December in Ljubljana
In December, the city of Ljubljana illuminates in its festivities! The festive events have commenced on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 with the event “People, Let’s Turn on the Light!” when the Christmas lighting is switched on throughout the city.
Experiencing Festive Ljubljana in December
This year’s traditional part of the December festive programme again includes the St. Nicholas Fair, the Holiday Fair, the St. Nicholas Procession, the Good Fairy, performances of organ-grinders in the streets and markets, Christmas Concert, the five procession of Grandfather Frost and his ensemble, street theatre performances, an open-air music programme in squares and open-air firework New Year celebrations.
This year’s festivities will for the first time witness an open-air life-size Christmas crib installation in front of the Zois Mansion. This part of the programme is organized by the Anton Kravanja Christmas Cribs Association from Stožice.
In the scope of the music programme, the stages in Novi Trg, Kongresni Trg, Mestni Trg, Trg Francoske Revolucije and Pogačarjev Trg are taken by numerous well-established Slovenian and foreign music performers offering their best entertainment to passers-by.
Ljubljana’s Festive Lighting
The designer of the city’s lighting decoration is once more the artist Zmago Modic, who finds a way to upgrade the past solutions by reusing the large quantities of the second-hand material year in and year out. In 2013, his previous Christmas lighting projects – “Cosmic Ljubljana, “Path of Life”, and “Bearers of Light” – are fused into the project “Beginning of Time”.
This year’s New Year decoration of the Trubarjeva Street will be something special for it will include the umbrella-shaped lights designed by the Culture Association ProstoRož in collaboration with a local umbrella-maker.
Traditionally, the Zvezda Park will contribute its magic with fairies and light sculptures created by children attending local schools under the guidance of Andrej Erjavec.
Lighting decoration: About 64 kilometres of lighting sculptures and light garlands will be installed on trees and seven spruces located in the Prešern Trg, at Figovec, in Levstikov Trg, Pod Trančo, next to the City Hall and in its Atrium as well as on the Ljubljana Castle.
Free parking in the Vodnikov Trg
Visitors of the events will be offered a free parking in the Vodnikov Trg from December 1, 2013 up to including January 1, 2014: from Monday to Friday between 6.30 pm to 5 am, on Saturdays from 6.30 pm on and on Sundays and Holidays for the whole day to 5 am.
Urban Passenger Transport buses
In the night from December 24 to December 25, and on the New Year’s Eve there will be more night buses available.
In the night from December 24 to December 25, the buses will be scheduled on the night lines N1, 2, N3, N5, 6, and N11 until 1.15 am, whereas the New Year’s Eve night line buses will operate throughout the night in a 40-minute interval. From 10.30 pm to 11.30 pm the additional buses will be scheduled on the lines in direction of the city centre.
Regular Guided Tours of Ljubljana
Also the regular guided tours of Ljubljana will not escape a festive atmosphere in December. The Ljubljana Tourism has prepared various programmes for visitors to surprise their nearest and dearest. There are three holiday programmes on offer; for more information visit
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