Historic Centre of Trenčín
The Festival at the Trenčín Gate will celebrate its 40th edition this year. The traditional city festival, organised by the City of Trenčín, will once again fill the historic centre with music, dance, folklore, crafts, creative activities and good food. And Trenčín 2026 will be part of it.
The programme will offer a diverse mix for audiences of all ages and musical tastes. The musical headliners include Slovakia’s Billy Barman, Finnish band Oulun_Keskusta, and Polish-Ukrainian world music group DAGADANA. Fans of traditional culture can look forward to folklore and dance, while families with children can enjoy creative workshops and children’s theatre. The festival will also feature a traditional craft fair and a variety of food.
Trenčín 2026 Programme
Oulun_Keskusta
Friday, 4 September | 18:30 | Peace Square
From our Finnish partner city of Oulu comes the trio Oulun_Keskusta, blending punk, jazz, dance rhythms and a generous dose of playfulness.
The band consists of two saxophones and drums – Elmeri Karjalainen on baritone saxophone, Nestori Määttänen on tenor saxophone and Oula Lipponen on drums. They call their distinctive musical style PÄTS – an energetic combination of punk, jazz, dance rhythms, experimentation and childlike humour.
The trio was formed in Oulu in 2023 and has since performed in all kinds of places – from sandy beaches to major international festivals. Their music has one thing in common wherever they play: it quickly gets the audience on their feet.
The band performs its own compositions as well as original arrangements of songs by other artists and has released two EPs, the latest titled Pihlajakatu.
DAGADANA
Saturday, 5 September | 20:30| Peace Square
For more than 18 years, Polish-Ukrainian band DAGADANA has been exploring the shared roots of Polish and Ukrainian culture, combining traditional music with jazz, electronic music, world music and art pop.
Their work explores both the similarities and differences between the two cultures and transforms them into a contemporary musical language. In their hands, traditional Slavic songs become the starting point for an energetic journey across genres, experimental electronics, powerful rhythms and distinctive vocals.
DAGADANA has played more than 1,000 concerts in 34 countries around the world. The band has performed in the Moroccan desert, at Beijing’s Forbidden City and at the legendary Glastonbury Festival. Their albums have received critical acclaim and numerous awards both at home and abroad.
DAGADANA members:
Daga Gregorowicz – vocals, electronics
Dana Vynnytska – vocals, piano, keyboards
Mikołaj Pospieszalski – double bass, bass guitar, violin, synthesiser, vocals
Bartosz Mikołaj Nazaruk – drums, percussion, vocals
Trenčín 2026 Curiosity Workshops
Sobota 5. septembra | 10:00 – 18:00 | pri Gastrocentre
Nedeľa 6. septembra | 10:00 – 18:00| pri Gastrocentre
Alongside the music programme, we will also bring the Trenčín 2026 Curiosity Workshops to the Festival at the Trenčín Gate – a place for creating, relaxing, playing and exploring together, for children and adults alike.
Visitors will be able to take part in creative workshops focused on sustainability, upcycling and finding new uses for materials that would otherwise end up as waste.
The zone will also feature an unusual interactive musical instrument made from PVC pipes, inviting visitors to spontaneously explore sounds and rhythms regardless of age or musical experience. There will also be a large collaborative colouring piece, which will gradually grow throughout the festival thanks to visitors, as well as interactive furniture designed for relaxation, play and meeting others.
The Curiosity Workshops will once again create a space where creativity, community, playfulness and a sustainable approach to materials come together.
Workshop – Skús si to a ODPADNESH!
Saturday, 5 September | 10:00–18:00 | near the Gastrocenter
Sunday, 6 September | 10:00–12:00 | near the Gastrocenter
What can we do with old advertising banners? Instead of throwing them away, we can give them a completely new life.
At the Skús si to a ODPADNESH! workshop, you can try creative recycling using leftover materials and make a practical item with your own hands to take home.
You can choose to make, for example:
- a phone case with a back pocket for a card or cash,
- a Trenčín 2026 logo keyring made from leftover pieces of banners,
- a card holder – a simple case for cards and money that can also be used as a small wallet.
The workshop, however, is not only about recycling. The templates for the individual products were developed in cooperation with disadvantaged women, mothers and people at risk of poverty, for whom this work helps provide professional experience, income and better living conditions.
Come and discover how a material that would otherwise end up as waste can be transformed into something beautiful and useful.
Workshop – Make Your Own Acoustic Armour
Sunday, 6 September | 13:00–18:00 | near the Gastrocenter
What would armour look like if it were made not from metal, but from soft, colourful acoustic foam?
Use your imagination and create your own acoustic armour. Using individual pieces of colourful foam, you can put together an original outfit, accessory or an entirely new fantastical character.
The workshop is open to creators of all ages. There is no single correct approach or result – all you need is curiosity and a willingness to discover what can be created from an unusual material.
Come and experience the 40th edition of the Festival at the Trenčín Gate and join us in discovering music, creativity and new forms of curiosity right in the heart of Trenčín.
Pozrite si celý program
