Running from 1 to 8 February, the festival will culminate with the Prešeren Fair, the biggest annual cultural event in the country to mark Culture Day.

Celebrated as Slovenia's greatest poet, Prešeren served as a lawyer in Kranj, where he died on 8 February 1849. The day of his death is celebrated as Culture Day.

In the run-up to the Prešeren Fair, the week-long festival will see 45 events, including guided tours, experiences, concerts, performances, exhibitions and literary evenings.

On 8 February, Kranj will go back to Prešeren's time as the streets will be filled with people dressed in period costumes, folk dance groups, organ grinders and horse-driven carriages.

More than 700 performers will take part in some 50 events in 20 locations. Local crafts and foods will be available at 110 stalls.

The official opening ceremony at 11am will be followed by performances by folklore groups and concerts by singer-songwriter Ditka and poet Feri Lainšček (2.30pm) and by Etno banda Poseben gušt, a band performing poetry by Iztok Mlakar (4pm).

The Gorenjska Museum will organise guided tours and a workshop for children, and the Kranj City Library will display various editions of Prešeren's poetry collection and translations of his poems into other languages.

The Layer House will feature a programme dedicated to poetry and erotic illustrations, while Micka, the Mayor's Daughter, the first Slovenian comedy, written in 1789 by Anton Tomaž Linhart, will be on the programme at the Prešeren Theatre.

Visitors are encouraged to use public transport to come to Kranj. City buses will run for free and railway tickets will be available at discount prices.