The Pohoda and Grape music festivals, art installations, street performances, concerts, and performances. We bring you a selection of the best events Trenčín has prepared for the summer months as part of its European Capital of Culture program.
July 8–11, Pohoda 2026
Pohoda 2026 is one of the most-attended festivals in Slovakia, where music, art, freedom, and curiosity come together. Held at the Trenčín airport, the festival will once again provide a space for shared experiences, unexpected encounters, and energy that transcends the boundaries of the city and the country.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/pohoda-2026-2/
July 17–18, „Za stolom” Festival
A festival about people, food, and everything in between. Take a seat at the big table and enjoy concerts, discussions, and films centered around food. Because at the table, we don’t just feast—we also have fun, chat, and reflect.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/at-the-table/
July 17–August 2, Author Reading Month
This summer, Trenčín will once again become a venue for exceptional literary gatherings and the discovery of new stories. For the second time, it will participate in the prestigious Month of Author Readings festival, the largest literary event of its kind in Central Europe. This year’s edition will offer a unique perspective on Greenland and its contemporary literature—featuring Greenlandic authors whose works explore themes of identity, traditions, family relationships, and life in Arctic conditions.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/month-of-author-readings/
July 18, Opening of Michal Zajac’s Intervention – Post-Sustainability
Artistic intervention by Michal Zajac: The “Sensitivity of the City” project explores sustainability and responds to the trend of viewing architecture as the creation of environments not only for human actors. Environments and structures serve as habitats for diverse biotopes—ranging from plants and microorganisms to insects and small animals—while also creating high-quality public spaces. Within this framework, a site-specific work has been created that responds to the specific context of the Fabrika umění space.
July 19, Music Sunday
The band BUTY was formed in 1986 in Vítkovice, Ostrava, and over the course of nearly forty years, it has developed a distinctive style—combining poetry, humour, and powerful melodies.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/music-sundays-buty-cz-concert/
July 30, Opening of the pavilions by the Woven collective and a community picnic To celebrate the opening of the renovated Alúvia area along Orechovský Creek, we invite you to the opening of the pavilions for the “Úniky v prostoru” project by the Woven collective. The program will include a discussion with the pavilion designers and the architects who contributed to the revitalization of this area, complemented by a musical program. Visitors can look forward to the first community event in a series of picnics that Fabrika umění will be organizing in this location throughout the summer.
July 31, Music Picnics – TIMEA
A few months ago, TIMEA released her debut album, “and I forever will,” which reflects on the time she spent in New York, the loss of her father, and the personal transformation that resulted. TIMEA says it’s an album full of love—both the love she lost and the love she found along the way. The album was also nominated for Radiohláv’s “Debut of the Year” award in 2025.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/music-picnics-timea/
August 6, Dance Performance by Silvie Sviteková: DYCHOTÉKA
The dance performance “Dychotéka” is shaped by ballroom dancing and brass band music. It creates a space for eye contact, physical touch, closeness, synchronized movement, and shared gestures. In addition to energy and rules, it also reflects a stereotypical view of the male-female couple, and its hierarchical structure is part of the competition’s rules.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/dance-performance-silvia-svitekova-dychoteka/
August 8, Summer Saturdays at the Castle – What the Middle Ages Tasted Like
Join us on a journey back to a time when the scent of authentic period cuisine wafted from castle courtyards and craftsmanship was a gold mine. This event, organized by the Terra de Selinan guild, will bring you closer to the everyday life of our ancestors through all your senses. The main attraction is the period kitchen, where you can sample specialties prepared according to traditional recipes right over an open fire.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/summer-saturdays-at-the-castle-a-taste-of-the-middle-ages/
August 8, DJ Kristie Kardio Concert
Kristie Kardio is a DJ from Bratislava who blends various techno subgenres into a seamless and captivating sonic journey in her sets. Her mixes are characterized by a hypnotic atmosphere, melancholic melodies, and progressive build-ups.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/dj-kristie-kardio-concert/
August 9, Concert by the band Perchta (CZ) – Český Krumlov City Choir
The Perchta Mixed Choir from Český Krumlov was founded in 1994 and, over the course of three decades, has built a repertoire ranging from the Renaissance and Baroque periods to contemporary composers and arrangements of folk songs.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/perchta-cz-concert-choir-of-the-city-of-cesky-krumlov/
August 14, Music Picnics – Alice in Wonderband (SRB) + Ildikó Kali Trio
Alice in WonderBand is a Serbian duo that turns the body into a musical instrument—combining Balkan world music with body percussion, theatre, dance, and singing. Ana Vrbaški and Marko Dinjaški have been performing together since 1998, and their performances are as physical as they are musical. Their debut album, RikaTaka, made it into the top 10 of the World Music Charts Europe. The Ildikó Kali Trio draws on a different kind of courage—it delves into the archaic poetics of Ján Botto’s folk ballads and translates them into a contemporary language. A Slovak-African fusion, Romani poetics, regional dialects, and natural motifs come together with authentic vocal expression that conveys powerful emotion.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/music-picnics-alice-in-wonderband-srb-ildiko-kali-trio/
August 14–15, Grape Festival 2026
The Grape Festival, one of the largest and most popular multi-genre festivals in Slovakia, will feature a diverse line-up full of international stars and a brand-new theme this year. Jorja Smith (GB), currently one of the most exciting artists in the R&B/Soul genres and whose incredible live performances are the highlight of every music festival, will perform in Slovakia for the first time. Her performance will be complemented by the British rock band LEAP (UK) and the Slovak singer, rapper, and producer Saul (SK), known from the trap trio Khans, who is currently a member of the influential eastern Slovak band WELOVEVERYSIMPLE. Also performing will be international pop star CMAT (IE) and the Berlin-based electronic duo Brutalismus 3000 (DE).
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/trencin-2026-at-the-grape-festival/
August 17–20, Video projection on the City Tower by Krysztof Wodiczko (PL/US) World-renowned artist Krzysztof Wodiczko will create a new site-specific work for Trenčín in the form of a large-scale video projection on the City Tower. The work uses voice, image, and public space as tools for civic expression and explores themes of peace, memory, identity, and social dialogue.
August 19–20, Hydraulic Tongues
An installation by artists Nomeda Urbonas and Gediminas Urbonas that transforms firefighting equipment into a playful work of art. Created in collaboration with the local volunteer fire department, it will be on display starting August 19 at Looke (the area between the new railway bridge and the track leading to Chynora).
August 22, DJ Vesnu Concert
Vesnu is a DJ and promoter who has been transforming Bratislava’s nights into islands of freedom for more than 14 years. He is the founder of the Teplárna club, which celebrates people and their diversity. He has also organized events such as Homomat, Shame, and many others, which he created as safe havens for the queer community.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/dj-vesnu-concert/
August 27, Premiere of the work “Two Figs”
Two sculptures in the form of carved figs—significantly oversized, as if they had accidentally fallen or been forgotten beneath the pine trees in the park near the train station—stem from Martin Piaček’s long-standing interest in the fruits and trees of the fig tree. The fig tree is a plant that did not originally grow in Slovakia, but with gradual warming, it is becoming increasingly common, especially in the south of the country. Piaček, a sculptor and educator, has an orchard in Rajec where he grows fig trees himself—his relationship to this subject is thus linked to both personal passion and practical considerations, as well as environmental concerns.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/opening-of-the-artwork-two-figs/
August 27, Opening of the WeisserFleck art intervention by the Dusts Institute
WeisserFleck (white spot) is an intervention in public space that creates a new attractor—an ephemeral graphic on a building’s facade—while also highlighting the themes of biopatin, urban ecology, and air quality. Weisserfleck is the outcome of the “Sensitivity of the City” project, which responds to the trend of viewing architecture as the creation of environments not only for human actors. Environments and objects serve as habitats for diverse biotopes—ranging from plants and microorganisms to insects and small animals—while also creating high-quality public spaces.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/opening-of-the-intervention-wisserfleck-by-dusts-institute/
August 28, Palackého Live
Palackého Live is a small urban festival whose goal is to show that even a place known primarily as a large parking lot can be a pleasant public space. For one summer evening, Palackého Street is transformed into a safe and peaceful zone full of life, greenery, inspiration, and experiences. The event includes a Music Picnic.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/palackeho-live/
August 29, Marta Concert (FR)
The French duo MARTA straddles the line between acoustic and electronic sounds. Their minimalist and progressive approach to dance music appeals to both audiences and critics—their debut EP, *ROOM*, won the prestigious Qobuzissime award and established them as one of the most interesting voices on the contemporary live techno scene. They draw inspiration from artists such as Floating Points and Max Cooper.
More here: https://www.trencin2026.eu/en/podujatie/marta-fr-concert/
