The Idrija Lace Festival respects the rich tradition of hand-bobbin lace, preserves its historical tradition and at the same time encourages innovation in the design and use of bobbin lace masterpieces. During the June festival, the town of Idrija transforms into a lively lace center, where knowledge about this sophisticated skill is exchanged, experiences are passed on to new generations and strong friendships are woven that, like thousands of invisible threads, connect people around the world. It is a three-day event of ethnological, economic, educational and cultural nature, which has been taking place in Idrija since 1953. While there have been some major interruptions, the festival has been organised every year since 1986 until 2020. That year the festival was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic, and was cancelled in 2021 for the same reason. During the festival, on the third weekend in June, there are professional lectures, round tables, lacemaking workshops, fashion shows and lace exhibitions of domestic and foreign exhibitors. A regular feature of the festival is the Sunday national competition for children and adults in bobbin lacemaking. The professional programme, which is prepared by the Idrija Lace School, the Idrija Lacemakers’ Association and the Idrija Municipal Museum in cooperation with many parties, is intended for lacemakers and all lovers of bobbin lace. Its purpose has remained the same all these years – to show the heritage of Idrija lacemaking to the world and thus give recognition to its creators, both past, who are often unknown, and present. The professional programme is complemented by the offer of Slovenian homemade and arts and crafts products as well as local products in the town centre. There is no lack of accompanying and entertaining programme for different age groups of visitors, organised by the Idrija Tourist Board. The festival could certainly not be organised without the great support of the Municipality of Idrija and loyal sponsors. The festival’s importance is also demonstrated by the fact that the Slovenian Tourist Board ranked it among the five largest ethnological festivals in Slovenia.
