The decision to move the first festival evening to Piran came about among other things because of the support of the local community, Rok Košir, a member of the programme board, has told the press.

Roy De Roy will open the Druga Godba festival at Tartini Square, and from there visitors will move to the Monfort salt warehouse to experience the concert by Bella Ciao, the band that started the rebirth of Italian folk music 50 years ago, and King Ayisoba, one of the most original musicians from Ghana.

Festival-goers will be able to take a free bus ride from Ljubljana to Piran and vice-versa. On 26 May, Ljubljana's Kino Šiška urban culture centre will host Norwegian art-pop artist Jenny Hval and Malian-French singer Inna Modja.

The evening will continue at the Metelkova venue with concerts by Turkish musician Gaye Su Akyol, South-Korean group Black String, French latincore ensemble Pixvae with singers from Columbia, and Kondi Band, featuring musicians from Sierra Leone and the US.

Saturday afternoon will start in the arts centre Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana with the Raising of the Voice project by Slovenian film and theatre composer Drago Ivanuša, followed by the Slovenian accordion-player Bratko Bibič and his Austrian colleague Otto Lechner, as well as Die Wiener Ziehharmoniker orchestra, and South African classical guitarist Derek Gripper.

The festival will close in Kino Šiška on Saturday evening with concerts by Slovenian trio Širom, followed by a range of Arab musicians - singer Yasmine Hamdan, rapper Rayess Bek and visual artist La Mirza from Lebanon.

The accompanying programme, taking place between 23 and 27 May, will feature talks with the artists, workshops and a round table about festival tourism. The potential of such events will be discussed on the first festival day in Piran.