Travel
STA, 15 July 2022 - The 57th Beer and Flowers Festival will kick off on Friday, turning the eastern town of Laško into a three-day Mecca for beer lovers and horticulturists. In addition to traditional brews and blooms, the event promotes green practices, the organisers said.
There will be rock beats, polka music and other musical performances as well, with popular names such as singer-songwriter Vlado Kreslin and Šank Rock band.
The festival in 2019The organisers, Laško Centre for Sport, Tourism, Information and Culture, noted that visitors can opt for sustainable and green transportation to get to the festival. They can hike or ride a bike or a train to get to Laško, a town famous for beer brewing.
The national railway operator is again preparing a special train ride to accommodate the festival.
The event will wrap up on Sunday with a flower show, an exhibition marking the 160th anniversary of the Laško Brass Band and a Beer and Flowers parade.
Laško Brewery used to be the largest brewery in Slovenia. Together with the Ljubljana-based Union Brewery it was acquired by Dutch beer giant Heineken in 2015, and the two merged into Laško Union Brewery the following year. Last year, production was moved from Ljubljana to Laško due to safety concerns, but packaging and logistics activities continue in the capital.
STA, 12 July 2022 - The ŠKUC society, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, will host its annual festival between 22 and 31 July this year, bringing concerts, plays, a fashion show, performances, exhibitions, literary events, and workshops to Ljubljana's old town. All events will be admission free and will feature both established and up-and-coming artists.
The festival Dobimo se pred Škucem (Let's Meet in front of ŠKUC) will take place in the afternoons and evenings in front of the ŠKUC Gallery in Old Square.
The musical section of the festival will feature Lado Jakša's multimedia performance Plečnikova Misel (Plečnik's Thought), a tribute to architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957). A projection of photos of Plečnik's works will be accompanied by original live jazz music.
Concerts by Jakomini Jazz Trio and trio A Cuerdas, and performances by Martin Adam Stevens and Blaž Mencinger are also planned. Bands Atelje and Malamor, Samuel Blues and Miha Erič, Brencl Banda, Birds of Unknown, Martin Martian and the Universe, and Chris Eckman will also take the stage.
Theatre lovers will be able to choose among three plays for adults and a drag show Eat your makeup. Nine plays for children will be on along with three literary events for children.
Students of textile and fashion design from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering will host an exhibition and a fashion show dubbed Nature + Culture = Future. Young artists will present their work at a separate exhibition entitled Artopolis: Sodobna Neskladja (Artoplis: Contemporary Incompatibilities).
Like every year, a number of workshops will be organised for all age groups.
To mark ŠKUC's 50th anniversary, the festival will this year also present the society's film production. Damjan Kozole's Usodni Telefon (Fatal Telephone) and animation Socializacija Bika (Socialisation of a Bull) by Milan Erič and Zvonko Čoh will be screened.
In case of rain, all events will be moved to the Škuc Gallery.
STA, 8 July 2022 - A 53-year old Croatian citizen crossed the border drunk without slowing down with two children in the car. The police stopped him to find that he had a BAC of 0.30. He was arrested and the children were picked up by family members, reports the Novo Mesto Police Department.
The Croatian man reached the border crossing Obrežje around 8pm and drove through the crossing not intended for personal vehicles. He did not have a valid driver's licence or the kids' IDs.
He told the police that he was heading from Zagreb to Rijeka and he thought that he drove through a toll station and not a border crossing since he did not intend to travel through Slovenia.
The man was visibly drunk and the breathalyser test showed he had 1.46 mg of alcohol in a litre of air, amounting to 3.06 g of alcohol in a litre of blood.
He was arrested, the court fined him EUR 1200 and banned him from driving in Slovenia for a year, while the police fined him an additional EUR 400 for avoiding border control.
The Novo Mesto Police Department noted that last year drunk drivers caused 155 accidents in the area under their jurisdiction, two of them fatal.
STA, 5 July 2022 - The annual Sajeta Art&Music Festival is kicking off on Tuesday in the popular outdoor setting at the confluence of the Soča and the Tolminka in Tolmin. In six days it will feature more than 40 concerts and performances by artists from eight countries.
The 23rd iteration of the festival will be headlined by Obojeni Program, the alternative rock band from Novi Sad, Serbia, who will present their latest album 2021=41.
The festival lineup includes Gudio Möbius, a solo artist from Berlin, and Lanhart Tapes, a one-man-cassette-tape-manipulator, who will perform in a duet with Serbian musician Tijana Stanković, who combines folk tunes, groovy rhythms and screechy noises.
Also from Serbia, Svetlana Spajić, a researcher of vocal techniques of various nations, will hold a workshop dedicated to Serbian vocal polyphony, one of several workshops at the festival.
Slovenian double bass player Tomaž Grom will make an appearance with percussionist Zlatko Kaučič and in their debut appearance a duo featuring Ana Kravanja of the Širom trio and Vitja Balžalorsky, a guitarist best known for his collaboration with Laibach.
In cooperation with the Od:vod festival, which is usually held at various locations, Sajeta will also feature electronic music next weekend. Andrej Kobal will present his project GranuRise and give a workshop and talk on modes of expression in experimental electronic music.
The festival will also see workshops for children, the launch of a book by Blaž Kosovel entitled Why US Does Not Have Ministry of Culture, and a screening of a documentary on the trio Širom.
This year the festival failed to get funding from the Ministry of Culture so the organisers had to cancel several foreign acts and replace them with local ones.
Sajeta has been functioning as an outdoor cultural and artistic lab for more than two decades, brining contemporary creative practices from urban settings into the picturesque setting by the emerald Soča river.
STA, 4 July 2022 - Slovenia's mountain rescue teams (Gorska Reševalna Zveza Slovenije) were again busy this Sunday as they came to the aid of several injured hikers as well as a dog in four helicopter dispatches. More and more hikers have insufficient knowledge about mountaineering equipment and underestimate the mountains, the authorities warn, urging responsible behaviour.
The helicopter rescue team that features members of the Slovenian military was dispatched four times in the north and north-west of the country yesterday, rescuing two hikers who were injured due to a slip on the trail, and another one who got injured due to careless behaviour.
In the Komarče area, near Lake Bohinj, where the path is steep and cliffy, the team was involved in a dog-rescue mission. "The circumstances indicate that two dogs jumped at each other and both fell off the path," the police said.
Related: Police Stop Hikers for Wearing the Wrong Shoes
One dog died at the scene and the other injured its leg. Both were transported by helicopter to the valley. According to the information currently gathered, both dogs were on a leash before the incident and the case is still ongoing.
Sunday's rescue missions coincided with a preventive campaign in the Triglav Lakes area, during which the police, Triglav National Park rangers and the Bohinj mountain rescue team strived to determine how well equipped and prepared hikers are.
The campaign also aimed to raise awareness about nature conservation and safety in the mountains as well as check compliance with relevant rules.
There were individual cases where hikers were not prepared for the challenging terrain they tried to conquer. These individuals went as far in their flippant behaviour as wearing swimsuits, flat-soled trainers or designer mini-backpacks. Some of them even drank beer while hiking, the Kranj Police Department said on Monday.
Four foreigners were also found defying a ban on camping in the Triglav National Park.
The authorities warn that there are more and more hikers who have equipment but no knowledge of how to use it, which is as dangerous or even more dangerous than if they were inadequately equipped as equipment can give them a false sense of security.
STA, 4 July 2022 - Film Under the Stars, an annual series of open-air screenings in the courtyard of Ljubljana Castle co-organised by the city cinema Kinodvor, will feature a selection of the best world and domestic cinema between 14 July and 6 August.
This year's selection includes three major previews: a parody on spy movies OSS 117: From Africa With Love by Nicolas Bedos, which was featured at last year's Cannes Festival; The Good Boss, a satire on modern work relationships by Fernando Leon de Aranoa, and Nope, a film by Jordan Peele about three Californians who make a bizarre discovery in the middle of nowhere.
There will be a lot of Slovenian film as well, starting with the opening film, Darko Sinko's directorial debut Inventura (Inventory). This a dramedy about a man who realizes perceptions he had about his own life were just an illusion.
Morena (Murina), a Slovene-Croatian co-production by director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović tells the story of a girl fighting patriarchy in the Mediterranean.
Tijana Zinajić will present her Prasica, slabšalni izraz za žensko (Bitch, Derogatory Term For Woman), and Matevž Luzar his Orkester (Orchestra), which was first screened during the competition part of the Cottbus film festival in Germany.
Many other acclaimed films will also be screened including Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, Pedro Almodovar's Parallel Mothers, House of Gucci by Ridley Scott, Drive My Car by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and many others.
Screenings will take place daily starting at 9:30pm. Films in English will have Slovenian subtitles, while films in other foreign languages will have English subtitles as well.
In case of bad weather, screenings will be cancelled and will take place the following day at Kinodvor, and for the premieres and previews two extra screenings will be held, said Kinodvor.
STA, 2 July 2022 - Congestion is reported at some Slovenia-Croatia border crossings. The longest waiting times, more than two hours, are at the Dragonja and Sečovlje border crossings, both for those entering or exiting Slovenia.
Those heading for Croatia at the Gruškovje crossing are looking at two-hour delays as well, whereas the waiting times at Dobovec and Starod are an hour and a half and roughly an hour, respectively.
It takes as long as an hour or two to enter Slovenia from Croatia at Jelšane and Starod, and about an hour at Gruškovje and Sočerga.
Traffic jams are also reported on the Primorska motorway at the Kozarje junction towards Brezovica and on the Šmarje-Dragonja road on the coast and the Lesce-Bled road in the northern region Gorenjska.
STA, 1 July 2022 - Some 86% or a combined total of EUR 468.4 million worth of the 2020 and 2021 tourist vouchers was cashed in, shows data by the Financial Administration (FURS), and EUR 75.27 million was left unredeemed by Thursday, the last day of voucher validity.
The 2020 vouchers were part of the third Covid relief package, granting each adult citizen EUR 200, while each minor received EUR 50. The vouchers were redeemable in the tourism sector for overnight stays or for bed and breakfast.
According to data from FURS, 84.5% or 301.47 million worth of these vouchers were cashed in, with a EUR 55.38 million worth of vouchers remaining unredeemed.
Some 86.5% off all citizens fully or partially redeemed their vouchers, most of them in the municipalities of Piran (345,272), Kranjska Gora (127,280), Moravske Toplice (118,978), and Brežice (118,978).
The 2021 vouchers, intended for hospitality services, culture, book-shopping and sports, with each of-age Slovenian receiving a EUR 100 voucher, and children and teenagers a EUR 50 voucher, also expired on Thursday.
Their total value stood at EUR 186.78 million, with EUR 166.9 million or nearly 90% was redeemed. Some 92% of the beneficiaries took advantage of the 2021 vouchers, a higher percentage compared to the 2020 vouchers.
The last day of voucher validity brought in EUR 4.35 million from the 2021 vouchers.
Half of the 2021 vouchers were spent in the hospitality sector, 30% in tourism, and 14% in culture services. Two-thirds of the latter were allocated towards buying school supplies and books. The remainder (6%) was allocated to sport services, FURS noted.
STA, 27 June 2022 - The 4th Ljubljana Street Art Festival kicks off on Monday, bringing graffiti, murals, concerts, workshops and much more to the capital under the theme of peripheral street art and street art as a peripheral art form.
The festival will see more than 60 artists participate in all forms of street art, focusing on the geographical periphery of this art form, as well as its political and activist components.
The artist will demonstrate how street art has transformed into various forms of expression, including new media and intermedia formats, according to the organisers, the Institute of Urban Questions.
Running until 4 July, the festival will take place at venues including Kino Šiška, the Metelkova Mesto alternative culture centre, the Ljubljana Dance Theatre, Sax Pub, and the DUM Project Venue.
Artists will paint murals and do graffiti art on the streets, bringing together an international array with Germany's ZEBU duo, France's Mathieu Tremblin, Slovenian-Swiss art duo Veli & Amos, and many more.
Metelkova will see a mural created with fire extinguishers filled with paint, and a group graffiti art installation that will include an audio-visual performance at Metelkova's Hall of Fame.
The programme also features concerts and art exhibitions. The Kino Šiška will host Slovenian music producer Drone Emoji, and Metelkova Mesto a concert by the group SBO - Smrt Boga in Otrok.
STA, 23 June 2022 - The Ana Desetnica festival of street theatre will take place from 23 June to 3 July in 13 Slovenian cities. Most events will be held in Ljubljana, including the opening spectacle and the birthday party.
Having first started in Ljubljana 25 years ago, the festival will bring performances to 12 other towns this year, including Maribor, Ptuj, Kamnik, Logatec and Nova Gorica.
Almost 100 artists from 10 countries will travel between the cities for 11 days to perform 37 shows and urban interventions, according to the producer Polona Prosen.
Nearly half of the events will take place in Ljubljana. The Ana Monro Theatre will perform the show River of Seven Names to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the renowned architect Jože Plečnik.
The festival will host street groups from countries including Italy, France, Czech Republic and Argentina performing dance, circus and similar performances, including an aerial spectacle and a "skiing odyssey". The audience will even be able to watch one of the performances on bikes.
The festival was born out of the desire to spread performance art to urban spaces and it then led to the development of local street theatre, according to Goro Osojnik, director of the Ana Monro Theatre.
Over the years the festival has hosted over 5000 street performers from over 40 countries and their shows were viewed by nearly a million visitors.
See the full schedule here (PDF) or visit the official website
STA, 17 June 2022 - More than ten years after becoming the first city in Slovenia with a bike sharing system, Ljubljana has now also got its own e-bike rental system with 75 Nomago Bikes made available at 25 docking stations.
With Thursday's launch of the new system, Ljubljana has become the 12th municipality with an e-bike rental system operated by Nomago, a travel and transportation company.
The bikes have a battery capacity from 60 to 80 km. Renting the bike for 30 minutes costs EUR 1.3, with different subscriptions also available.
Of the 25 docking stations, 17 are in public spaces, of which 15 next to existing BicikeLJ stations, one in the P+R Stanežiče parking lot and one in the parking lot at the foothill of Šmarna Gora, the popular Ljubljana hiking spot.
Some companies have joined the project as well and set up stations next to their buildings.
Attending the launch, Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković said he long opposed Ljubljana having an e-bike system. "Our city is ideal for non-motorised biking," he said, adding that his colleagues convinced him e-bike rental was a good opportunity to connect Ljubljana and the neighbouring municipalities.
Marjan Beltram, executive director for tourism and mobility at Nomago, said the company aimed to double the capacities in Ljubljana in a year and connect the system with neighbouring municipalities to set up a unified system for the whole urban region around Ljubljana.
Before the first use of the bike, users are required to register over the mobile app or website Nomago Bikes and connect a payment card, PayPal or Urbana to their account.
Accounts for e-bike systems in other towns can be used in Ljubljana as well and up to three bikes can be rented simultaneously with one account.
All bikes are equipped with smart locks so they can be returned even when the charging station is full.
A monthly subscription fee is EUR 15 and a yearly EUR 45, for international student card (ISIC) holders it costs EUR 10 a month and EUR 25 a year. For subscribers a 30-minute rental is free with every 30 minutes after that costing EUR 1.3.
