What's on in Ljubljana
Festivals, concerts, markets and the holidays that close the shops — the whole year, in date order. Filter it down and plan a trip around the city's rhythm.
Every date ahead
34 events
July 20266
20MAROdprta kuhna (Open Kitchen) street food market (seasonal)
Ljubljana’s best ‘locals food’ ritual: a weekly open-air food market with stalls, bites, and a relaxed riverside vibe—perfect for a low-effort lunch plan.
Read details
1JUNLjubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts (watchlist)
A legendary graphics and printmaking biennale run by MGLC—if you love contemporary art and editions, it’s worth tracking for your trip dates.
Read details
26JUNAna Desetnica 2026 (street theatre festival)
A summer street-theatre festival that turns parks and squares into stages—perfect for warm evenings and low-effort wandering.
Read details
27JUNLjubljana Festival (Summer)
Ljubljana’s signature summer festival season with open-air and indoor performances—ideal for golden-hour evenings in the center.
Read details
1JULLjubljana Jazz Festival 2026
A classic summer jazz festival in the city center—ideal for warm evenings and a ‘one night of live music’ plan.
Read details
24JULNearby · Lake Bled, SIBled Days & Bled Night 2026
Lake Bled's signature summer festival fills the promenade with food, music and craft stalls, culminating on Bled Night when thousands of candle-lit eggshells are floated across the lake beneath a fireworks finale.
Read details
August 20262
15AUGNationwideAssumption of Mary (Slovenia)
The Feast of the Assumption (Marijino vnebovzetje) is a work-free Catholic holiday on 15 August, marked by major pilgrimages — most famously to the island church on Lake Bled. It falls in the heart of the summer holiday season.
Read details
20AUGNearby · Piran, SITartini Festival Piran 2026
An international summer classical and Baroque music festival dedicated to Piran-born violinist-composer Giuseppe Tartini, with concert evenings in the Venetian-Gothic squares and historic venues of the Adriatic coastal town.
Read details
September 20263
6SEPNearby · Lake Bled, SITriathlon Festival Bled 2026
Triathlon Festival Bled brings swim-bike-run racing to the fairytale setting of Lake Bled, on the site of Slovenia's first-ever triathlon (1984). The festival offers everything from a kids' aquathlon to super-sprint and standard-distance races for amateurs and pros.
Read details
14SEPPivo & Burger Fest 2026 (autumn edition) — Ljubljana
Ljubljana's twice-yearly beer-and-burger festival returns to Pogačarjev trg in the old town for its autumn edition, pairing 200+ craft and classic beers from Slovenia and abroad with gourmet burgers and street food.
Read details
20SEPNearby · Lake Bohinj, SICows' Ball (Kravji Bal) 2026 — Lake Bohinj
A beloved Alpine harvest festival on the western shore of Lake Bohinj marking the cattle's return from the high mountain pastures. The 67th edition brings decorated herds, folk music, dancing and a market of Bohinj-made foods.
Read details
October 20265
1OCTCity of Women Festival (Mesto žensk) 2026
One of Ljubljana’s most distinctive cultural weeks—cross-disciplinary programming with a strong point of view (performances, talks, film, and art).
Read details
2OCTNearby · Trieste, ITBarcolana 58 Regatta 2026 — Trieste
The world's largest sailing regatta by number of boats packs the Gulf of Trieste with over 2,000 vessels on the second Sunday of October, surrounded by ten days of waterfront concerts, races and events in the Italian port city.
Read details
3OCTEuropean Road Cycling Championships (Ljubljana 2026)
A rare chance to see elite road racing in the city—fast, tactical laps and a very different ‘view’ of Ljubljana’s streets.
Read details
17OCTLjubljana Marathon 2026
A friendly, well-organized city marathon weekend with multiple distances—perfect if you want an October trip with a ‘main event’.
Read details
31OCTNationwideReformation Day & Day of the Dead (Slovenia)
Two consecutive work-free holidays bookend the start of November: Reformation Day (31 October), honouring Protestant reformer Primož Trubar and the first Slovene books, and the Day of Remembrance for the Dead (1 November), when families visit candle-lit cemeteries.
Read details
November 20268
10NOVLIFFe — Ljubljana International Film Festival (seasonal)
Slovenia’s biggest film festival—packed screenings, a city-center cinema mood, and a great reason to visit in cozy shoulder season.
Read details
11NOVMartinovanje (St. Martin’s Day wine tradition) in Ljubljana
November 11 is St. Martin’s Day—an important wine moment in Slovenia. In Ljubljana, it often means tastings and a cozy ‘wine season’ atmosphere.
Read details
19NOVBIO 29 — Biennial of Design Ljubljana 2026 (Soft Fields)
BIO is Europe's oldest design biennial, founded in Ljubljana in 1963. The 29th edition, titled \"Soft Fields\" and curated by Martina Muzi, runs at the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) and explores how knowledge embedded in research and industrial environments can be opened and redistributed through design.
Read details
19NOVSlovenian Wine Festival 2026 (Slovenski festival vin)
The Slovenian Wine Festival gathers the country's leading winemakers under one roof at Cankarjev dom for two days of tastings spanning all of Slovenia's wine regions, plus masterclasses and culinary pairings.
Read details
24NOVSlovene Book Fair (Slovenski knjižni sejem)
A cozy late-autumn book fair with talks, browsing, and a strong local culture feel—great if you want an indoor plan that still feels very ‘Ljubljana’.
Read details
25NOVLjubljana Christmas market + festive lights (seasonal)
A winter Old Town season with lights, market stalls, and cozy evenings—Ljubljana feels extra romantic when it’s cold and the riverfront is glowing.
Read details
28NOVNearby · Zagreb, HRAdvent in Zagreb 2026
Croatia's capital transforms into a sprawling, multi-award-winning Christmas market — three-time European Best Christmas Market — with dozens of stalls, ice skating, fairy-lit squares and live music across the city's parks and promenades.
Read details
30NOVAnimateka International Animated Film Festival 2026
Animateka is Central and Eastern Europe's leading animation film festival, held each December in Ljubljana. The 23rd edition screens international and regional animated shorts and features at Kinodvor and the Slovenian Cinematheque, with workshops and an Eastern-European competition.
Read details
December 20264
25DECNearby · Postojna Cave, SILiving Nativity in Postojna Cave 2026
One of Europe's most spectacular Christmas stagings: a 90-minute living nativity unfolds across the cathedral-like chambers of Postojna Cave, with over 100 performers retelling the Christmas story among the stalagmites by train and on foot.
Read details
25DECNationwideChristmas & Independence and Unity Day (Slovenia)
Slovenia's festive cluster pairs Christmas Day (25 December) with Independence and Unity Day (26 December), which commemorates the 1990 plebiscite for independence. Both are work-free, giving a quiet two-day break amid Ljubljana's Christmas-market season.
Read details
26DECIndependence and Unity Day (December 26) in Ljubljana
A national public holiday in Slovenia. It’s a useful date to plan around if you’re visiting in late December (opening hours and transport can change).
Read details
31DECNew Year’s Eve in Ljubljana (Silvestrovo)
A charming, walkable countdown with riverfront lights and a compact center—ideal if you want a festive night without big-city chaos.
Read details
January 20271
February 20271
March 20271
April 20271
May 20272
1MAYNationwideLabour Day (Slovenia)
International Workers' Day is marked with two work-free days, 1 and 2 May, in Slovenia. The eve features traditional bonfires and the early-morning playing of brass bands (budnica) in towns including Ljubljana.
Read details
16MAYNationwideWhit Sunday / Pentecost (Slovenia)
Whit Sunday (binkošti) is a work-free Christian holiday in Slovenia, falling 49 days after Easter. As it always lands on a Sunday the practical impact on visitors is limited, though church services and quieter shops are typical.
Read details