Here's what to do during the weekend of 3-5 July.
Slovakia’s oldest and largest folk festival, Východná, returns this summer for its 71th edition. Running from July 3–5, the festival presents dozens of performances from local and international ensembles in a vibrant celebration of folk traditions against the backdrop of both the High Tatras and Low Tatras. Visitors can also try their hand at traditional crafts, attend singing and dance workshops, and sample regional delicacies. Learn more here.
This Saturday and Sunday, the town of Vrbové in western Slovakia will celebrate the 20th anniversary edition of Vrbovské Vetry, a music festival known for its unique and quirky atmosphere. Where else can you enter a rocking horse race or race a car while not being inside one? Alongside these eccentric contests, you can look forward to live performances by bands such as Chiki-liki-tu-a, Puding Pani Elvisovej, FVLCRVM, Karpatské Chrbáty, Zlokot, and others.
The Fest Anča International Animation Festival returns for its 19th edition, providing a space for students, professionals, animators, children and adults to connect and enjoy animated film together. Although the event – held in Žilina, northern Slovakia – began on 30 June, there is still much to enjoy before it concludes on Sunday, especially over the weekend. This year’s festival features screenings of 233 of short and feature-length films, including several premieres alongside iconic titles such as Paprika. The theme of this year’s edition is Fake and the festival intends to explore it by asking questions such as what is the relationship between fiction and reality, who’s pulling the strings, what kind of masks do we wear. These are present not just in films, but also in other parts of the programme, which you can learn about here. Grab your tickets here.
