At the end of September, the city of Maribor (Slovenia) opened the Old Vine Festival which has been lasting for the last 6 weeks. Lively events have been taking place all the way until now, mid-November, when the Festival closes with the biggest St.Martin’s Day in Slovenia.
The Old Vine Festival is a gastronomic and cultural tribute to the oldest vine in the world, which grows in Lent, the oldest part of Maribor. The Old Vine is the pride of Maribor, Styria, and Slovenia. Thus, the events honour the history of the vine and celebrate this symbol of Slovenian wine and persistence. In the heart of the old city center on Lent, the oldest vine in the world still grows in front of the Old Vine House. The whole Old Vine Festival offers visitors an opportunity to get to know the best Styrian and Slovenian winemakers, accompanied by an interesting entertainment program.
On 11th of November, the 35th annual St.Martin’s Day Celebration (at the Trg Leona Štuklja Square) will be held; the largest open-air celebration of its kind anywhere in Slovenia with rich wine and culinary offerings, the traditional christening of the must, home-made cuisine, excellent Styrian wines, rich catering offerings, and unforgettable entertainment with numerous live music performances. On this occasion, even 20,000 visitors from Slovenia and abroad come to the Slovenian Styrian capital.
The procession of wine queens, harvesters, folklorists, farm women, rafters and representatives of wine orders and associations walks around the city centre and joins the celebrations, bringing the autumn produce and food as a symbolic tribute to autumn.
PROCESSION
The procession of wine queens, harvesters, folklorists, farm women, rafters and representatives of wine orders and associations walks around the city centre and joins the celebrations, bringing the autumn produce and food as a symbolic tribute to autumn.
LOCAL FOOD AND WINE TASTINGS
Join the people of Maribor and nearby towns and villages for the ceremonial blessing of the must.
Celebrate in the company of famous musicians and musical ensembles. Try the food and the drinks offered on the stalls of local vinegrowers and winemakers, tourist farms and other restaurants.
IN HONOUR OF ST.MARTIN AND THE OLD VINE
The celebration of St. Martin, the saint who transforms must into wine, represents the symbolic end of all the winemakers’ efforts and is the final event of the Old Vine Festival, a festival of wine, culture and gastronomy, organised in honour of the Old Vine, the world’s oldest vine.