Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures

Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures is a nine-day event with a decades-long tradition, taking place in the second half of August at various locations throughout Velenje. Its name originates from local folklore, narrating the tale of a beautiful young girl who supposedly lived in Velenje Castle. She was a castle maiden accused of witchcraft and thrown into the castle well as punishment, rumoured to have haunted the castle hallways since then. However, the festival, organised since 1998, aims to honour the innocent girl with a celebration of young people's culture, challenging the misconception that they are not cultured enough. Like Kunigunda, alternative culture seeks its place under the sun. The festival does not judge but offers an opportunity for it to flourish with charm and youthful enthusiasm. Kunigunda evolves and improves each year, allowing visitors to get to know, befriend and enjoy it.

Every year, the festival adopts a new visual identity and logo, considering its promotion and brand identity as a work of art. The heart has been Kunigunda's official logo since its early days, symbolising a rhythmically pulsating organ that drives the body, the motor of life and a symbol of love. It communicates that everything at Kunigunda Festival is done with love and comes from the heart.

Creating music with (un)ordinary object, music workshop at the 26th Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures in Velenje. Photo: Lara Lukše

Drag Queen show at the 26th Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures in Velenje. Photo: Staš Gregorič

Skate and bike contest, 26th Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures in Velenje, 2023. Photo: Staš Gregorič

Background

The festival began in 1998 when three founders, with great aspirations but almost no funding, started laying the foundation. Their efforts, with a strong focus on alternative culture, turned Kunigunda into one of the driving forces of the youth scene in Velenje. Graffiti art adorned the Red Hall, and local bands increasingly gained opportunities to perform on the big stage. As early as the second year, the team organised an international camp, gradually acquired their equipment and involved enthusiastic youth in leaving their mark on the local cultural scene.

Interactive programme activities at the 26th Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures in Velenje. Photo: Staš Gregorič

Programme

Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures is a symbol of young alternative culture in Velenje. The mosaic of local subcultures that gets shaped during the year on the local cultural scene is reflected in the festival’s programme. It wouldn’t be wrong to describe its creators as a group of people who represent the passing of knowledge between generations of young, eager, socially critical and informed individuals who care about events in Šalek Valley and the surrounding area. It was the passing of knowledge, combined with spending quality time and ensuring employment opportunities for those who want to work, that became a value that the festival began to emphasise as soon as the concept spread its wings. Interested and promising individuals are getting irreplaceable work opportunities in all areas that the organisation of such a festival entails.

The programme is conceptually broad and diverse, comprising music, visual arts, dance, theatre, puppetry, installations, film and video screenings, literary evenings, new media art events, lectures, the festival's own productions and urban sports.

The events are spread throughout the city, from its parks and streets, from caves to museums and elsewhere, to the main stage at the Youth cultural club eMCe and the Open-air cinema at Škale Lake.

Big names in music and other areas have been hosted. Along with top artists, Kunigunda’s organisational team is increasingly involved in the programme. Projects like the national beatboxing championship and City on Water found their place at Kunigunda, while team-produced projects critical to society, like Experiment: Tito’s Velenje, The Wedding: a celebration of love, Kunigunda and the founding of the Autonomous Republic of Kunigunda (ARK).

Croatian band Brkovi performing at the 26th Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures in Open-air cinema at Škale lake, Velenje 2023. Photo: Lara Lukše

Kunigunda is constantly evolving, reconstructing and reconfiguring itself, injecting culture into its veins, slapping the faces of the prepared and unprepared alike. And will continue to do so in the years to come.

Music

Kunigunda’s stage has hosted many well-known artists from all directions (in an abstract as well as artistic sense). In the spirit of emphasising all cultures and musical genres, they headbang with metal heads, bang with rappers and MCs, rave with DJs, dance to reggae and ska and enjoy everything that fits anywhere in between.

Concert atmosphere at the 26th Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures, Velenje 2023. Photo: Lara Lukše

Kunigunda aftermovie 2023 by MMC Nukleus on YouTube

25. Festival mladih kultur Kunigunda: Aftermovie by MMC Nukleus on YouTube

External links

Kunigunda Festival website (in Slovenian)

Gallery

A slack-lining workshop taking place during the Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures, 2011

A poster for the Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures 2015

During Kunigunda Festival of Young Cultures Mr. Van Punk performed at various locations around Velenje, setting up their gigs directly out of their van, 2016