SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF THE 37th INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL NIGHTS IN OLD LJUBLJANA

Dear musicians, visitors, partners, and supporters,

thank you for being part of this year’s 37th International Festival Nights in Old Ljubljana Town, which at the end of August brought the historic city center to life with twelve events across five venues and more than one hundred musicians from Slovenia, Hungary, and North Macedonia.

Friday evening was marked by the fiery rhythms of the Vito Marenče Flamenco Trio and Romano Glauso, the gala concert of the Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra in Križanke, and the multimedia project by Lado Jakša in the City Museum. The festival’s grand finale on Saturday at Novi trg featured a virtuosic performance by Lana Trotovšek with the EMARS String Orchestra, the energetic Romano Drom, and a closing concert with Imer Traja Brizani and Amala, while the City Museum resounded with Swingatan and Bajsa Arifovska with the duo Harmelogic. The program was further enriched by the open-air exhibition Zašpilaj eno, muzikaš! (Play One, Musician!).

The festival also included the International Symposium “Romani and Sinti Musicians between State, Market, and Society”, while the youngest audiences enjoyed the musical fairy tale The Grey Wolf at a Picnic in the Zoo, performed by the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra.

Our sincere gratitude goes to our partners: the Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Center Ljubljana, Festival Arsana, Slovenian Philharmonic, Ljubljana Zoo, Vita Insurance, Festival Ljubljana, the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana, the Union of Roma of Slovenia, the Institute for Romani Studies, Education, and Culture, the Romani Academic Club, and the KED Folk Slovenia Society.

It was a true pleasure to host such outstanding artists and audiences and to create together a genuine celebration of music and community. We are proud that the festival remains free and open to everyone, made possible by the support of our loyal partners, co-financiers, patrons, and sponsors – in particular the Municipality of Ljubljana, Ljubljana Tourism, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO.

Thank you for co-creating this year’s Nights in Old Ljubljana Town – we look forward to seeing you again next year!