FESTIVAL LENT 2003 (20. VI. - 5. VII.)

Can you imagine anything more pleasant than listening to a concert under the starry summer sky? Do you feel excited about a classical concert in a 400 year old synagogue? What about some jazz rhythms? Maybe a ballet performance on the floating stage on the river Drava will attract your attention. Why don’t you just take a nice walk along the picturesque streets of 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.

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 14 awards from The International Festival and Events Association (IFEA).

The legendary Ray Charles, B. B. King, James Brown, Jose Feliciano, Lester Bowie with his brass orchestra and Caribbean drummers, plus the famous French violinist Stephane Grappelli, Tania Maria, Les McCann, Jimmy Whitterspoon, Maynard Ferguson, Paquito D'Rivera, Howard Johnson and Dr. John – are just a few names among the acknowledged artists that have performed on the stages of Festival Lent.

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 20th June, it continues up to 5th July 2003 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”.

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