The MENT music festival, which focuses on new progressive discoveries in the region and beyond and is accompanied by an extensive networking and music industry conference, gets under way in Ljubljana on 29 March. Both segments of the three day-event will put the Baltic region in the foreground.

Now in its ninth year, the internationally acclaimed festival, produced by Kino Šiška and promoting independent and fresh artists, will feature 77 performers and bands selected from over 1,600 applications from all around Europe. The line-up includes 12 acts from the Baltics.

The conference part involves over 600 delegates, many from the Balkan region. The conference will explore a number of critical issues in the industry, most notably the changed habits due to the covid pandemic and price hikes.

Performances will take place at 11 venues, including Kino Šiška and a number of venues that are part of Ljubljana's autonomous social and cultural centre Metelkova.

The full programme is available here.