The city organises its 20th edition of Bratislava City Days

You will get to know Bratislava from the saddle of a bicycle or from a cruise on the Danube, you can join guided tours, exhibitions, quizzes and workshops, experience street theatre, visit a popular dance school and take part in a frisbee competition. The Bratislava City Days, organised by the city and the Bratislava Cultural and Information Centre (BKIS), include activities for all age groups. The city and partner organisations and twelve city districts are involved in this eventful weekend event, and residents can expect an interesting programme throughout Bratislava.

City festivities on St George's Day

The tradition of opening the city to its residents on St George's Day is interwoven with the history of Bratislava. In accordance with the privileges awarded to the city, since the 13th century the townspeople of Pressburg could freely elect a town governor and their representatives on 24 April. This municipal privilege, at that time, unique in Europe, was accompanied by celebrations and informal meetings between the representatives of the town hall and the residents of the royal city.

"The fourth weekend of April in Bratislava will be very special. The Bratislava City Days will offer truly rich opportunities to experience, get to know and discover Bratislava. The gates of the Primate's Palace will be open to all residents, they can also visit my office, and we are also preparing the popular convertible bus rides and a barbecue on the renovated Maly Slavín, which I am looking forward to very much. We would like the barbecue to become an annual tradition. I would like to invite everyone to enjoy the city days together,“ says Mayor Vallo. Bratislava for All

A community table will be set on Hviezdoslav Square that can seat up to 130 people at a time. There will be popular Bratislava trivia, this year with specials for children. Visitors can play oversized board games in the courtyards of the Primate's Palace. The Main Square will be devoted to children on Saturday and to the dance school on Sunday. In addition to the modern dance, you will also learn the steps of the Charleston or folklore dance. We would also like to invite you to a Concert for the Little Ones in the attic hall of the Mirbach Palace organised in cooperation with BKIS and the Slovak Philharmonic. The Bratislava City Days will also feature bands such as Vidiek, La3no Cubano, Luvver and The Youniverse.

The Š.E.M. Theatre with its street shows will underscore that the fourth weekend in April is definitely worth hitting the streets of the city. On both Saturday and Sunday, a troupe of specially bred and trained two-metre turkeys will amuse the crowd. On Saturday evening, a parade of glowing underwater animals will light up the streets of the city. A unique theatre installation Visitors of the Czech art ensemble Blackout Paradox combines the world of theatre and visual arts with modern technology.

Rides on historic trams and a tour of the city theatre

Free admission to exhibitions or renewal of a reader's card, as well as the opportunity to access places that are usually closed to the public. City organisations will also open their doors over the weekend. During the Open Day at the Municipal Institute for the Preservation of Monuments, there will be a workshop where children will make and seal a time capsule with their own message. The Bratislava City Gallery invites you to family search games for both young and adults, as well as guided tours of its current exhibitions. The Bratislava City Museum will open the trusses of the Old Town Hall tower and display the celestial star globe, which is currently under restoration. In the City Library's creative workshop you will learn a poem about Bratislava in sign language. The P. O. Hviezdoslav Theatre will give you a glimpse into the nooks and crannies of the city theatre building, and the Municipal Police will set up a children's traffic playground on Kamenné Square. You can experience the performance of falconers at Partizánská lúka, where the Municipal Forests are organising Forestry Days on Saturday. The Bratislava Tourist Board (BTB) is organising free cruises on the Harmónia boat, the Bratislava Transport Company will send out historical vehicles, OLO will bring a garbage truck to Janko Kráľ Park. The Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava, Bratislava Integrated Transport, ZOO, STaRZ, BVS, Marianum and partner institutions are also taking part in the Bratislava City Days.

Wheelchair-accessible city tours

If you want to learn more about the history of Bratislava, the City Days are the perfect opportunity for you to do so. Over the course of two days, the BTB and BKIS have prepared dozens of walks with experienced guides. You can take your children on a bicycle, too. There are also walks in English, German and Russian for people from Ukraine, a tour for the Deaf Community interpreted into sign language and a wheelchair-accessible walk for wheelchair users. The tours are free of charge; all you need to do is register.

Earth Day and programme in the city districts

Earth Day is an important part of the Bratislava City Days, an international holiday highlighting the impact of humans on the environment. There will be a number of activities promoting environmentally responsible behaviour. If you are interested, don't miss the zero-waste workshop in Klarisky Church, herb planting in Janko Král Park or creative workshops in the Old Market Hall.

Environmental activities to celebrate Earth Day are also planned in Devín, Podunajské Biskupice, Záhorská Bystrica, Petržalka, Rača and Ružinov. In Vajnory, there will be a weekend celebration of spring on wheels, Nové Mesto invites you for a walk around the New Town Market Hall, Lamač and Karlova Ves organise children's theatre performances and Dúbravka a concert. The Old Town has prepared the first of the regular neighbourhood clothes swaps, guided tours of current exhibitions and a children's theatre for visitors.

The Bratislava City Days programme will take place on a number of different stages on both days from 9:00am until later in the evening. All information can be found at BKIS ↗︎.

The Bratislava Cultural and Information Centre (BKIS) is the city’s contributory organisation that implements and dramaturgically covers important city-wide cultural and social events (Bratislava Christmas, Bratislava City Days, Bratislava Cultural Summer, etc.). It creates the conditions for organising cultural events through open calls. BKIS also covers the oldest Tourism Guide Training Course in Slovakia, devoted to Bratislava. It organises a series of thematic guided walks, the Rendezvous with the City, and makes a podcast of the same name. It manages the Klarisky concert and exhibition hall and is responsible for restoration of the former Zora cinema.