Ptuj.info

VERSIA FESTIVAL:

Poetry, Wine and Dialogue in the Heart of Slovenia’s Oldest Town

Poetry remains in Ptuj. Welcome to the Versia Festival.

From 20 to 22 August 2026, Ptuj will host the inaugural edition of the Versia Festival, a new international poetry festival taking place at the town’s historic venues, including the central Vrazov trg square and other locations that reflect the rich history and unique charm of Slovenia’s oldest town.

Versia is more than a poetry festival. It is an invitation to a different pace of life – one that values reading, listening and meaningful conversation. With its rich history, winemaking tradition and human scale, Ptuj offers precisely this kind of setting: a place where words are still given the time to resonate.

“Within the story of the Versia Festival, Ptuj is not merely a venue, but one of its central protagonists. A town with nearly two thousand years of history, a rich cultural heritage and a long-standing wine tradition, Ptuj shapes the identity of the festival just as much as its guests and programme do. When we think about the festival, we do not think only about authors and events, but also about the town that makes such encounters possible,” emphasises Kristina Kočan, the festival’s Artistic Director.

Over the course of three festival days, more than 30 events will take place. Admission to all programmes is free of charge. Alongside the main poetry readings and literary discussions, the programme will feature translation gatherings, evening concerts, outdoor events and projects that bring poetry into public spaces.

One of the festival highlights will be Poetry on Pedals, a cycling tour connecting Maribor and Ptuj. Along the route, four stops will combine poetry, local wines, gastronomy and stories from the places encountered along the way.

The festival will welcome poets from ten countries, including Jason Allen-Paisant (United Kingdom), recipient of the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Forward Prize; Babs Gons (Netherlands); Dai Weina (China); Laia Malo (Spain); Giovanni Fierro (Italy); and Slovenian poets Ana Pepelnik and Petra Kolmančič.

Versia aims to create an environment where languages, cultures, ideas and people meet. The festival is founded on the belief that every dialogue offers a new opportunity for a different perspective on the world.
Poetry needs solutions. Poetry is the solution.

Festival at a Glance:

• 37 events across three festival days
• 12 poets from 10 countries
• Approximately 2,000 expected visitors from Slovenia, Austria, Croatia and beyond
• 3 open-air evening concerts
• Writing Like Kosovel – a programme for children and young people
• Poetry on Pedals cycling tour from Maribor to Ptuj
• Poetry slam, literary conversations and translation encounters
• Events dedicated to wine culture and local gastronomy
• More than 10 winemakers and over 20 wine selections
• Kosovel: Living Construction – a performative exhibition project

^{Organizer: The Versia Festival is a project of Zavod Verzija Ptuj, established with the aim of preserving and developing international poetry activity in Slovenia’s oldest town.}

^{Festival partners: Ptujska klet wine cellar, Knjižnica Ivana Potrča Ptuj library, DPD Svoboda Ptuj, Mariborska knjižnica library, and other organisations from the local and wider cultural community.}