What to do in Bratislava in mayo

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 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.

August 29 is a national holiday for the 1944 Slovak National Uprising (SNP) — solemn ceremonies, flags and commemorations of the country's key anti-fascist chapter.

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.