We regret to announce that we are moving the opening night’s concerts at this year’s Druga Godba festival, which were due to take place at Križanke, to Kino Šiška.
To put things as plainly as we can, holding events at Križanke is extremely expensive – as much as ten times the cost of holding them at Kino Šiška, for example. After looking closely at the current rate of ticket sales, we have concluded that, as things stand, we will not be able to cover those costs if we persist with Križanke. To do so would put at risk the cultural, human and business capital that Druga Godba has built up over the last 40 years.
After the success of last year’s opening night, and with all the experience and information that our five-member programme committee are able to draw on, this development has nevertheless come as something of a surprise. We did not expect that current circumstances would have such an impact on ticket sales – particularly since we selected the very best artists that were available for the period between 29 and 31 May, all of whom will be taking the opportunity to present new records that have received high praise in the international media, and all of whom have recently enjoyed packed-out concerts across Europe and beyond. This is particularly so with Altın Gün, who have had no problem filling large European venues in the last 12 months. For this reason, we would like to provide the best possible setting for their performance, which wraps up the opening night, and one that does Druga Godba (and Ljubljana) proud. The Katedrala hall at Kino Šiška will provide us with even better technical and production conditions than Križanke, the catering will be more varied and sustainable, and none of you need persuading how attractive the venue’s outdoor area is on an early summer’s evening.
We hope that this announcement will serve as a wake-up call to all those who haven’t yet bought tickets for the 41st Druga Godba festival. At the very least, you will be helping us to find out whether Ljubljana still truly needs a festival like this. We strongly believe it does.
Tickets already purchased for Križanke will, of course, be valid for Kino Šiška.
We thank you for your past and continuing support, and ask that you understand our reasons for moving the venue for the festival’s opening night.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our co-financers, co-producers and festival partners for their support.
Bogdan Benigar
Director
Zavod Druga Godba