August 12, 2018
A good friend of ours, who spent the last few months in Vienna for professional reasons, came back to Ljubljana last week, and so we restarted our regular Thursday evening walks around town. It was good to see him after so long, and to once again experience the thrills of the city on foot at this time of year - the crowds of visitors from all over the world, the street performers on the bridges and corners, the general excitement of lives being lived in the moment and light clothes, and all of this without spending a cent until the end, when we enjoyed some ice cream and left it at that. Two hours entertainment for less than two euros each, nothing planned and nothing to put on a postcard, except how nice it can be here.
And so, as ever, we encourage you to go out and engage with the life of the streets, to remain open to detours and delights you can't explain, the songs they don't play on the radio. That said, this is still our regular What's on... post, and we need to tell you what's on, with an inexhaustive list of the various offerings on around town outlined below.
The Ljubljana Festival is running until early September and presents a series of live music concerts, with a bias towards classical, opera, and ballet; see here for details, although note that this week it seems to be taking a break, with Summer in the Old Town taking up some of the slack (see Live Music). The club scene, as seen in the related section below, also has a full week of parties, both indoors and out, with the biggest being the Tivoli-based Mary, Don't Go!, starting at 15:00 Tuesday (scroll down for deets and beats, as teh kidz say).
Items from African and Slovenia at the Ethnographic Museum. Photos: JL Flanner
A few new things in the growing collection of things to do on TSN in the last few days. One is an account of our visit to the Ethnographic Museum, in Metelkova, which is packed full of curiosities from around the world, and you can read that and see more pictures here. Another is a map showing the locations of all the recently laid Stolpersteine, marking the homes of Slovenian Jews who were killed in the Holocaust, with more details here and a picture of the first two stones laid below.
Photo: JL Flanner.
We also interviewed the guy behind Alternative Ljubljana Tours, and came away very impressed. You can get a feel for what to expect on their Street Art, LGBT and History tours here.
Photo: Alternative Ljubljana
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.
And if there's something you want to promote in a future edition of What's on... please get in touch with me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Finally, Wednesday, August 15th is a national holiday, the Assumption of Mary, so many things, including supermarkets, will be closed.
CINEMA
You can read about all the cinemas in town here, while a selection of what’s playing this week is below, and note that kid’s movies tend to be shown in dubbed versions, so do check before driving out to a multiplex and dropping off the young ones. (And if you like watching trailers with Slovene subtitles, then catch up on some from earlier this year here and here).
Kinodvor – The arts cinema not far from the train station, but still rather tucked away, showing, among other features, two music documentaries, Whitney, and Grace Jones, along with Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, and a subtitled version of Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation.
Kinoteka – The revival house at one end of Miklošičeva is showing RW Fassbinder’s Lola, Rob Reiner’s Misery, and Alexander Payne’s Sideways.
Kolosej – The multiplex out at BTC City Mall is playing all the big movies, which this week include – deep breath – Mission Impossible: Fallout, Mama Mia 2: Here We Go Again, Don’t Worry, he Won’t Get Far on Foot, Sicario 2, Skyscraper, Ant Man & Wasp, Adrift, The First Purge, Tag, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Deadpool 2, both dubbed and subtitled versions of Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation. and Finding Your Feet, while Thursday sees the start of the Jason Stratham vs prehistoric shark move, The Meg.
CLUBS
The big event of the week is the festival Mary, Don't Go!, which takes advantage of Wednesday’s national holiday by starting at 15:00 on Tuesday, in Tivoli Park, and running there until midnight and for free, then moving to Božidar, the club at Vilharjeva 11, for the price of €5 and keeping things moving until 05:00. Details here, with the music coming from, among others, Bakto, Borka, Disco Durum, Mique, Nitz, Softskinson, Stascha, Stojan, and Vuka. Sample sets from DJs Softskin and Disco Durum (and DJ Seansa) can be heard below, with the latter providing the official soundtrack to this post.
Gala Hala – Monday night is Dub Lab, this week with Selyak (Dubzilla). Tuesday is Bollywood & Bhangra Night in the garden with the Ambasada Rog Crew (sample set below). The week then ends on Friday, with an all-nighter called SUMMER rx: tx BEATNIŠKI ZBOR, promising “Six fat, saturated hours of concentrated beat, schizophrenic genre leaps, cold drinks and summer anecdotes. A little in the garden, a little in the hall”, and promoted with a picture of Allen Ginsberg. Expect sets from Bakto, Borka, Chunfa, Felis Catus, Junker, Krilc, Peglasus, Shao, Some1Else, Suljo, TizTiz, Tschimy, Whynnel, and Vj Fšk.
Klub K4 – All night Friday there’s K4x4: Stascha, Byn, and Urbadur, with techno, house, and electronica, while Saturday UVK4: Temnica w/ LxS, Nulla, and Thon Kland, with more techno, with a dark set from the last name on that list below.
EXHIBITIONS
Please note that public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays.
Ljubljana Castle has an exhibition on the history of dragons that runs until November 11, and there's plenty more to see and do when up there, including some nice walks in nature. Note that the bathroom is in the basement and rather difficult to find.
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 17 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.”
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.
The Faces of Ljubljana in the City Museum. Photo: JL Flanner
Galerija Kapelica – Until August 17 you can visit an installation by Christiaan Zwanikken called Kinetic garden + Nose patrol, being promoted with the following image on Facebook.
Galerija Kresija – Among other shows, until September 7 this gallery is putting on an exhibition of ceramics and sculptures titled Krogla (Ball), and promoted with the following image, from the gallery’s Facebook page, but note that this actually takes place at the Town Hall, by the Robba Fountain.
Mitja Klančar: IntegracijaDD
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.".
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 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 relationship between humans and animals.
Photo: JL Flanner
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 from the Middle Ages to non-contemporary 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. You can read about our visit to the room containing scared art from the Middle Ages here, and see a picture from our trip after the two girls.
JL Flanner
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. This branch also has some rooms on Church art, funiture and weapons, with the latter including more guns than you'll see anywhere else in town, and quite a thrill if coming from a nation where such objects are not household objects.
Slovene Ethnographic Museum – The museum currently has a temporary show on Bees and Beekeeping, as well two permanent exhibitions. One of these is called Between Nature and Culture, and has a great collection of objects from Slovenia and around the world, well worth the trip up to the third floor to see it (as recounted here). This place is 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 conveniently 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
Alternative Ljubljana isn't a museum or gallery, as such, but instead turns the city streets into a museum and gallery. Learm more about their tours here.
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 – No events are being promoted this week, but that’s no reason not to head to this lesbian bar in Metelkova and see what’s happening
Klub Tiffany – And nothing’s planned at this friendly gay bar, either.
Photo: JL Flanner
LIVE MUSIC
It's the height of summer, and there seems to be rather little on this week with regard to live music, with, as noted above, most of the action going on inside and outside of clubs, as well as on the streets. However, Summer in the Old Town continues with its series of free concerts at 20:30. This week you can enjoy Eminent Duo on Monday, playing violin and guitar in the City Museum; on Tuesday, and at the same venue, there’s Lana Kuščer and Dongni Xie on the flute and piano; on Wednesday, and in the Town Hall, Tomaž Sever and Aleksandra Pavlovič will be playing the cello and piano; finally, on Friday and in Stari trg you can enjoy the Reut Regev Trio. More details on this festival can be found here.
Gala Hala – Thursday night you can enjoy live electro blues with Ljubičice.
Pritličje – There are three shows at this great café / bar / events space next to Town Hall. On Thursday evening there’s Catnapp, from Buenos Aires but now based on Berlin, with a show starting at 20:00, while on Friday there’s a set from DJ Levanael (and you can read more about this wonderful venue here).
OPERA, THEATRE, DANCE
The summer has reduced the schedules dramatically, with all the actors and dancers perhaps relaxing in Croatia.
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. If it’s not on just say “yes, and…”, then improvise.
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.
Laguna, but there are also pools for swimming in town.
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
Flickr - 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. If you're heading to the coast, check out our interview with a yoga teacher who offers breakfast sessions there, while if you're staying in town (or nearby) and want to try some "family yoga" then you can learn more about that here and maybe get your kids to calm down a moment or two.
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.
FINALLY…
The Robba Fountain you’ll see at one end of the Old Town isn’t the real one. Learn more and find out where you can see the genuine article here.
Left, the real one; Right, the copy. Photos: JL Flanner, visitljubljana.com
