During a modest flower exhibition held in Laško in 1963, the town’s innkeepers had something of a light bulb moment: People like beer! Hard to believe we know, but apparently true. Not only do people like beer, but they’ll use any excuse to get together and drink it - for instance, a flower exhibition (or more specifically, a flower festival held in the same town as the Slovenia’s largest brewery).

Thus in 1964, the flower festival was expanded to include a parade and fireworks, and by 1965 the event had already gained a reputation as one of the summer’s can’t-miss festivals. For four days every July, this tiny town of only 3,600 residents is transformed into something a scene reminiscent of Oktoberfest in Bavaria - only with more flowers.

Some 150,000 visitors flock here to drink beer, listen to live concerts, drink beer, watch parades, drink beer, look at flower exhibitions, drink beer, enjoy the general atmosphere of unbridled revelry and of course drink some beer. The highlight of the festival is Saturday night, when somewhere around 60,000 visitors pack the town to watch a fireworks display that lasts upwards less than half an hour. Despite Laško’s abundance of accommodation options, in order to cope with the deluge of festival goers the city sets up a free camp site just north of the Thermana Wellness Resort and Slovenian Railways runs additional service to and from town.

For more information, a complete programme of events and activities and photos of past year’s festivals visit the official website at www.pivo-cvetje.si.