Top things to do in Bratislava in October. October will also belong to good food, art, culture and entertainment. Here’s an overview of the most interesting events, activities and programmes you can enjoy during autumn in Bratislava.
1. White Night 2023
2. Big Dance Evening
3. Haunts at Smolenice Castle
4. CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
5. Comedy drama THE FATHER
6. Vegan feast
7. Be2Can festival
8. Apple feast
9. Bratislava Music Festival
10. Bratislava in motion
Over the years, an increasingly popular event for all those who love art and magical atmosphere. Bratislava will be lit up by the White Night on the last weekend in September. For three whole days you can enjoy the architecture of the city, which will be enriched by the works of well-known Slovak and foreign artists, not only indoors but also outdoors. You will enjoy visual and sound installations, interactive objects, as well as concerts, film projections and various artistic performances. Most of the works can be enjoyed throughout the weekend, but some works will only be accessible at certain times. You can find out which ones in the programme map, on the website, and in the mobile app.
If you’re a lover of jazz and swing from the 1920s to the 1940s, don’t miss the Big Dance Evening. Two great orchestras, Bratislava Hot Serenaders and Ondřej Havelka and his Melody Makers – Big Band Battle, will provide great entertainment as they meet on one stage in a friendly duel. An evening of dancing, fun, great music and costumes in the style of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s awaits you. You decide which of these two amazing orchestras wins this time.
Ghosts and various other monsters will not be missing at Smolenice Castle this year either. They will visit the castle during Halloween, on 28 October 2023 from 9:30 am. This time, the weekend full of ghosts is inspired by the well-known fairy tale about two siblings, Hansel and Gretel and Ježibaba. In addition to these, during the haunted weekend you can also look forward to a performance by the URSUS historical fencing group and a craft market full of products from local producers and artisans.
Cirque du Soleil returns to Bratislava! This time with the spectacular performance OVO, a story from the world of insects about adorable little bugs whose lives are changed by a mysterious egg. How? You will find out at an amazing performance with the legendary art of acrobatic artists from the world-famous troupe, which consists of artists from 25 countries. The performances will take place in Bratislava’s Tipos Arena – Ondrej Nepela Winter Stadium on 20-22 October 2023.
Great cast, engaging story, intimate setting. MUSE TEATRO offers all this in the touching story of a father and his daughter in the comedy drama THE FATHER. The story of a man who, together with his daughter, lives the final stage of his life, interfered by his illness. The father refuses help from his daughter, but his world changes. And he begins to doubt both his loved ones and reality. Emil Horváth and Petra Vajdová will play the lead roles and give phenomenal performances.
This time we have something for vegan food lovers. The second Sunday in October will belong to the Vegan Feast in the Old Market Hall. At the feast you can not only taste healthy and tasty food or drinks, but also meet the producers of cosmetics made in accordance with the vegan philosophy, which means only plant origin and no animal testing. There will also be lectures, discussions, a cookery show and other side events.
Berlin, Venice and Cannes and the best films of the world-famous film festivals in Bratislava. For the tenth time, the Be2Can festival will offer a selection of the best of the Berlin, Venice and Cannes festivals. You can look forward to such gems as Disco Boy, the thrilling drama Golda – The Iron Lady of Israel, Music, the film adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novel Stars at Noon, a film about the life of Jeanne Beca, Jeanne du Barry – The King’s Mistress and other great films. A selection of the best can be seen at Kino Film Europe, Artkino za Zrkadlom, Kino Lúky, Kino Mladosť, Kino Inak and Cinema City Aupark.
They reduce high cholesterol and blood pressure, support digestion, boost the immune system, prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Do you know what we are talking about? Apples! This miraculous fruit has a holiday on Saturday 7 October and you can enjoy all its varieties and dishes made from apples in Modra, Senec, Pezinok, Limbach, Svätý Jur, Vinično, Jablonovo, Rača, Rusovce, Bratislava – Devínská Nová Ves, Ivanka pri Dunaji, and also in Stupava at the Apple Feast.
In October you can also look forward to the Bratislava Music Festival, the 58th edition of which kicked off in the second half of September. October will belong to the Brno Philharmonic and the Slovak Philharmonic Choir, who have invited conductor Dennis Russell Davies and pianist Polina Osetinskaja as soloist in a co-production project. The first part of the final concert of this year’s BHS will again feature our leading violinist Dalibor Karvay, currently concertmaster of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, as soloist.The 58th BHS will close with Eugen Suchoň’s monumental work Metamorphoses under the baton of Tomáš Netopil, one of the most sought-after Czech conductors abroad.
This year, the organisers focused on contemporary dance in Belgium and its creators, who are known for their love of experimentation and have been setting trends in the development of contemporary dance in Europe for years. In addition to Belgian artists, their colleagues from France, Italy, Great Britain and Slovakia will also be present.
Photo view of Bratislava from @amkophotography
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