Welcome to May, or the month of love as it is also known. It is time to fill your May schedule with trips around Slovakia. One of the biggest May events is definitely the Night of Museums and Galleries, which takes place on May 18 across the country. And here is a list of another 10 events not to miss:
- AIRSHOW: Aviation Fest, May 4 - 5, Piešťany Airport, Piešťany
- CLEAN-UP ACTIVITY: Green Chopok VII, May 10, ski resort Jasná, Liptovský Mikuláš/Brezno
- PICNIC: Modra Picnic, May 11, resort Harmónia, Modra
- CONCERT: Scarabeusdream & NONN, May 16, culture centre Stanica, Žilina
- FOOD: Trdlofest, May 18, Franciscans's Garden, Skalica
- FAIR: International Engineering Fair, May 21 - 24, Agrokomplex, Nitra
- DANCE FESTIVAL: Move Fest Košice, May 22 - 27, Tabačka Kulturfabrik, Košice
- WINE FESTIVAL: Open Wine Cellars on St Urban's Day, May 24 - 25, 21 towns in the Little Carpathians region
- FOOD: Bryndzové Halušky World Championship, May 25, amphitheatre Nad Bôrami, Terchová
- VIDEO GAME FESTIVAL: Game Days, May 30 - June 2, culture centre Malý Berlín, Trnava
1) AVIATION FEST
In Piešťany, near Trnava, visitors can witness a number of air display teams and aerobatic aircrafts, as well as the reconstruction of Slovak army general and pilot M.R. Štefánik's flight, who tragically died in a plane crash on his way back from Italy 100 years ago. Slovak astronaut Ivan Bella, who was the first Slovak to fly to space in 1999, will be there. On the second day of the festival, children can look forward to the biggest children's zone in Slovakia. The full programme can be accessed here. Tickets will be sold at the venue, but you can also purchase them here.
Place: Piešťany
Venue: Air Base
Date: May 4 – 5
Time: 8:00 – 17:00
Admission: €13/day (adults); €7/day (seniors over 62 & children ages 6-15); free (children under 6)
2) Green Chopok VII
This year's ski season is over, and mountains need your help. If you love mountains, come to the ski resort Jasná, located in the Low Tatras, and help clean the mountains of litter. Also, you will plant new trees on the slopes of Mt Chopok. For helping you will get a free lunch and a ticket to use a cable car in Jasná for free the whole summer. Registration is now open here.
Place: ski resort Jasná (Mt Chopok)
Venue: Biela Púť (if registered for the clean-up of the northern side of Chopok) & Krupová (if registered for the clean-up of the southern side).
Date: May 10
Time: 8:00 – 14:00
Admission: free
3) Modra Picnic
The picnic, which takes place in the Harmónia resort, will open the Modra tourist season again. The event will take visitors back to the early 20th century, when the resort was famous. Luxurious Alpine-style villas (the tour of which is scheduled during the picnic), entertainment, dance evenings, nature and healthy air attracted hikers in the past, but the locals are bringing the Harmónia spirit back. In addition, you'll see the first Czechoslovak car TATRA, a fashion show as well as play games and sports from the 1914-1945 period. And as it is a picnic in the first place, do not forget a blanket, food, and drinks. But don't worry, local wines and specialties will be waiting for you at the venue, as well.
Place: Modra
Venue: resort Harmónia
Date: May 11
Time: 13:00 – 21:00
Admission: free
4) SCARABEUSDREAM & NONN
Bernd Supper and Hannes Moser are two talented men from Austria, who formed the two-member orchestra Scarabeusdream. They play piano and drums. And even when they have just two instruments, they break down all the barriers in music. You can see how they transform a rock song into an aria in mid-May at their Žilina gig. Also, a Swedish trio NONN will come to play their songs. They represent a mixture of post-punk and industrial electronic music. Some say they even sound like the Cure and New Order. Tickets can be purchased here.
Place: Žilina
Venue: culture centre Stanica
Date: May 16
Time: 20:00
Admission: €5 (full) or €3 (discounted)
5) Trdlofest
The town of Skalica, in western Slovakia, organises a festival dedicated to Skalický trdelník, a unique type of cake roasted over a spit and topped with sugar, nuts, or cinnamon. Skalica holds Trdlofest to celebrate not only trdelník but also local traditions and red wine, Skalický rubín, which is also famous. Skalický trdelník and Skalický rubín have both obtained a protected designation of origin (PDO) from the European Union. At this event, which opens the summer season, you'll have the opportunity to taste both. In addition, you can witness how bakers try to grill the longest trdelník in the world. Tickets can be purchased at the tourist information centre in Skalica or here.
Place: Skalica
Venue: The Franciscans' Garden
Date: May 18
Time: from 10:00
Admission: adults: €4.50 (online) or €6 (on the spot); children and seniors over 62: €1.50 (online) or €2.50 (on the spot)
6) International Engineering Fair
The engineering fair of machinery, tools, equipment and technologies returns to Nitra for its 26th edition. Several exhibitions will be held during the fair, concentrating on welding technology, casting and metallurgy, electrical engineering, construction and handling technology. Also, the latest achievements in energy, electronics, lightning and telecommunications will be showcased. If you would like to see a simulated hacker attack on a model system, this fair is even more right for you.
Place: Nitra
Venue: Agrokomplex (exhibition centre)
Date: May 21 – 24
Time: 9:00 – 17:00 (on May 24 until 15:00)
Admission: €7 (full) or €4 (discounted)
7) MOVE FEST KOŠICE
The festival of a new circus and contemporary art comes back to Košice for the second time. SUPER POWERS is this year's topic, but it will not be about superheroes and supernatural powers. Courage to speak up, to be different, and to think out-of-the-box is the superpower that will be central to the festival. For example, the feminist performance Topless America (ES) is to scrap the “taboo of perception of a female body as an object”, and the new-circus performance Respire (I/F) will present visitors with breath-taking, rotating moves, which often seem impossible to be performed by humans. You can find the list of all performances here. Tickets for one of the days, as well as a pass for the six-day-long event, can be purchased at the venue or here.
Place: Košice
Venue: culture centre Tabačka Kulturfabrik
Date: May 22 – 27
Time: late afternoons/evenings
Admission: €20/pass (adult) and €15/pass (student/senior). Prices differ when it comes to one-day tickets.
8) Open Wine Cellars on St Urban's Day
Winemakers will open 133 wine cellars for the thirteenth time in the Little Carpathians region, spreading from Devín, near Bratislava, to Dolné Orešany, near Trnava, on St Urban's Day. He is considered to be the patron saint of all people working in the wine industry around the world. This May, wine lovers can visit open cellars in 21 Slovak towns; eight new wine cellars have been added to the list. Some of the winemakers will serve culinary specialties to visitors, as well. Others have prepared concerts and exhibitions. A complete list of all winemakers and their open cellars can be found on here. Tickets can be purchased here.
Place: Bratislava, Modra, Svätý Jur, Pezinok, and other small towns
Venue: Little Carpathian Wine Route (Malokarpatská vínna cesta)
Date: May 24-25
Time: 14:00 – 21:00/12:00-21:00
Admission: €40 (including a bonus of €20 for the purchase of wine)
9) Bryndzové Halušky World Championship
The Slovak national dish bryndzové halušky, dumplings of potato dough smothered in sheep's cheese, is so popular that Slovaks have been organising plenty of competitions in the cooking and eating of halušky for years. The Bryndzové Halušky World Championship is open to anyone, individuals and teams, who are determined to show off their culinary artistry. There will be teams of four standing against each other, cooking and eating halušky. Although individuals will not be cooking, they can vie to be winners in three different categories – eating halušky, drinking žinčica (sheep milk whey), and eating a one-metre-long korbáčik (string cheese). If you would love to compete, apply by May 25 by sending an e-mail to fero@terchovavratna.sk. Or just turn up in Terchová, in the Žilina Region, to taste different halušky recipes and listen to some folk and pop music.
Place: Terchová
Venue: amphitheatre Nad Bôrami
Date: May 25
Time: 10:00 – 19:45
Admission: €8 (only on the spot), children under 120cm for free
10) Game Days
The international video game festival Game Days is the only event of its kind in Slovakia. It promotes innovative digital games from Slovak and foreign video game makers via workshops and lectures. Video game fans can enjoy a game jam alongside three exhibitions this year, one of which will present Czechoslovak historic games carrying the message of anti-regime resistance. And which Slovak video game will become the best? Find out at the festival! Tickets can be purchased here.
Place: Trnava
Venue: culture centre Malý Berlín
Date: May 30 – June 2
Time: 9:00 - 00:00
Admission: €25/regular or €15/student; children under 12 for free
Game Days aims to raise awareness about video games and new exceptional games in development. (Source: Game Days)
