The Festival Hall is without doubt one of the most renowned inter- generational centres in Slovenia. The building, once known as the Baraga Seminary, houses today the Academic College, the Mladinsko Theatre and the Pionirski dom educational & cultural institution, which manages the Festival Hall. Its immediate neighbour is the Ljubljana Exhibition & Convention Centre – GR, due to which plenty of parking space is available nearby. In terms of access, both the Railway station and the city centre are within walking distance.
The building itself was built according to the plans of the most revered Slovenian architect, Jože Plečnik, from 1936 to 1941. In 1956, architect Anton Bitenc redesigned the central space and transformed it into an elegant event venue – the Festival Hall. A monumental staircase with massive pillars and decorative sculptures accentuate the entrance, with some such elements adorning both the foyer and the large hall.
Throughout the year, the Festival Hall hosts a number of local and international dance events and balls, concerts, fashion shows, wedding parties and other social functions. With a soft facelift performed in 2009, the venue has become more attractive to meeting planners as a special location for conferences, business events, cocktail receptions or gala dinners.
Underneath the Festival Hall, a hall of the Mladinsko Theatre can be privatised, too, allowing an original event concept – with some performances that can be staged for groups, that can be combined to a more “classical” scenario.
