What to do in Bratislava in agosto

Ball season kicks off: the second weekend of January opens the plesová sezóna with the grand ball at the Slovak National Theatre, a Viennese legacy of waltz and evening gowns.

Fašiangy, the Slovak carnival, takes over Main Square on February 7: a masked parade from Hlavné námestie to Hviezdoslavovo and šišky (fried doughnuts) everywhere.

In Slovakia March is the 'month of books' (mesiac knihy), a tradition alive since 1955: the Old Town's bookshops and libraries fill the calendar with readings and discounts.

Slovak Easter revives oblievačka: on Easter Monday men sprinkle women with water and gently 'whip' them with a woven willow korbáč for good luck, and the Main Square markets fill with kraslice (painted eggs).

The Night of Museums and Galleries (Noc múzeí a galérií) opens dozens of museums until dawn in mid-May, all on a single citywide ticket.

The Bratislava Cultural Summer (Bratislavské kultúrne leto) kicks off: from June 18, open-air concerts, summer cinema and the Summer Shakespeare in the castle courtyard.

The Coronation Days (Korunovačné dni) fill the Old Town in late July: over 200 costumed actors reenact the crowning of Hungarian kings, with a procession and a knights' tournament — Bratislava (Pressburg) crowned 19 monarchs between 1563 and 1830.

The Small Carpathian grape harvests (vinobranie) fill Pezinok and Modra, half an hour away, with burčiak (young must), allegorical parades and hundreds of stalls — the region's wine festival.

Biela noc (White Night) lights up the Old Town in early October with over 50 contemporary-art installations, from 7pm to midnight.

The Open Cellars Day (Deň otvorených pivníc) on the Small Carpathian Wine Route opens over 120 cellars from Bratislava to Trnava in mid-November on a single ticket.

The Christmas markets on Hlavné námestie and Hviezdoslavovo (November 28 to January 6) smell of grilled cigánska pečienka, hot varené víno and medovina, the Slovak honey liquor.