MAJOR EVENTS

There is always something happening in Slovenia. The most prominent traditional events are such things as Pust or Kurentovanje in Ptuj, which is an annual festival supposed to drive away the winter and greet a new spring every February. The ski jump at Planica is the biggest in the world and thus record distances are continually "flown" here. The first plus-100 and 200-metre distances were achieved here, and Planica attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators to its annual World Cup ski jump festival every February or March. The Ljubljana Summer Festival is the premier cultural event in Slovenia, comprising a list of events too vast to mention and running from July to mid-August. There are events going on nationwide all-year-round. This is a selection of the main events:

Events
January	Women's World Cup Slalom and Giant Slalom Competition (Golden Fox), Pohorje Part of the Women's World Cup tour on the slopes southwest of Maribor. Come to see the fastest in the world.
February	Kurentovanje, Ptuj A "rite of spring" celebrated for 10 days up to Shrove Tuesday and the most popular Mardi Gras celebration in Slovenia. Other important pre-Lent festivals take place in Cerknica and Cerkno.
March	Ski Jumping World Cup Championships, Planica Three days of high flying on skis near Kranjska Gora. Huge crowds gather to party and see world records smashed.
end of April	Tulip Days, Volčji Potok Sloveni's largest flower and gardening show at the arboretum near Kamnik
May / June	Druga Godba, Ljubljana A festival of alternative and world music in late May/ early June.
June	International Biennial of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana From mid-June to September in odd-numbered years. Festival Lent, Maribor A two-week extravaganza of folklore and culture in the Old Town in late June/ early July. Festival Brežice, Brežice Month-long series of concerts of ancient music held from late June to late July. Ljubljana Jazz Festival Three days of world-class musicians at Slovenia's premier jazz festival (end-June)
June / July	Ana Desetnica International Festival of Street Theatre, Ljubljana One of the largest outdoor theatre festivals in Europe. Mime, dance and improvisation take over the capital.
July	Ljubljana Summer Festival, Ljubljana The nation's premier cultural event (music, theatre and dance) from early July to late August. Primorska Summer Festival Concerts, theatre and dance events held in various venues in Piran, Koper, Izola and Portorož from early June to mid-August. Rock Otočec Three-day rock concert in early July Slovenia's biggest open-air rock concert. Bled Days, Bled Weekend fair and crafts stalls by the lake, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display and thousands of candles on the lake (mid July). Mediterranean Festival, Izola World, ethno and folk music festival on an open-air stage in the Old Town. Soča Reggae Riversplash, Tolmin International festival consistently attracting some of the biggest names in reggae.
August	Trnfest Ljubljana Festival with gigs, exhibitions and workshops organised by the KUD France Prešeren cultural centre. Knights' Tournament, Predjama Castle ousting tournament and large doses of medieval merriment (the last Sunday in August) Shepherd's Ball, Jezersko A day and evening of folk music and dancing on the second Sunday in August
September	Cows' Ball, Bohinj Weekend of folk dance and music to mark the return of the cows from their high pastures to the valleys. Dormouse Night, Cerknica A celebration and feast during the very short dormouse-hunting season in late September.
October	City of Women, Ljubljana International festival of contemporary arts, focusing on art and culture created by women. Ljubljana Marathon First run in 1996, this marathon draws an increasingly international field.
November	St Martin's Day Nationwide wine celebration (November 11)
December	Christmas Concerts and Celebrations Throughout Slovenia. The most famous nativity plays are in Postojna Cave.