Fabrika Fest 2026

Between Sparks of the Past and Ideas of the Future

Around the summer solstice, Ravne na Koroškem will come alive with the rhythm of a new international festival that connects industrial heritage, culture, art, science, and creativity. The inaugural Fabrika Fest, titled “Between Sparks of the Past and Ideas of the Future”, will take place from 21 to 23 June 2026 and will take visitors on a unique journey between past and future, linking the key landmarks of Ravne’s identity – Mount Uršlja Gora, the Old Ironworks, Ravne Castle, and Javornik Manor.

The festival will open in a truly special way, at sunrise on Mount Uršlja Gora, where the legendary Koroška band JAZOO will perform during the summer solstice. The concert, held at almost 1,700 metres above sea level, will bring together music, nature, and the experience of one of the most beautiful sunrises in the Koroška region, symbolically opening a festival that builds bridges between heritage and contemporaneity.

Organisers have prepared a rich festival programme featuring concerts, workshops, research programmes for children, discussion evenings, robotics, artistic content, and expert meetings.

In the coming days, visitors can look forward to a wide range of events for all generations, including:

• Dancescapes, a unique combination of contemporary dance and virtual reality by D. Dance Alliance, offering visitors a completely new artistic experience.
• Exploring Space with Robot Lili, an interactive journey into space, space technologies, and astronaut life guided by a humanoid robot.
• Athletic Intelligence with Robots, workshops on robotics, artificial intelligence, and brain–computer interfaces using advanced robotic systems.
• Children’s Day, a creative and educational programme introducing the youngest visitors to the heritage and stories of the former ironworks in an engaging way.
• Management in Culture, a panel discussion on the role of culture in community development, creative environments, and new opportunities for collaboration.

The festival also places special emphasis on the industrial heritage of Ravne na Koroškem:

• Forging Experience and Interactive Guided Tour, an immersive journey through more than 400 years of ironworking tradition.
• Guided Tours of SIJ Metal Ravne, where visitors will learn about modern production processes and future-oriented professions.
• Factory Stories, a discussion evening exploring the life, work, and heritage of the Ravne ironworks.
• Creativity of Factory Workers, an exhibition presenting the creative spirit of the local environment through artworks and personal stories.

You can view the full programme by clicking the button below.

Panel Discussion: “Management in Culture”

As part of the rich festival programme, Iskriva Institute will also contribute to Fabrika Fest by organising a panel discussion titled Management in Culture on Monday, 22 June 2026. The discussion will focus on how culture, creativity, and cross-sector collaboration can contribute to the development of places and the creation of new opportunities for communities.

Participants will explore the links between culture, the economy, and tourism, the development of creative environments, and how individual initiatives can be scaled into long-term community-building processes and successful development stories. More information can be found HERE.

Fabrika Fest is part of the Danube Festival Caravan, implemented within the framework of the CAST project – Culture trAnSforming communiTies and economies, supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme and co-financed by the European Union.