Figures from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS) show that “consensual unions” – when a couple live together without a formal, legal relationship – are becoming ever more common, their number having increased by 7.1% since the start of 2015, a rise of 5,500. Consensual unions now represent 14.4% of all families in Slovenia, compared to just 2% in 1981, when such data was first collected. 

SILA – the Slovenian International Ladies Association, although sila in Slovene means “force” – started in 1993, before some of its current members were born, and has changed quite a lot since the days when mobile phones were the size of bricks and the country was only two years old. Some things, however, have stayed the same, and that’s the group’s two main aims: to provide a place where non-Slovene women can find support, companionship, adventure and get to know their new home better, as well as good work in the country. 

The biggest event of the week comes next Sunday, the 28^th, with the Ljubljana Marathon. Starting in the morning with the 10k race, this takes over Kongresni trg and Slovenska cesta, and is a colourful and noisy affair that will cause some detours on the road. Music at the starting line is provided by Stroj Machine. There will also be some related events on Saturday.

The Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, and ŠKUC are co-hosting an international conference on LGBTQ+ literature in Eastern Europe on 25 and 26 October 2018, which will examine, among other issues, the following questions:

It’s a story we’ve told before, but it remains, to our mind, a small but pretty good one, an all too human of an easy mistake followed by mild and temporary suffering, the kind of thing most people have done once or twice in their lives – getting off at the wrong stop and spending the night on the streets. 

STA, 16 October 2018 - Joining World Food Day calls to eradicate hunger globally, Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec has highlighted the need for a change of practices in food production and environmental protection. Changes, albeit slow, are also under way in Slovenia, which produced 53% of the food available in the country in 2016. 

STA, 16 October 2018 - The average Slovenian family spends EUR 1,500 on heating per year, according to a survey commissioned by Borzen, the power market operator. Central heating is still the most popular heating system in the country. 

STA, 15 October 2018 - The statue of Archangel Michael, a major landmark of the coastal town of Piran, was lifted back to the church steeple by a helicopter of the Slovenian Armed Forces on Monday. 

Capriccio, an authentic Italian ristopizza place is offering free samples on its opening day. 

There's a lot of live music going on this week, including what claims to be the first ever K-Pop show in Slovenia, the great Franco Fagioli (see below) returning to Cankerjev dom to sing more of his beloved Handel, and what seems to be even more metal than usual, of the punk, hardcore, black and doom varieties. But whatever you like, we're sure there's something that'll appeal going on over the next 7 days in the capital, so wait for the videos and other media to load then scroll down and see what takes your fancy.