Festival Lent 2008 - Maribor

All this and a lot more makes up Festival Lent, changing the banks of the river Drava into a lively cultural and sociable centre, beating with all kinds of rhythms.

We believe that this year's festival will for the fifteen time attract a lot of visitors, especially because of its top-quality program. So why not start this year's summer with “Festival Lent”?

A variety of more than 400 performances and half a million of visitors make “Festival Lent” one of the biggest festivals in Europe, moreover it is also known across the pond in America. This multicultural festival that has its origin in the folklore festival “Folkart” has received several awards, among them 32 awards from The International Festival and Events Association (IFEA).

Festival Lent is ranking among the Top 50 of Europe's Best Local Festivities!

To date, many internationally acknowledged musicians have performed at Festival Lent, particularly at Jazzlent. Along the banks of the river Drava, stars such as Ray Charles, B. B. King, James Brown, Jose Feliciano, Lester Bowie, Stephane Grappelli, Tania Maria, Les McCann, Jimmy Whiterspoon, Maynard Ferguson Big Band, Paquito D’Rivera, Howard Johnson & Gravity, Dr. John, B. Golson, Chico Freeman, Vocal Sampling, Reggie Workman, Chucho Valdes, Brad Mehldau, Monty Alexander, Ray Brown, Alfredo De La Fé, Bela Fleck, Alvin Queen, Dr. Didg, Esbjörn Svensson, Alfredo Rodrigues, Matt Darriau, Taj Mahal, Malia ,Mercedes Sosa, Olodum ,Eric Burdon & The Animals, David Byrne, Reggie Johnson, Femi Anikulapo Kuti, Joe Zawinul, Maceo Parker, Living Colour and many others have attracted numerous visitors. Moreover, every year honoured guests at the festival also include many acknowledged Slovene artists. The International Folklore Festival “Folkart” is characterised by its quality and the variety of folklore groups from Slovenia and abroad. Some top street theatre groups from all around the world, and from Slovenia, visit Maribor every year thanks to the Street theatre Festival.

This multicultural program is already a well-proven formula, and is sure to meet the demands of all discerning visitors.

Expect a variety of concerts of classical, jazz, popular and ethno music, evenings with singers-songwriters, chanson evenings, theatre and dance performances, drama and puppet theatres, creative workshops for children, sport performances and much more. Commencing on 27th June, it continues up to 12th July 2007 on 23 locations and stages. The International Folklore Festival Folkart, the Festival “Jazzlent” and the Street Theatre Festival will also take place within Festival Lent.