We look forward to seeing you in our [fjúžn] zone at the Good Market on Saturday. In the park on Svoradova Street and Podjavorinska Street we have prepared a rich programme for you in cooperation with many communities and organisations. Theatre for children, workshops, concerts, but especially meeting people from diverse communities.

PÓDIUM
10:00 - 10:25 Music and dance performance | Varvara and Shukar Gadje (25min.)
11:00 - 11:45 theatre for children | SpozaVoza: HA - HAvaj (45min.)
12:30 - 13:00 concert | Talented musicians from Horovod (30min.)
14:15 - 14:35 Concert | Polina Babiy (20min.)
14:45 - 15:05 music and dance performance | Performance of the children of the Ukrainian Sunday School in Bratislava (20min.)
16:00 - 17:00 concert | Team Cuba (60min.)

WORKSHOPS

In the park:
10:00 - 12:00 Alla Arent | Workshop on making a traditional Ukrainian Motanka doll
10:00 - 12:00 Anna Arent | Bracelet knitting workshop
12:00 - 13:30 Magnificent Picnic | Salty dough making workshop - for children
12:00 - 14:30 Theatrabratislava | Workshop Acting fun

On the Street:
12:00 - 14:00 Common Journey | Ebru workshop
12:00 - 13:30 Horovod | Bead bracelet making workshop
15:30 - 17:00 Ukrainian Sunday School | Bracelet weaving and card making workshop

EXHIBITIONS
Ukrainian Sunday School in Bratislava: unissued diplomas
Milan Šimečka Foundation: Humans of [fjúžn]

Experience an autumn brunch with Magnificent Picnic and live music (10:00 - 12:00), featuring Ukrainian culture and gastronomy. At 10:30 a.m., enjoy a Mother Love workshop with Evgenia Kazarezova, where you'll create a monument for mom-heroines, inspired by her perspective on motherhood full of love and freedom. Finally, at 12:00, an interactive game Don't Be Afraid! CirKusKus, where they will become the heroes of a circus tale with juggling and acrobatics.

10.00 - 12.00 | brunch | Magnificent Picnic
The autumn version of brunch with Magnificent Picnic with live music.
Magnificent Picnic is an original project originally from Ukraine that opens up Ukrainian culture and gastronomy to the people. In Slovakia we try to show our common tastes in gastronomy.

10.30 - 12.00 | workshop | Mother Love
Create together with Evgenia a monument for all mothers, heroines. Who often do much more than is perceived.
Evgeniia Kazarezova aka Zheni Studio comes from Russia, lives in Slovakia as a single mom with her daughter Eve. During her motherhood she started to learn what it means to be a mom. She didn't have an example from her home, so she created her own idea of what a mom means. Trust, freedom, love, tenderness... A mother's love for her is acceptance and support. The installation she will create in Prugerka represents a monument of lightness, airiness, just like the love of a mother, which provides great freedom and inspiration. She covers you and warms you up whenever you need it, like a mother.

12.00 - 13.00 | interactive game | Don't be afraid! CirKusKus
An interactive game for the little ones, where children will experience a fairy tale for themselves. They will become the heroes of the story in the magic mannequin and instead of sitting, they will play and move all the time. Since the fairy tale is a circus, they will try their hand at juggling, perform acrobatic stunts and maybe even walk a tightrope or hang in the air.
CirKusKus brings together a bunch of people from all over the world who are fascinated by circus arts. They have a great desire to create, train and develop, and they are also willing to share their skills in our circus school. All of our instructors, performers and managers are circus people at heart.

A unique event for all book lovers and bookworms from the Slovak and international community!  An evening full of engaging reading, informal conversations with new people and a pleasant atmosphere with a DJ set by the great Sasha Mamaev a.k.a. Gons. But this isn't typical book club - it's so much more! Just bring your favourite book, ideally with the theme of migration, cultural roots, or similar [fjúžn] topics. During the evening you can enjoy a drink and some nice music, read a short passage from the book and then talk to someone new about what caught your attention in the book.

The aim is to bring people from different countries and cultures together, build mutual understanding and create new friendships. This event is also perfect for introverts who don't feel comfortable in traditional book clubs - you'll find your space here without the pressure.

Come, get inspired and experience an exceptional literary evening! 

P.S. If you don't have any books with you, don't despair, you'll be able to borrow one of Artforum's literary works on the spot.

Milan Šimečka was one of the most prominent personalities of the last decades of Czechoslovakia. His literary work, philosophical reflections and tireless advocacy of human rights and political culture earned him enormous respect and authority throughout Czechoslovakia. A year after his untimely death, his friends founded the Milan Šimečka Foundation to preserve his legacy and continue to promote the values he stood for. Come and commemorate a unique dissident, philosopher and writer whose personality will be brought to life through excerpts from his works by his friends.

The author and translator will present the novel Freefall in Bratislava's Rómer House →

The story of two siblings growing up in socialist Czechoslovakia and their difficult beginnings in the West. Despite totalitarianism, Misha and Alan survived a happy childhood. It is just before the fall of the Iron Curtain and Alan finds socialist Žilina too much to bear. He decides to escape, but arriving in West Germany is not easy. Misha discovers that she did not know her brother. After a while, the whole family meets in Vienna. Alan, a rebel, becomes a surgeon and lives in a seemingly happy relationship, while Misha wanders aimlessly through life and Europe. They would like to be closer, but each of them is moving away in a different direction. Will they manage to find a common bond again?

Susanne Gregor (*1981, Žilina) is an Austrian writer of Slovak origin. Shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain, she moved with her family to Austria, where she still lives today. She studied German and journalism in Salzburg. In German, she has written and published the novels Kein eigener Ort (2011), Territorien (2015), Das letzte rote Jahr (2019), the short story collection Unter Wasser (2018), and was shortlisted for the Austrian Book Prize with her latest novel Freefall (2023). The book was translated into Slovak by Paulína Čuhová and published by Literárna bašta in 2024.

The discussion and author reading with Susanne Gregor and translator Paulina Čuhová will be moderated by Mário Gešvantner.

What will an eclectic mix of hyperpop, jungle and trance intertwined with classical cello tones sound like? And the traditional Iranian stringed instrument setar in dialogue with progressive jazz guitar? Or techno bent by the harsh realities of Eastern Europe in contrast with Slovak musical tradition?

An evening of new performances that blend diverse musical genres and cultures – musicians representing the national majority come together in artistic collaboration with musicians from abroad. The radical fusion of different creative approaches encourages the search for exciting and unpredictable results, while at the same time symbolising a clear rejection of prejudice against foreigners and minorities.

The Konektiv Nights concept has been held annually in the Czech Republic since 2018 and this year, in collaboration with the [fjúžn] festival, it will be presented in Slovakia for the first time.

The duo from Kharkiv radically transforms the legacy of electronic dance music: techno, breakbeat, grime, electro, juke and jungle meet Ukrainian folklore in their work, creating a dynamic blend that breathes the spirit of resistance. This year they released their third release on Ukrainian label ОЧІ, proving that even in the darkest of times, music can serve as both a weapon and a refuge.

Karin Sarkisian is a native of Yerevan, Armenia, and one of this year's Humans of [fjúžn]. She is unique on the Slovak music scene for her combination of piano playing and vocal expression. At the [fjúžn] festival she will play mostly Armenian folk songs in an ethnojazz arrangement for string quartet (The Ladies Ensemble under the direction of Anežka Kara), piano, saxophone, guitar and double bass. She will also perform her own compositions and Jewish and Slovak folk songs.

Apples & Hrušky is a bilngual discussion series that discusses themes of immigration and integration in Slovak society. This year we want to to talk about korene and konflikt. What does it look like? When your homeland begins to bring you uncertainty about your future? How do we decide on leaving our roots? Can we leave? Do we want to really leave? How do we assess our life and how do we see life somewhere else?

Join our host, Nasi, an Iranian immigrant who has settled here in Slovakia with her theater group "SpareParts". The Slovak actors and guests: Laura Zamocka and Tomáš Eštok. And her Director and immigrant guest: Bohdan Meteňkanyč.

The [fjúžn] festival will feature comedians from the Joke's On You circuit, who bring their specific humorous performances to Central Europe.

Among the performers you will find Siavash, an Iranian comedian based in Vienna, who founded the Joke's On You club and regularly performs all over Central Europe.

Next up, you can look forward to Nasi, an Iranian comedian living in Slovakia, who doesn't let her humour and charisma put you to shame in either Slovak or English. 

Nibal, a Syrian comedian living in Vienna, is known for her dark humour and sharp wit, while Terence Hartnett, a comedian and cancer survivor who has won acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, will offer an emotional and hilarious account of his life. 

Come along and experience unique performances full of humour and diverse perspectives! 

Mäsokombinát and [fjúžn] have prepared a wild party again this year. An eclectic mix of sounds from electronica to rap to lo-fi beats awaits you. The headliner is Logic1000, a Berlin-based DJ and producer who will get the atmosphere going with her energetic house tracks from her new album Mother. The Slovak rap scene won't be missing out thanks to Fobia Kid, whose deep lyrics and original style will draw you into his inner world. Ormay, a young rapper from Africa, will bring a fresh sound full of inspirations from Kendrick Lamar or J. Cole.

Among local artists, you can also look forward to Jureš Fallgrap, who will combine electronic beats with the folkloric atmosphere of Slovakia. Neorge will vibrate the dance floor with his hard UK rave sound, while FOM and Lara Abou will take you to a world of lo-fi beats, jazz samples and musical diversity.

Miklei, the Ukrainian DJ, will bring hypnotic techno combined with breakbeats.

Polish your dancing shoes!

Philippe Cochard comes from Paris and has been living in Bratislava since 2011, when he came here as an Erasmus student. He instantly fell in love with the city and was delighted to discover what Slovakia has to offer. In Bratislava, he will guide us around the places that are close to and that have caught his attention. We start at the Námestie pri Zimnom štadióne.

We invite you to an interpretation led by Lucie Gregorova Stach, which will immerse you in a rich tangle of artistic expressions from the 1950s to the present day. The interpretation is part of the experimental long-term exhibition Model: Museum of Contemporary Art, at the SNG, open from June 2024.

This year's series of concerts – Equal brings together artists crossing the boundaries of contemporary art and music. The event, curated by Jonatán Pastirčák, explores the intersection of art, sound and technology. This unique evening will bring you immersive performances and soundscapes that will take you beyond the limits of human perception. From Iranian-Finnish psychedelia to avant-garde Chinese electronica, enter a world where traditional elements blend with the futuristic.

FAQ is a new club series that maps contemporary genre-less club sound with the aim of exploring free worlds and temporary stroboscopic utopias. For [fjúžn] curated by Juraj Hoppan.