Week of Cultures 2026 – A Festival of Intercultural Arts and Culinary Delights
15.–19. June 2026
The Association for the Development of Voluntary Work Novo mesto invites you to the Week of Cultures 2026 – a festival of intercultural arts and culinary delights, taking place from 15 to 19 June 2026 at Glavni trg, Novo mesto.
Free admission!
PROGRAMME
Monday, 15 June 2026
(Un)usual Conversations: LIVING LIBRARY
- 8:30–11:30 | Association for the Development of Voluntary Work Novo mesto | 30-minute conversations | 🔆 ☔ Glavni trg – Gostišče na trgu
- The “books” in the Living Library are not ordinary books, but people whom you can “borrow” for a 30-minute personal conversation about their life story. Borrow an immigrant, a Muslim woman, a Roma woman, a gay person, a refugee, a person who has lost their sight … and discover what is true and what is not.
Monday, 15 June 2026
Puppet Performance: ZDRAVKO AND HIS YOGA COURSE OF SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT
- 19:00 | Jurij Torkar, ZIZ Association | 45 min | 🔆 Glavni trg, ☔ Miran Jarc Library
- Zdravko is a yoga teacher who, even in old age, still runs yoga classes for both young and old. However, certain parts of his body are no longer as reliable as they once were, so hardly any session passes without complications. Come dressed comfortably, as you may become his students. Prepare yourselves for lifelong enlightenment – and perhaps also for the collapse of the teacher …
Tuesday, 16 June 2026
Afrofonija: ROOTS IN MOTION – WHERE WE MEET
- 20:00 | DIASPORA Collective & Baobab Cultural Association | 50 min | 🔆 Glavni trg, ☔ Miran Jarc Library
- This African music and dance evening draws inspiration from rich West African traditions and brings them into the European present day. Dalanda Diallo and Maša Kagao Knez (dance), Blaž Celarec (percussion), and Seydou Yoni Kouyate (kora) create an atmosphere of optimism and community, where diversity becomes an inspiration for connection and coexistence.
Wednesday, 17 June 2026
Stand-Up Comedy: ADMIR BALTIĆ AT THE SQUARE
- 20:00 | Admir Baltić | 60 min | 🔆 Glavni trg, ☔ Miran Jarc Library
- Novo mesto welcomes a renowned name from the stand-up comedy scene, one of the famous “Ićkoti” quintet and a tireless explorer of new words in the satirical TV show Kaj dogaja – Master Baltić! He will share his observations on family life, Bosnian–Slovenian relations, rising living costs, and times long gone by … Laughter guaranteed!
Thursday, 18 June 2026
Salsa Concert & Dance Party: QUIMBARA
- 20:00 | Quimbara | 90 min | 🔆 Glavni trg, ☔ KCJT Art Caffe
- Salsa and bachata straight from the source! This lively nine-member ensemble brings together musicians from Venezuela, Cuba, Italy, and Slovenia, transforming hits from Puerto Rico, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic into rich arrangements infused with Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Get ready to dance the night away!
Friday, 19 June 2026
Kulturinarika: A CELEBRATION OF ALL CULTURES
- 17:00–20:00 | Association for the Development of Voluntary Work Novo mesto | 180 min | 🔆 Glavni trg, ☔ Miran Jarc Library
- A colourful and delicious finale to the Week of Cultures, when Glavni trg fills with the bustle of different worlds, the aromas of international cuisines, and the sounds of waltzes, seven-eighth rhythms, and much more. Experience the world in miniature!
- Artistic and culinary presentations of various cultures: Venezuelan, Turkish, Palestinian, Nepalese, Syrian, African, Ukrainian, Slovenian, Macedonian, Albanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosniak, Žumberak, Roma, and more.
- Workshops: African braid weaving, Turkish marbling art (ebru), Chinese calligraphy, face painting … and plenty of sweets!
Partners: Krka d.d. Novo mesto, Municipality of Novo mesto, Miran Jarc Library Novo mesto, Public Fund of the Republic of Slovenia for Cultural Activities, and Zavod Boter.
Experience the rhythm and atmosphere of different countries without ever leaving town!
