Festivals are an important form of arts presentation and a significant tool for international co-operation with Slovenia. Every year international festivals host professionals - artists as well as critics - from various artistic fields. Especially well known are the Vilenica International Writers’ Gathering that has taken place since 1986 in a cave at Vilenica; the Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe); the BIO - Biennial of Industrial Design; and the Ljubljana International Biennial of Graphic Art,which celebrated 50 years of existence in 2005 and has presented since its inception most of the prominent names of global graphic arts production.

Ljubljana as a capital is undoubtedly the central site for festival activity, and its rich cultural life includes international festivals all year round. The traditional Ljubljana Summer Festival hosts most well-known classical music performers and orchestras, a high-quality programme of jazz music is offered at the Ljubljana Jazz Festival, and acclaimed world music groups are presented at the Druga Godba Festival. Every Summer the Trnfest Festival at KUD France Prešeren Arts and Culture Association enlivens the month of August, whilst the Ana Desetnica International Street Theatre Festival turns Ljubljana's streets into a spectacle. In the 1990s some important international festivals began as a result of non-governmental initiatives, for example the Exodos International Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, the City of Women International Festival of Contemporary Arts with its focus on female creativity, the Ex Ponto International Festival which links former Yugoslav cultural initiatives, or the Break Festival, an international festival of young emerging artists. The Ljubljana Gay and Lesbian Film Festival began in 1984 and is now one of Europe's leading gay film festivals.

Some important international festivals also take place in the regions - for instance the SEVIQC Brežice Festival, which takes place at about a dozen venues (including castles and monasteries) in the south east of Slovenia, or the Lent Festival in Maribor which presents around 400 events and attracts a great number of visitors. Smaller festivals are organised for youth audiences throughout the regions, for example the Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures, the Karbiduka Youth Festival, Zasavje or the Sajeta Creative Camp in Tolmin which presents interdisciplinary site-specific programmes. Music festivals are especially prevalent in Slovenia: the No Border Jam Festival is the country's oldest underground music festival, and the Rock Otočec - Festival Novo mesto in Novo mesto is an important platform for new rock groups, while Jazz Cerkno Festival and the Izzven Jazz Festival, Maribor present high-quality international jazz and avant-garde music. Some music festivals function as important cross-border events, for example the Festival at the Border in eastern Slovenia, which takes place close to and across the Austrian border.

National festivals usually present an opportunity for an overview of recent creative activity and are often the occasion for giving awards - the Days of Comedy in Celje, the Slovene Drama Week in Kranj and the Festival of Monodrama, Ptuj all involve the granting of awards to the best stage performances, actors and drama writers, whilst the Festival of Slovene Film and the Izolanima - Slovene Animation Festival highlight the best films.

Recently some new festivals have been initiated to celebrate a new trend or an intensive engagement in a certain art form. The Gibanica (Moving Cake) Festival of Slovene Dance was started in Ljubljana, whilst Kino OTOK - Isola Cinema Festival is a festival of non-American and non-European film hosted by the coastal town Izola-Isola. The Politically Incorrect Film Festival (PI-FF) spurred the new DokMa International Film Festival in Maribor, where also the International Festival of Computer Arts (IFCA) also takes place. The new media festivals in Slovenia also comprise Pixxelpoint International Festival of Computer Art in Nova Gorica and Memefest - International Festival of Radical Communication in Ljubljana. In the field of the creative industries the Magdalena International Festival of Creative Communication in Maribor is an important competitive platform for young designers.

Ljubljana also occasionally hosts cultural events of huge proportions - in May and June 1997, for example, Ljubljana hosted the European Month of Culture, which involved more than 250 performances in 50 days, involving 2,000 artists. One of the largest art events in Europe in 2000 was the European Biennial of Contemporary Arts 'Manifesta 3', which took place from June to September in Ljubljana. In 2012 Slovenia will be European Capital of Culture.

Last but not least, Slovenia hosts a wide range of traditional festivals, such as the traditional Kurentovanje at Ptuj, the Cerknica Carnival and the Lace Festival, Idrija, all of which present local costumes and customs and are significant tourist attractions.

Make direct contact with festivals and festival support organisations through our KEY CONTACTS database.