We live
literature here.

Ljubljana is among 42 UNESCO Cities of Literature.

Annual events

  • March

    World Poetry Day in the city

    On March 21, declared World Poetry Day by UNESCO, poetry is in full swing in Ljubljana with a 24-hour-long reading of poetry.

    Stories Today Festival

    The storytelling festival takes place in Cankarjev dom Cultural and Congress Centre and at other venues in Ljubljana and Slovenia. It is the central event of this kind in Slovenia.

    Vzkrik Festival of Drama Writing

    The Vzkrik Festival of Drama Writing provides mentors for authors to develop their drama writing, and their resulting work is later presented in the form of reading performances, followed by discussions with the artists.

    Fabula

    Fabula, organised by the publishing house Beletrina, is the largest and most important literary festival, not only in Ljubljana, but in the whole country, if not an even wider region.

  • April

    Slovene Book Days

    Slovene Book Days is an all-Slovenian festival taking place in early spring in Ljubljana and partner towns.

    Book Night

    Book Night is the largest event aimed at popularising reading and reading culture in Slovenia. The national and international project is based on voluntary work and self-organisation and has marked every night of April 23, the World Book Day, for several consecutive years.

    Book Fair in Zvezda Park on World Book Day

    On April 23, the World Book Day, Zvezda Park hosted a traditional book fair, which in the recent years has changed its location as well as timing in the scope of the Slovene Book Days.

    Etc.

    Etc., a festival of socially engaged literature for young people, is conceived as a web of events, focused on a chosen collection of books, authors and topics. Every year, a wide team of high school pupils, students, experienced editors and other stakeholders in the field of literature strive to find new and fascinating approaches of presenting their books, authors and topics to the public.

  • May

    Liber.ac Academic Book Fair

    The fair calls attention to the variety and high quality of Slovenian academic publishing, the latest achievements in science and interdisciplinary development direction in higher education, while it also strives to introduce academic books to a wider audience.

    Library under the Treetops

    Library under the Treetops is a recognised and well-attended parade of free reading, browsing and enjoyment on different public spaces around the country, popular among all generations of Slovene and foreign visitors.

  • June

    Children’s Book Festival

    The one-day-long Children’s Book Festival is a day of books for children.
     

    Bookstore Night

    On the Bookstore Night, which has been taking place since 2014, bookstores keep their doors open long into the night, while the visitors can also enjoy a varied cultural programme and take advantage of special offers: for every book purchase they receive a book as a gift. The Bookstore Night includes bookstores from Ljubljana, with several bookstores from Koper, Celje and Maribor also taking part.

    Pranger Festival in Ljubljana

    The Pranger Festival is a unique confrontation of critics and poets which strives to strengthen a cultured yet critical dialogue about literature, with the aim of safeguarding the dignity of art and a professionally balanced reception.

    Ljubljana City Library Day

    During its open day, the Ljubljana City Library organises day-long socialising activities in the Oton Župančič Library, with guided tours from morning to evening, as well as a variety of workshops for all generations, reading actions, bestowment of recognition awards to all participants of the Reading City project, literary and other plays and a closing concert.

    Literature Alive (Živa književnost)

    This small, but charming and cherished international festival, blends literature with music.

    Kresnik Award Ceremony

    At midsummer, the Cankar peak of Rožnik hill in Tivoli Park is transformed into a magical
    celebration of literature.

  • August

    Summer on the Silver Screen and between the Book Covers

    The Poletje na platnu in med platnicami (Summer on the Silver Screen and between the Book Covers) Festival focuses on the meeting point of film and literature and has taken place at the open-air cinema of the Slovenian Cinematheque at the Metelkova Museum Plaza since 2018.

    Days of Poetry and Wine Festival in Ljubljana

    The largest and the most recognisable international poetry festival in this part of Europe has been successfully bringing together poetic verse and promotion of Slovenian wines of the highest quality for twenty years.

  • September

    Vilenica International Literary Festival in Ljubljana

    The Vilenica International Literary Festival is a traditional meeting of poets, novelists, drama and essay writers from Central Europe, organised since 1986.

  • October

    Tinta Comics Festival

    The Tinta Comics Festival brings together diverse authors from the Slovenian comics’ scene with the intention of popularisation of comics’ art, it presents the highest achievements and the diversity of contemporary Slovenian comics’ production, as well as project going beyond comics and entering the vivacious dialogue with simultaneous art.

    Ignor Festival

    The Ignor Festival connects literature, sound, visual arts and performance.

  • November

    Slovene Book Fair

    Since 1972, the fair has, in 35 editions, brought together more than a hundred publishers, tens of thousands of visitors, international guests, local and foreign authors, and schools.

  • December

    December Illustration Fair

    The sales illustration fair brings together illustrations of the most prominent Slovenian authors across generations and artistic styles.

PastUpcoming
  • Events | Thu, 0.0.0 | .

Summer on the Silver Screen and between the Book Covers

A careful selection of films is based on literary materials or related to other topics discussed in annual discussions or lectures. Books can be bought at the pop-up bookstore. 
Organised by: Slovenian Cinematheque and Ljubljana, UNESCO City of Literature
News | Tue, 30. 11. 2021

Writer in the ParkLjubljana UNESCO City of Literature International Literary Residency

WHAT
Ljubljana, a UNESCO City of Literature since 2015, offers two one-month residencies for writers at the Švicarija/Swisshouse Creative Centre, which is part of the International Centre of Graphic Arts.

WHEN
May and November 2022 (one month per residency/applicant).

WHO
The residency is aimed at foreign published writers with a palpable, factual relation with any of the other UNESCO Cities of Literature that has to be apparent and described as part of the application. 
The applicant must have published at least one book of fiction (be it prose, poetry or drama) in their language. There are no restrictions regarding age, race, gender or nationality. 

WHAT WE OFFER
Each resident will get a sum amount of the grant and travel expenses of €1000 gross in total (details regarding potential wire-transfer charges and other expenses can be found in the contract). Each resident will stay in their own, separate and fully equipped apartment with a kitchenette at Švicarija/Swisshouse, along with other artists-residents, artists, and exhibitions.

More information.

News | Mon, 6. 9. 2021

Vilenica in LjubljanaInternational Literary Festival, an annual gathering of poets, prose writers, dramatists and essayists

The Vilenica International Literary Festival, an annual gathering of poets, prose writers, dramatists and essayists, organized by the Slovene Writers’ Association, will take place between 7 and 12 September. 

The 36th Vilenica Festival will combine digital content and live events, offering talks, video portraits, literary readings and two short films, dedicated to this year's  Vilenica laureate, the Austrian writer Josef Winkler, and the Slovene author in focus, Milan Dekleva. 

The festival will take place in several parts of Slovenia (along with Ljubljana).

More at: https://vilenica.si/en/vilenica-2021-2/

News | Sat, 14. 8. 2021

Summer on Screen and Between the PagesFamily matters

Film screenings
Talks on literature and film
Pop-up bookstore
This Could Be a Movie: Connecting writers and filmmakers

Along with the Slovene Cinematheque, the Ljubljana, UNESCO City of Literature Office invites you for a summer get-together with books and film screenings, taking place at the Slovene Cinematheque’s Open-Air Cinema (in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova) between 10 and 15 August. 
 

News | Tue, 15. 6. 2021

The Open-Air Book Fair is back in town!As a part of the Slovene Book Days Festival

The popular Open-Air Book Fair is returning to the wonderful garden of the Slovene Writers' Association. For three days, 50 publishers will offer their best and newest editions at affordable prices, with the accompanying program allowing visitors to furher delve into the work of both authors and publishers.

In addition to Ljubljana, the book fair will take place in Koper, Celje and Novo mesto (between 15 and 19 June).