The Act on Public Holidays and Days Off in the Republic of Slovenia provides for the following holidays and days off:
- January 1 and January 2: New Year holidays
- February 8: Presern’s Day, a Slovenian cultural holiday
- March/April: Easter Sunday and Monday
- April 27: Day of Uprising against Occupation
- May 1 and 2: Labor Day
- June 25: National Day
- August 15: Assumption of the Virgin Mary
- October 31: Reformation Day
- November 1: Remembrance of the Dead
- December 25: Christmas Day
- December 26: Independence and Unity Day
Slovenia celebrates Trinity and St. Martin’s Day on November 11. On this day, locals make homemade wine and serve goose or duck at a family dinner.
Slovenia is a country of festivals, every day is rich in events. The events' choice is very large: there are musical, gastronomic and ethnic festivals, holidays for children and adults, sports competitions and marathons. There are free open events and the events that are known to a small amount of people. So, good mood and bright impressions are guaranteed to every resident of Slovenia. Let’s explore the most popular annual events in the country.
Music festivals
To increase the music’s popularity, festivals are held in different locations: famous markets, atriums, stadiums and just on the streets. Many concerts from classical and jazz to ethnic music and metal can be visited for free. Some of the main music festivals in Slovenia:
- MENT is an electronic and auteur music festival, takes place in February in Ljubljana.
- Metaldays is an extreme music festival, it takes place in June at the soccer stadium in Tolmin.
- Bled Festival is a cocktail of classical, jazz and crossover music, takes place in July in the neighborhood of Bled.
- Jazzinty is the jazz music festival, held in August in Novo Mesto.
- Radovljica Festival is the festival of early music in its original sound or in modern arrangements on a medieval stage.
- Seviqc Brezice is the festival of playing ancient instruments: Viola da gamba, harpsichord, spinet, vibrandon or theorbo in castles, monasteries and churches.
Ethnographic festivals
Slovenian people are proud of their history, culture and traditions. There are many festivals with a pronounced ethnographic focus, where tradition comes first, rather than music and local cuisine:
- Ptuj — the Curents' procession, where poetry and wine days take place.
- Days of national costume and its history.
- Jurjevanje — Slovenia’s oldest folklore festival.
- Idrija Lace Festival, where you can learn the craft history, learn to weave lace, discover traditional food, drink coffee or try a sugar lace cake.
- Škofja Loka Historial is a time machine that takes you back to the Middle Ages. In the old town center, stalls are stylized in the Middle Ages and traditional handicrafts are displayed. Dancers and actors perform in medieval costumes. You can try the food served in castles and cooked in peasants' homes, listen to medieval and Renaissance music.
- Preseren Fair — on Culture Day, the old town center of Kranj seems to regain the appearance that it had in the 19th century, in the time of Preseren. You can learn about the town life of those times, study local handicrafts, try traditional treats, take a ride in a carriage and listen to the poetry of Franz Preseren.
- The Cows' Ball is a celebration where you can learn about the customs of distant-pasture cattle breeding, try unique cheeses and Bohinj cuisine.
Children’s festivals
Slovenia is a perfect country for wonderful family vacations. At festivals, you can interact with fairytale characters, let your imagination run wild in a workshop, attend a performance or taste some desserts. Such festivals are great fun for children, and the adults can go back to childhood for a few moments. Here are some of them:
- Pikin festival — in Velenje you can meet Pippi Longstocking, take part in a family workshop, attend a concert or a play, where you can also meet other literary characters.
- Mini poletje in Ljubljana — creative workshops, puppet and musical performances held within the walls of Ljubljana Castle during the international festival "Mini Summer".
- Summer Puppet Festival on the Maribor Marina Poletni lutkovni pristan, hosting the shows, workshops, exhibitions and installations for children and their parents.
- Bohinj Children’s Festival or "B.O. Fejst" includes workshops, performances and seasonal activities with Kowka Fejstka.
- The Castles of King Matjaza is a three-day winter fairy tale that takes place in January in the village of Crna na Koroskem. The festival includes winter activities, games, building the castles of snow and ice.
Gastronomic events
It’s a great opportunity to discover the national cuisine and gastronomic delights of other countries. At any season, one can visit an interesting event or festival, getting to know the local cuisine, together with the food of the near and far neighbourhood. Here are some of them:
- Alpine Culinary Festival is held at the foot of the mountains in Slovenia. Guests can try the dishes prepared by local chefs, taste Slovenian wine and soft drinks.
- Bled Honey Festival.
- Maribor Wine Festival where the guests can taste different types of wine from different Slovenian regions and other countries.
- Piran Gelato Festival takes place on the Adriatic Sea shores. Guests can enjoy different types of ice cream, participate in competitions and master classes.
- Fruit and Vegetable Festival in Vipavske where the guests can taste dishes made by the chefs from fruits and vegetables grown in Vipava.
- Festival of local products Odprta kuhna where the guests can try different types of cheeses, meat products and other local food.
- Ljubljana Contemporary Cuisine Festival.
- Stara Ljubljana Cuisine and Wine Festival, where the guests can try traditional Slovenian cuisine accompanied by local wines.
It’s just a short list of events, which take place in Slovenia. You can find an event to your liking, dates and buy a ticket on the site: https://www.slovenia.info/ru/vpechatleniya/kultura/festivali
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