What’s on in Ljubljana: Aug 20–26, 2018 (Videos & DJ Sets)

By , 19 Aug 2018, 09:25 AM Lifestyle
Dancing in the streets Dancing in the streets JL Flanner

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Although the end of the summer season is looming that doesn’t mean things are slowing down in the capital, with lovers of classical music, theatre and dance especially well served this week.

The Ljubljana Festival continues to run until early September, with ballet and opera being the focus in the days ahead see here for details, and also in the related sections below.

Imago Sloveniae also has a programme of free concerts (see here), often in the City Museum. For example, on Monday night, 20:30, there’s Maruta Staravoitava on the flute playing Debussy, Bach and others. On Wednesday, same time, you can see The Amael Piano Trio, as shown below.

There are more free concerts in various squares around the city as part of the related Nights in Ljubljana Old Town Festival on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, just click the days for details or wander around downtown those evenings and follow your ears.

If you prefer rock, ska, pop and so on, then there’s Urbano Dejanje festival, which runs from Tuesday to Saturday with a line-up that includes Edo Maajka, Elvis Jackson, Gal Gjurin, Matter, Senidah, Valentino Kanzyani and many more. The event page is here.

Two non-music festivals are on this week, FEKK, showing short films from the Ex-Yugo countries (see under Cinema), and the Mladi levi Festival (Young Lions Festival), running from August 24 until September 1. The latter will be presenting dramatic and dance performances at various venues around town. The PDF programme is here, while there’s a shorter online version here.

The big new show this week is at the National Museum, a rare chance to see a collection of gold items from the Ming Dynasty, with an example shown below and a report on the show here.

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Photo: Wang Wei Chang

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.

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).

This week there’s the FEKK festival of short films, with the schedule here. This features a “competition programme of fresh films made in the countries of ex-Yugoslavia, retrospectives of proclaimed authors, matinees for the kids, workshops, lectures, hang outs, concerts and a lot of good old fun!” Details here.

Kinodvor – The arts cinema not far from the train station, but still rather tucked away, showing, among other features, two music documentaries Whitney, Grace Jones, along with Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, Mary Shelly and a dubbed version of Coco. The full Kinobalon programme of children’s films can be found here.

Kinoteka – The revival house at one end of Miklošičeva is mostly given over the FEKK this week, but on Friday night there’s a screening of John Huston’s Annie (1982).

Kolosej – The multiplex out at BTC City Mall is playing all the big movies, which this week include – deep breath –  Mission Impossible: FalloutMamma Mia 2: Here We Go AgainSicario 2 SkyscraperAnt Man & WaspAdriftThe First PurgeJurassic World: Fallen KingdomDeadpool 2 both dubbed and subtitled versions of Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster VacationFinding Your Feet, and the Jason Stratham vs prehistoric shark move, The Meg. Starting this Wednesday is The Spy Who Dumped Me.

Komuna – This basement movie theatre behind Nama Department store is playing Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again and a dubbed version of Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation.

CLUBS

Gala Hala – Monday night is Dub Lab, this week with Ras Levi. Tuesday, August 21 for those keeping count, you can head to Metelkova and enjoy a free-entry night of covers with DJ Andrej Pervanje. The Facebook page promises music in “languages ​​such as Arabic, Chinese and Japanese, with emphasis on rock'n'roll, funk, jazz , synth-wave, rock cases with a pinch of the south and Slovenian performances”. The fun starts at 21:00.

Klub Cirkus – The more colourful and commercial end of clubland is back after a summer break, so expect plenty of new tans and fresh smiles on Friday with a night called Crazy Cirkus, featuring “the greatest summer tunes and festival anthems”, followed by R’n’B Explosion on Saturday, with both events kicking off at 22:00.

Klub K4 – The klub where generations of kool kids have lost it on the dancefloor is offering four ways to feel the beat this week, all of them starting at 23:59, running until 05:00, and being Urbano Dejanje festival afterparties (see Live Music, below). On Wednesday it’s a night of Trash Rock. Thursday sees DJs K’Pow, Toljo and Whiteaf. Friday night is techno, with various DJs, including Ian F., Mayell, Tim Kern and Tzena. The week then ends with trap, drum & bass and dubstep, as provided by DJs Cookie, Bor$aleano, Young Sanci, and Shao, among others.

EXHIBITIONS

Please note that most public galleries and museums are closed on Mondays, although not the National Museum.

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.

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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.

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.

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Marc Riboud Beijing, 1965. Da Sha La street in old Bejing, as seen through an antique dealer’s window. Private citizens come here to sell family jewels or other objects. The prices are fixed by the government. ©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.

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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.

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The Faces of Ljubljana in the City Museum. Photo: JL Flanner

Galerija Kresija – There’s a fun show at this gallery between the Triple Bridge and Robba Fountain, showing Tina Kolenik wearing watermelons on her head. This runs until September 14, and is being promoted with the following image.

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International Centre of Graphic Arts – Among other shows, on Thursday there’s a new one here that runs until September 8, Trude Johansen & Maruša Meglič, who took part in the first residency exchange between Norway and Slovenia.

Ljubljana CastleGiampaolo Sgura, the fashion photographer, has an exhibition here until August 25, with images like the one below.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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JL Flanner

National Museum of Slovenia – There’s plenty to see in the permanent collection here, from Roman times, Egypt and more, with the big draw this week being the exhibition of over 140 items of gold from Ming Dyntasy China, as reported here, and with an example below.

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Photo: Wang Wei Chang

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.

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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.

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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.

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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. Learn more about their tours of street art, history and LGBT Ljubljana 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.

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Museum of Illusions. 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 on Friday and see what’s happening

Klub Tiffany – And nothing’s planned at this friendly gay bar, either, but Friday it should be open.

Pritličje – This is the closest Ljubljana comes to a "gay bar" so it's a good thing this cafe / bar / events space is such a good one, and open from morning to night. You can read more about it here)

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Photo: JL Flanner

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Photo: JL Flanner

LIVE MUSIC

The Urbano Dejanje festival runs from Tuesday to Saturday with a line-up that includes Edo Maajka, Elvis Jackson, Gal Gjurin, Matter, Senidah, Valentino Kanzyani and many more. The event page is here.

Božidar – Wednesday there’s Litošt from 21:00–01:00, with the trio playing psyche, elastic (sic), progressive, electro, dub, cosmic, and lo-fi. The event starts at 19:00, so there’ll be other things until the band starts making the air move. Hear them below.

Gala Hala – On Thursday, the 23rd, you can delight to the sounds being made by Nesesari Kakalulu, a nine-member Afrobeat band from Vrtojba. As you’ll hear below, it’ll be all tight on the night.

Klub Gromka – On Wednesday, Opium Lord and Inhibis, with the former playing sludgy sonic assault and the latter post metal.

Pritličje – Thursday evening there’s Neomi playing indie / electro pop.

OPERA, THEATRE, DANCE

Cankerjev dom – August 21 and 22, Tuesday and Wednesday, you can see the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg performing Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA, about which Boris Eifman says: “Having been turning to Tchaikovsky’s music for many years, I realized how deep and bottomless the composer’s world was. I came to an understanding of a variety of themes related to his work, his psychic identity, relationship with loved ones. All this was not sufficiently studied by me earlier. I wanted to create a work, in which I could delve deeper into the environment of Tchaikovsky’s creative torment.”

On Thursday the same venue then has opera, with the tenor Marcelo Álvarez performing arias from Offenbach, Puccini, Bizet, Rossini and many others, with details here.

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 see what happens next.

 Križanke – Friday you can enjoy the Slovenian musical Vesna at this charming open air venue in the old town (details).

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.

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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.

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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. This week we highlighted the Girl in the Rock.

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Borut Kantuser CC-by-SA 3.0

FINALLY…

If you want to see the Stolpersteine in Ljubljana, newly placed this month, then we have a map of them all here.

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Photo: JL Flanner

Photo galleries and videos

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