Sretenjski bal
Tickets

Sretenjskibal

Narodni dom · Maribor

Culture that connects.

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Some traditions begin quietly.

With one encounter.With one evening.With one idea.

The first Sretenjski bal

Days
Hours
Minutes

Why Sretenje?

In both Serbian and Slovenian the word sretenje means encounter, and a single feast symbolises so many encounters.

Of faith and history.Of winter and spring.Of past and future.

  1. The Presentation of the Lord (Sretenje)

    According to the Gospel of Luke, forty days after his birth Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, where the elder Simeon takes him in his arms and recognises him as the light.

  2. Folk tradition

    In folk tradition, Sretenje is tied to the symbolic meeting of winter and spring.

  3. 1804.

    On Sretenje the First Serbian Uprising was raised at Orašac, beginning the struggle to free Serbia from Ottoman rule.

  4. 1835.

    The Sretenje Constitution was proclaimed in Kragujevac. It laid, for the first time, clear foundations of the modern Serbian state.

  5. Since 2002

    Sretenje is the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia.

Sretenjski bal arises from the idea of an encounter between Serbian and Slovenian culture.

A ball was never just a dance.

The word ball comes from the Latin ballare — to dance. For centuries balls were places of meeting, conversation, connection and agreement, and charity balls raised funds for schools, societies and other public needs.

The story of the ball tradition

On stage

Performers

  • Galija

    Galija

    Musical performer

  • Aleksandra Balmazović

    Aleksandra Balmazović

    Host of the programme and actress

  • Nenad Gugl

    Nenad Gugl

    Professor of literature and writer

  • Nebojša Milovanović

    Nebojša Milovanović

    Actor

  • Anđela Nedeljković

    Anđela Nedeljković

    Opera singer

  • Mile Viero

    Mile Viero

    Accordion professor

More performers will be announced soon.

Venue

Narodni dom, Maribor

At the end of the 19th century, in a Maribor where Slovenes were a minority, the idea arose of a space that would safeguard the Slovenian language, culture and community. From that idea the Narodni dom was born.

  1. 1898.The Dom opens on 1 October, designed by the Czech architect Jan Vejrych in the Czech neo-Renaissance style.
  2. 1911.The Slovenian Theatre in Maribor was founded in the great hall.
  3. 1918.The National Council for Styria was founded in the Dom.
  4. 1993.The Narodni dom once again becomes the cultural centre of the city.

A place with a history of encounters, for the beginning of a new one.

Narodni dom MariborUlica kneza Koclja 9, 2000 MariborOpen map
Narodni dom u Mariboru
Foto: Janez Klenovšek / Narodni dom Maribor

13 February 2027

Programme of the evening

  1. Arrival of guestsGuests are welcomed in the foyer of Narodni dom with a welcome drink, music and photographs.
  2. Anthems and openingThe anthems of Serbia and Slovenia, followed by the host's entrance and opening words.
  3. Gala dinnerDinner in the General Maister Hall.
  4. Cultural and artistic programme
  5. Concert by GalijaThe main musical programme of the evening and the close of the ball.

The schedule is provisional and will be confirmed.

Dress code

Dress code

For ladies

Expected

  • Floor-length evening or ball gown
  • Elegant formal footwear

Not permitted

  • Short and cocktail dresses
  • Short skirts and daywear
  • Sneakers and casual footwear
  • Folk costumes

For gentlemen

Expected

  • Black tailcoat or tuxedo
  • Elegant black or dark suit
  • White shirt and bow tie
  • Elegant formal footwear

Not permitted

  • Ties instead of a bow tie
  • Sportswear and casual clothing
  • Sneakers and casual footwear
  • Folk costumes

Tickets

Some evenings stay in memory forever. Some become a tradition.

  • Gala

    • Cultural and artistic programme and a concert by Galija
    • Gala dinner
    • Unlimited drinks
    • A seat at a table in the General Maister Hall

    140 €

  • Gallery

    • Cultural and artistic programme and a concert by Galija
    • Cocktail reception and welcome drink
    • Standing place on the gallery with a view of the entire programme
    • Access to the General Maister Hall after the official part of the programme, from the start of Galija's performance

    70 €

Reserve tickets

Organiser

Kulturni centar Sretenje

Behind the first Sretenjski bal stands the Sretenje Cultural Centre — the organiser of the ball and an initiative born from the wish to reopen a space for a somewhat forgotten civic culture and the values it carried.

Throughout history, the Serbian community in these lands left its mark through culture, education, the economy and spiritual life. We want to bring that heritage closer to the present — not as a return to the past, but as a foundation for what we can still build.

The Sretenje Cultural Centre is conceived as a lasting meeting place for people from culture, science, business and spiritual life. A place of conversation, connection and new ideas. A space where we nurture our own heritage while building a relationship with the cultural environment in which we live.

Why Sretenje?

Because at its heart lies an encounter. An encounter of the spiritual and the civic. Of tradition and modernity. Of our heritage and the culture in which we live. We believe that new bridges are born precisely from such encounters.

Sretenjski bal is our first step.