the switching on of the Christmas lights on the 1th of December.
Main events:
- 29. 11. 2019 at 17.15: Ljubljana's festive lights switch-on event, Prešernov trg square
- 5. 12. 2019 at 17.00: St Nicholas Procession, Ljubljana city centre: Ljubljana Castle, Krekov trg square, Ciril Metodov trg square, Stritarjeva street, Prešernov trg square
- December 2019 - 2. 1. 2019: Festive fair, Ljubljanica river embankments, Prešernov trg square, Kongresni trg Square
- 3. - 6. 12. 2019 at 10.00-20.00: St Nicolas fair, Prešernov trg square
Festivals and other traditional events
Ment (30 January – 1 February 2019)
The fifth edition of the winter festival of musical creativity is taking place in different venues across Ljubljana.
Graduation Parade (17 May 2019)
The tradition of dancing quadrille at the prom at the end of four-year secondary education moved to the streets in 2001. At first in Ljubljana only, later in other Slovenian cities as well and recently as an international project, pupils have broken the Guinness World Record in synchronous dancing. If you are in Ljubljana at the time, you will not regret it. The show is big and to see so many young people dancing simultaneously is an absolutely mamarvellous sight.
Druga godba (21 May – 25 May 2019)
The Druga godba festival of ethnic, world and contemporary jazz music ranks among Europe’s best festivals for alternative and innovative music that defies genres.
June in Ljubljana (7 – 21 June 2019)
June in Ljubljana festival is taking place featuring superior artistic creations in the field of dance, theatre and music. Programmes in the morning and afternoon are traditionally dedicated to children and families, and in the evenings to top artistic events. All events are admission-free.
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Ljubljana Festival (June - September)
The Ljubljana Festival, established in 1953, represents the pinnacle of what the Slovenian capital has to offer in terms of culture and art. Its long tradition of presenting a programme of top artistic events featuring internationally renowned performers contributes significantly to the cultural life of Ljubljana.
60th Ljubljana Jazz Festival (18 - 22 Jun 2019)
Cankarjev dom (cultural and congress centre)
Each year, the Ljubljana Jazz Festival, Europe’s oldest festival of its kind, attracts the attention of music lovers from across the globe by featuring huge jazz stars.
Young Lions (August 2019)
Each year, this international dance and theatre festival brings together performing groups and solo artists remarkable for their unique creative approaches to theatre and dance.
Exhibitions
BIO – Biennial of Industrial Design (14 Nov 2019 - 9 Feb 2020)
The Museum of Architecture and Design
BIO is a prestigious biennial international exhibition of industrial design products, visual communications and design concepts.
Film Events
13h International Mountain Film Festival (18 - 24 Feb 2019)
Cankarjev dom (cultural and congress centre)
The festival programme features world-class mountaineering films from Slovenia and abroad, lectures by eminent alpinists, presentations of new books on mountaineering, and round table discussions.
21th Ljubljana International Documentary film Festival (13 - 20 Mar 2019)
Slovenska Kinoteka, Cankarjev dom, Kinodvor
Each year, Ljubljana's International Documentary Film Festival offers an insight into contemporary documentary film production.
Film Under the Stars 2019 (11 July - 3 August 2019 at 21:30)
Ljubljana Castle
Experience open-air cinema in the courtyard of Ljubljana Castle with a selection of the most resounding films of the past cinema season, plus premieres and avant premieres. The films are screened in their original language with Slovenian subtitles; non-English language films also include English subtitles.
Open-Air Cinema in Congress Square 2019 (two days in Aug 2019)
Three admission-free screenings of masterpieces of cinema.
The shows in this open central city square are dedicated to important anniversaries and events in the city and in cinema. The films are screened in their original language with Slovenian subtitles; non-English language films also include English subtitles.
LIFFe – Ljubljana International Film Festival ( Nov 2019)
The LIFFe festival offers an insight into the very best in European and international film production.
Animateka - 16th Animated Film Festival (Dec 2019)
The main, competition section of the Animateka international animated film festival will include short animated films produced in Eastern and Central Europe. Other festival sections and retrospective screenings will feature animated films from around the world. The films screened in the main section will compete for an international jury and an audience award. The festival will be accompanied by a programme of related events.
LGBT Film Festival (23 Nov – 1 Dec 2019)
With its more than 33rd-year history, the Ljubljana Gay and Lesbian Film Festival enjoys the reputation of being Europe's oldest festival of the kind.
Culinary Events
European Food Summit (16th – 19th March 2019)
The European Food Summit brings together at a single location famous personalities from the culinary, art and media sectors who strive to dazzle with inspirational stories and encourage listeners to take a more progressive stance for a brighter and sustainable future.
Open Kitchen – Food market (Every Friday from March to October 2019)
Odprta kuhna is a unique and the most popular food market in Slovenia that has been bringing freshness and innovation to the Slovenian culinary scene since 2013. It has become a regular Ljubljana event and every sunny Friday from early spring to late fall its stands attract thousands of foodies and fans of relaxed hanging out.
Location: Pogačarjev trg Square
Ljubljana Wine Route - wine tasting and culinary event (15 June and 10 November 2019)
Ljubljana Wine Route, held annually in Ljubljana city centre on the banks of the river Ljubljanica, brings together winemakers from all the wine-growing regions of Slovenia. As well as wines, it also features traditional Slovenian dishes. Visitors can taste both food and wine, and many varieties can also be bought. The event also offers an opportunity to enjoy brass band concerts and folklore shows and thus experience a bit of Slovenia's rich cultural heritage.
22nd Slovenian Wine Festival (14 and 15 Nov 2019)
The mission of the Slovenian Wine Festival is to represent Slovene and foreign wines and to spread the wine drinking culture. Every year the festival is visited by caterers responsible for restaurants and hotels, businessmen, journalists, traders, wine salons, winegrowers and winemakers, sommeliers, oenologists, members of winemakers and wine-growers’ associations, members of wine fraternities and other wine associations, knights of wine, wine queens and wine lovers.
November Gourmet Ljubljana (2 – 30 Nov 2019)
November Gourmet Ljubljana brings together the events marking the culinary flourish of Ljubljana. Experience the Taste of Ljubljana, visit one of the Ljubljana Quality Mark awarded restaurants, spend time with renowned chefs, sample wines from the Slovene wine regions, and taste the best of what the city has to offer. Ljubljana is a gastronomic capital in November when it offers a rich culinary program. Interesting culinary events, featuring renowned chefs and winemakers are taking place for the whole month. The highlight is the final event with lots of good food and fun.
For more check out the events section of our website.