Our non-TSN work has decreased as most of our clients have wound things down for the summer and started heading off to the coast to bake, or into the hills to cool off, thus leaving us with more time to explore the city we call home. To this end we’ve been trying to visit a gallery or museum at least every other day, and not just when there’s an opening and free wine.
Even on this busy schedule there’s much we’ll miss this season, as the range of entertainments, delights and curiosities that Ljubljana offers both visitors and residents is overwhelming. Indeed, it’s a shame that most tourists spend just a day or two here, hitting the Old Town and Dragon Bridge before heading off to Bled, instead of taking time to get in sync with the rhythms of the place from morning till night, explore the areas beyond the pedestrianised zone, and see the nature that still dominates much of the city.
But we’ll leave that, and much else, for another story, and instead just run through some of the things on offer this week if you feel the need for more than a walk, a book and café.
One focus is the Ljubljana Festival, which runs until early September and presents a series of live music concerts, with a bias towards classical, opera, and ballet; see here for details.
The Summer Festival at the National Library is also running throughout July. Details of the musical programme for this week are here, while for those for the week after are here.
There’s also more of Film Under The Stars, a collaboration between Kinodvor and Ljubljana Castle, which sees screenings of recent art house movies in the castle courtyard when the sun goes down. It can be a magical experience, and you can see more details, plus all the trailers, here.
Some of the other events on around town are presented below. As ever, clicking on the venue name will get you more details with regard to the time, price and location, as well as other events on this week, and if you want to get a Ljubljana Tourist Card, which gives you travel on the city buses and entry to a lot of attractions, then you can read more about that here, and if you want to use the bike share system, as useful for visitors as it is for residents, then you can learn more by clicking this.
If there's something you want to promote in a future edition of What's on... please get in touch with me at flanner(at)total-slovenia-news.com
CINEMA
You can read about all the cinemas in town here, while the big thing for cinephiles this week, and running from July 5-28, is Film Under the Stars, organised by Kinodvor and Ljubljana Castle, where you can watch movies in the courtyard at night. More details and all the trailers here. Note that kids’ movies tend to be shown in dubbed versions.
Kinodvor – The arts cinema not far from the train station, but still rather tucked away, is mostly occupied with Film Under the Stars (see above), but this week is also showing Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami, and Nick Broomfield’s latest documentary, on Whitney: Can I Be Me.
Kinoteka – The revival house on the beautiful Miklošičeva cesta is only showing one movie this week, and it’s another music documentary, Buena Vista Social Club, on Friday and at 21:30.
Kolosej – The multiplex out at BTC City Mall is playing all the big movies, which this week include Skyscraper, Terminal, Ant Man and Wasp, Adrift, The First Purge, The Crucifixion, Tag, Love, Simon, Loving Pablo, Incredibles 2 (subbed), Ocean’s 8, Hereditary, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Book Club, Deadpool 2, and Solo. Starting Tuesday you can enjoy Future World, while Wednesday sees the premiere of Sicario 2: Day of the Soldado, which, sadly, isn’t supposed to be as good as the brutally efficient first instalment.
Komuna – The cinema in a basement behind Nama department store is showing Adrift, Book Club, Loving Pablo, and a dubbed version of Incredibles 2.
CLUBS
While drugs remain illegal, the wastewater seems to be full of them. Learn more here.
Božidar – This Friday Žiga Murko will be playing at Vilharjeva cesta 11 from 19:00 to 01:00, in what promised to be a child-friendly party, most likely playing a mix of jazz, electronica and soul. You can hear an old set from him below.
Channel Zero – No events are being promoted at the time of writing, but just click on the venue’s name to see if this has changed at the time of reading.
Gala Hala – Dub Lab is having the Overjam Afterparty here on Monday, with the sounds provided by Dejan Dornik aka ROLLKING. Thursday then sees a night called Tigerbalm World Cup 2018, with sets from Šuljo, Terranigma and DVS. Friday you can then thrill to an event being promoted as Cosmic Sex & Herzog, with DJs Herzog, Jaša Bužinel and Blažen, playing techno, house, breakbeat and electro. Starting a midnight Saturday/Sunday is Wave Riders!, with DJs Torulsson and Kobayashii playing electroclash, leftfield techno, and lo-fi house. Entry to the latter is free if you see the live show beforehand (Days N Daze – see live music below).
Klub Cirkus – Nothing seems to be scheduled for the more commercial end of clubland this week.
Klub K4 – Friday night you can thrill to UVK4: Synaptic X PHI, with the beats and blips being provided by Kosta, Utti, Roiss, and Splinterhouse. Saturday there’s then a night called K4DNB w/ Particular.Minds, Spencah, and Klepetz, playing – you guessed it – drum n bass.
Orto Bar – Saturday you can thrill to the sounds of Psychfucker, who are headlining a night of hardcore, frenchcore, industrial, and rawstyle.
EXHIBITIONS
Please note that public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays.
Plečnik's desk. Photo: JL Flanner
Plečnik’s House is worth a visit if you want to learn more about the architect who gave Ljubljana much of its character. Read about our guided tour here.
The Balassi Institute (The Cultural Centre of the Embassy of Hungary) – This is at Barvarska steza 8, Ljubljana, not far from Dragon Bridge, and hosts various events. Until August 6 it’s also showing photos by Ora Hasenfratz.
Jakopič Gallery – Fans of Magnum and photography in general will wish to check out the Marc Riboud show here, as detailed in an earlier story, and on until October.
Cankerjev dom – Running until the end of February 2019 is an exhibition titled Ivan Cankar and Europe: Between Shakespeare and Kafka. This is “An examination of Cankar’s art through an analysis of influences and interpretations, and juxtaposition with contemporary European writers. The visually elaborate architectural and graphic layout, supported by audio-visual media, installation art and diverse visual highlights, offers a vivid account of Cankar’s excellence, his comprehensively exquisite aesthetic and artistic vision.”
City Art Gallery – On until the first week of September is a show called Prrrrrr, featuring the work of seven female artists from Slovenia. More on that here.
Simona Semenič, Nada Žgank - Zapis celote, triptih fotografij, 67 x 100 cm, giclée print, 2009. On display at the City Art Gallery
City Museum – The Museum in French Revolution Square has an exhibition on the writer Ivan Cankar that’s on until the end of February 2019, with pictures, books and manuscripts, all presented in Slovene and English. It also has a very interesting permanent exhibition on the history of Ljubljana, from prehistoric times to the present day, with many artefacts, models and so on that bring the story alive.You can read about my recent visit here.
Galerija Kresija – Among other shows, until August 2 this gallery has an exhibition of puppets, masks and posters by Eka Vogelnik.
International Centre of Graphic Arts – Running until August 18 is a show called Stop and Go - the art of animated gifs. Per the publicity "The group exhibition explores the artistic use of animated GIFs, presenting a broad and diversified panorama of the various approaches currently adopted by the international community. The show includes works by nine artists who are some of the most famous exponents of the genre." Continuing until July 29 is David Lynch: Fire on Stage, presenting seventy lithographs from the director.
Ljubljana Castle – Giampaolo Sgura, the fashion photographer, has an exhibition here until August 25, with images like the one below.
Giampaolo Sgura
MAO – The Museum of Architecture and Design is showcasing Slovenian designers in a show called Made in Slovenia, lasting until the end of 2018: “The selling exhibition aims to present good practices of Slovenian designers and companies in the creative sector.” The same venue has an exhibition based on Slovenia’s Pavilion at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, called “Living with Water”, and on until November 25.
Moderna galerija – The main branch of this gallery, to be found near the entrance to Tivoli Park, has a good collection of modern art, as well a nice café in the basement, and, until September 30th, a retrospective on the monumental sculptures of Drago Tršar, which you’ll recognise from around town (see more here). For even more contemporary work you can take a trip to the Metelkova branch, where there’s currently a show on the relationships between humans and animals.
Something by Drago Tršar
Museum of Contemporary History – The museum in Tivoli Park has two new shows. One is called Museum's (R)evolution 1948-2018, marking the place's 70th anniversary with an exhibition tracing its evolution through artefacts, photographs and personal stories and running until January 6 2019 (details here). There's also In Search of Freedom: 1968-2018, looking at the 1968 student protests.
National Gallery – The country’s main gallery has “the best” of what’s on offer in non-contemporary of modern visual arts, and is in a great location for exploring other areas, just by Tivoli Park and opposite the main branch of the Moderna galerija. Running until February 10 2019 is a show called Ivana Kobilca (1861-1926): But Of Course, Painting Is Something Beautiful!, featuring works like the one below.
National Museum of Slovenia – There’s plenty to see in the permanent collection here, from Roman times, Egypt and more. Meanwhile, at the museum's Metelkova branch, located between one branch of the Moderna galerija and the Ethnographic Museum is the International Ceramic Triennial UNICUM 2018, which runs until September 30. It's being promoted with the following image.
Slovene Ethnographic Museum – There’s a number of permanent exhibitions here, and it’s conveniently located near the newer branch of the Moderna galerija and Metelkova.
Photo: JL Flanner
Union Experience – The Ljubljana-based brewer has a museum showing the history of the company, with the ticket also including access to part of the factory and a few samples of the product. You can read about our visit here.
It's not a formal museum, but if you're interested in "Yugo-stalgia" then you'll enjoy a trip to Verba, a small, privately run space that's crammed with objects and pop culture items from the era, and is conventiently located at the start of one of the short walks to the castle. It's also a great place to take pictures, if you leave a donation, and you can read more about it here.
Verba. Photo: JL Flanner
FAMILIES & KIDS
You can find our Top 12 list of things to do with kids in Ljubljana here. If want to read more about the philosophy behind the wonderful House of Experiments look here, while our trip to the Museum of Illusions is documented here, and there’s always riverside walks, ice cream and pizza.
Lean more about this happy fellow here. Photo: JL Flanner
LGBTQI+
If you want to learn more about Ljubljana Pride, then take a look at our interview with its president here.
Klub Monokel – is a lesbian bar, while Klub Tiffany is the gay bar next door, and both will be hosting a rave this Friday night, with DJs Chris Cruse, Le Berg, Karin Bossman, Warrego Valles and many more.
LIVE MUSIC
Congress Square – As part of the Ljubljana Festival the vocal group Voca People will be presenting a show of music and comedy on Thursday, details here. It takes place in the main square downtown (Congress / Kongresni / Zvezda), but tickets are needed for seats.
Channel Zero – There’s nothing planned here this week.
Gala Hala – Tuesday sees an open air show by A Wilhelm Scream, supported by Astpai and White Stain. Saturday, from 21:00 until midnight, there’s a show by DIY folk punks Days N Daze, with support from We the Heathens. Your ticket to this show also gets you into the DJ show that starts at midnight, featuring electroclash, leftfield techno, and lo-fi house (see Clubs, above).
Klub Gromka – On Saturday you can enjoy a show by Rules (Croatia) and The Truth (Croatia/Serbia), which promises two sets of hardcore punk.
Pritličje – This café / bar / events space beside Town Hall in the Old Town continues its season of summer concerts with ManMachine on Thursday evening (and you can read more about this great venue here).
OPERA, THEATRE, DANCE
Cankerjev dom – The soprano Diana Damrau and bass-baritone Nicolas Testé will be singing a programme of Verdi arias on Wednesday evening, with more details here. The evening will include the following piece.
Gledališče IGLU - IGLU Theatre – Saturday night this group is usually putting on an English improv show somewhere in town, but it’s generally promoted after this is written, so check the Facebook before putting on your shoes.
MISC.
Every Friday through the warmer months there’s the Open Kitchen in Ljubljana Market, where you can try food and drink from some the biggest names in town, and you can read more about it here.
Breg Embankment, just opposite the Old Town and by the river, has a small flea market open every Sunday morning. Learn more about it here.
If you’re in town and want to go jogging or walking in nature, why not take another look at the Castle, with a brief guide to the trails here. If you want something bigger, head to Tivoli Park.
If you want to get wet and work on your tan then consider going to one of the outdoor pools in town, which you can read about here.
Kodeljevo pool
And if you're bored with the Old Town, why not take a walk, cycle or boat ride to nearby Špica and enjoy the riverside life. Learn more about that here.
Ljubljana is full of statues and monuments, but the largest of these actually surrounds the city, the Trail of Remembrance and Comradeship (Pot spominov in tovarištva, PST or POTS), which is over 30 km long. It follows the line of barbwire that fenced the city from 1942 to 1945, to prevent contacts between the occupied area and the Partisan forces outside. These days it’s a recreational footpath that’s a favourite with walkers and runners. See 24 more fun facts about the cityhere
