In late summer, diverse and lively dance, theatre and film festivals come together to delight open-minded and curious audiences. FeKK also joins the initiative and together we invite you to: Agile sequences for agile audiences!
The collaboration of six festivals in a joint initiative is a response to common challenges and an expression of the desire for greater visibility and mutual support. The joint campaign opens up space for the creation of an alternative map of cultural events that transcends the boundaries of the capital and creates the possibility of a summer festival “tour” around Slovenia. The networking of festivals, which are already individual genre intertwining of film, dance, and theater, enables the joint invitation of distant artists and strengthens the recognition of non-institutional cultural production, which enriches the central summer cultural currents with its boldness and diversity.
11th FeKK – Ljubljana Short Film Festival
18–23 August @ Ljubljana
Ljubljana will once again host FeKK – Ljubljana Short Film Festival, which enters its 11th edition with a diverse program of the best short films from Slovenia, the Balkans, and the wider international scene. The festival focuses on auteur and experimental approaches and discovers fresh voices in contemporary film production. In addition to the competition and curated programs, FeKK will also offer a rich accompanying program: talks, exhibitions, workshops, and numerous opportunities for networking among filmmakers.
28th Mladi Levi Festival – International Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts
August 23–30 @ Ljubljana
In August, Ljubljana will once again host the Mladi Levi festival, which, for the 28th year in a row, will bring a selection of fresh and innovative theater, dance, and hybrid performances from Slovenia and abroad, organized by Bunker. The festival is renowned for its relaxed yet engaged atmosphere and strong festival community that connects audiences and creators. This year’s edition focuses on both young and established international artists in contemporary performing arts. The program also includes participatory events, talks under the chestnut trees, workshops, and social gatherings that shape the festival as a space for art, dialogue, and community.
20th Front@ – International Festival of Contemporary Dance
August 27–30 @ Murska Sobota
Organized by the Flota Institute, Murska Sobota will host the 20th anniversary edition of the Front@ International Festival of Contemporary Dance, which for two decades has been connecting the local environment with contemporary dance creativity from the wider international scene. The festival brings top-notch international productions to various venues, including a theater, a park, a castle, and the streets of the city. The performances will be accompanied by discussions with the authors, workshops, and other accompanying events that encourage reflection on contemporary dance and strengthen its dialogue with the public.
19th Contemporary Dance Platform – Contemporary Dance Festival in Maribor
31 August–6 September @ Maribor
Organized by the MOJA KREACIJA Institute, the 19th edition of the Contemporary Dance Platform will take place in Maribor, a festival that highlights current domestic and foreign productions in the field of contemporary dance. The festival presents a curated program of original performances, participatory events, an open stage, workshops, and public discussions. The platform remains an important venue for the presentation of new original works, professional reflection, and networking, with the aim of strengthening dialogue between dance creators and audiences and raising the profile of contemporary dance in the local and wider area.
4UKREP – Festival of Dance Perspectives
3–7 SEP @ Ljubljana
Ukrep is a biennial contemporary dance festival organized by the Dance Theater Ljubljana (PTL). Since 2008, it has been actively involved in the lively cultural scene of Ljubljana, opening up space for fresh choreographic approaches, experimental formats, and the development of new dance aesthetics. It focuses on supporting promising authors and productions in the making and encourages collaboration between artists and reflection on contemporary dance art. This year’s edition of the festival, entitled 4UKREP, will present works by younger local artists and international guests who, with their approaches, raise current issues in contemporary dance and create space for dialogue with the audience.
Na knap. Festival of Short Dance Form
4–6 SEP @ Ljubljana
Na knap. The Festival of Short Dance Form brings together contemporary dance in various media, especially dance on stage, in film, and in virtual reality. Movement—and its dialectical relationship with stillness—is fundamental to dance, on stage, but also to film and virtual reality as a form and experience. Choreography or direction moves the body on stage, in film, and in virtual reality, but in film and virtual reality, choreography or direction also moves the gaze, and in virtual reality, through immersion in digital technology, (self-)choreography or (self-)direction moves the body and gaze of the viewer, now the performers. The body, the gaze, and the viewer are objects of dance that transition from one to the other, just as media transitions from one to the other. If we cross the institutional threshold. The festival is committed to dance as a form, but also expands dance as an institution; dance emerges in a public context and space, whether as an exhibition, intervention, discourse, education, or community. Welcome to the expanded field of contemporary dance!
Find out more about the festivals and the programme here!