KUD France Preseren

Established way back in 1919 and named after the legendary Slovenian poet, KUD France Prešeren is a community association and multidisciplinary cultural venue based in the Trnovo area of Ljubljana.

Kud, as the locals call it, houses a small café, a gallery space and a hall for small-sized concerts and theatre performances. During the day, there is always an exhibition worth checking out but don’t expect anything beyond the siesta-type-slow-and-easy attitude from the staff. Order your beverage at the bar, choose a stool in a sizable yard (considered to be one of the best unofficial sunbathing spots in town) and forget about your troubles.

Although Kud seems almost empty half the time, there is always plenty of artists around, working on puppet and theatre performances in the hall or rehearsing new songs in the backroom.

Kud can get quite busy in the evenings, particularly in August when it attracts huge crowds through its annual Trnfest festival. Every summer for the last 20 years a large open-air stage has been reappearing in Kud’s yard, signaling the beginning of this five-week cultural marathon with countless events, including performances by internationally acclaimed musicians.

During Trnfest you can expect hundreds of 18-40 year olds turning up every evening, socializing in front of the stage after the main event or dancing in the hall until the small hours. Believe it or not, all Trnfest events are free.

www.kud.si