July 01, 2018
If you’re new here then you picked a great time to visit, with what many people think is the best festival in town hitting the streets this week, Ana Desetnica. This sees street performers from all over world putting on acts, large and small, around town, with much of the action focused on Slovenska cesta in the evenings. You can read about it here, but the most important thing to note is that there’s a lot going on and you can’t see it all, so check out the schedule and make a plan if you want to do it like a pro, or just walk around, see what happens, and enjoy the atmosphere. Bring a pocketful of change and leave someonething in the hat if you enjoy a show.
Something from last year. Photo: © Luka Dakskobler
There’s also the Ljubljana Festival, which started last week and will continue until early September. This is 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 programme for this week are here, week two here, and week three here. It’s a varied schedule, and Brest, playing in the Atrium of the Library Saturday, 21:00, is just one of the acts on offer.
Then on Thursday there’s the start 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.
Those in town and wanting to watch the World Cup with othersl should have no problem doing so, as most cafés and bars seem to have big screens set up inside and out for your pleasure.
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.
Finally, these posts are usually written on Sunday, so please forgive the typos and formatting errors that tend to creep in as we gaze out the window and wish, more than almost anything, we were sitting outside a café with a Laško/Union and watching the world unfurl on the streets we know and love, and which we’ll go and do the moment this is published.
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.
Kinodvor – The arts cinema not far from the train station is showing Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami, and Nick Broomfield’s latest documentary, on Whitney Houston.
Kinoteka – The revival house is not showing any movies this week, but the cafe might still be open.
Kolosej – The multiplex out at BTC City Mall is playing all the big movies, which this week include Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, Blockers, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Book Club, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Love, Simon, Ocean’s 8, Loving Pablo, Hereditary, Tag, Deadpool 2, Legend of the Demon Cat (Chinese) and Fack ju Göhte 3. There’s also The Incredibles 2, but note that it’s dubbed. Starting Wednesday the theatre will be playing Ant-Man & Wasp and The First Purge, while Thursday sees the opening of Adrift.
Komuna – The cinema in a basement behind Nama department store is showing Book Club, Ocean’s 8, Loving Pablo and a dubbed version of The Incredibles 2.
CLUBS
Channel Zero – There's no dub on Monday this week.
Klub Cirkus – The more commercial end of clubland has a Friday night calle New Age Season Finale / Peace Out, with DJ Che-Woo offering an RnB party, while Saturday is Season Closing - Tutti Frutti: 90s & 00s Hits.
Klub K4 – Friday night is UVK4: Temnica w/ Schrauff, RSN & Shekuza, playing techno and electro, while Saturday sees K4x4 w/ Evident, Lara, Christian Kroupa playing “dance”.
EXHIBITIONS
Please note that public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays.
Thursday and Friday, at 22:30 in French Revolution Square, you can enjoy a free, guided tour of some ready-made art works, in a happening called Night Streetwalker: "Ready-Made".
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.
Marc Riboud. Huangshan, 1985. On the right, the pine named Flower-Formed-on-the-tip-of-a-Dream-Paintbrush. On the left, the Sublime Peak. ©Marc Riboud – all rights reserved.
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.”
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."
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 – In addition to the large permanent exhibition on the history of Ljubljana, the museum is offering guided tours of its collection every Sunday, 16:30, until the end of August, with the price included in the regular entrance fee. Details here.
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.
Something by Drago Tršar
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 momumental 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.
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 a lull in the temporary shows, but still plenty to see in the permanent collection, from Roman times, Egypt and more.
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. "This prestigious competitive exhibition puts on display the latest trends in contemporary art ceramics. An international expert jury has selected 77 works of art from almost 300 artists from all over the world to compete for prestigious awards. The aim of the UNICUM Triennial is to present the contemporary developments of art ceramics around the world and the diversity of artistic approaches." 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.
Pritljiče – Wednesday night has the opening of an exhibition of work by Kristijan Dolenc Rojko.
FAMILIES & KIDS
You can find our Top 10 list of things to do with kids in Ljubljana here. Something that's always popular is The Museum of Illusions, which you can read about here.
Something from the Museum of Illusions
LGBTQI+
If you want to learn more about Ljubljana Pride, then take a look at our interview with its president here, while the group’s events page, often updated after this guide is compiled, is here.
Klub Monokel – Nothing is planned for this predominantly lesbian club.
Klub Tiffany – Thursday, 19:00, is the regular card and boardgame night at this predominantly gay club.
LIVE MUSIC
As noted in the intro, the Ljubljana Festival has a lot of classical performances, including some opera, so check out the schedule here.
The Imago festival continues in the Old Town (all events), and this Friday, 20:30, there’s a jazz show in Stari trg.
Channel Zero – Thursday night you can see Oceans Ate Alaska and Kingdom of Giants.
Gala Hala – Tuesday night there’s a double bill of Nebula and Blackoutt, with the former offering Psychedelic Stoner Rock from Southern California.
Kino Šiška – Regional superstars Repetitor are playing here Thursday, as reported in an earlier, video-packed post, while Japandroids and The Mint are playing here Friday night.
Klub Gromka – Tuesday, July 3, there’s New Montreal hardcore: GAZM + CELL, offering “rad punk music for punks…”
National Library – On Monday night, and as part of the summer festival, you can hear the cabaret songs of Svetlana Makarovič. On Friday it’s the turn of Zlatko.
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.
Ilirija 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.
visitljubjana.si
Flicker - Dave Rosenbaum CC by 2.0
Want to stretch and breath? Then check out our list of drop-in yoga classes for tourists, visitors and the uncommitted.
TRIPS
Most of Slovenia is only a few hours from Ljubljana, and you can easily visit Lake Bled, Lipica Stud Farm, Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, the coast and other locations.
Jaka Ostrovršnik 2015 CC by 2.0 (see more here)
FINALLY...
The first elephant in Ljubljana is not forgotten. The Hotel Slon on Slovenska cesta is so named because the first elephant seen in the city was shown off at this site in 1552, although the hotel didn’t open until several hundred years later. The elephant, called Suleiman, was a wedding gift to Maximillian II, the Archduke of Austria. While living an honoured life and then being stuffed and put on display for a few centuries, the animal’s story eventually came to an odd end – being sold after WWII for use as shoe leather. (Other interesting facts about the city can be found here.)
