The next few weeks of family plans, kept current: puppet shows, lantern walks, castle days, festivals and exhibitions kids can get stuck into. The soonest ones sit at the top, so you can see at a glance what's coming up and plan the weekend ahead.
A neighborhood lantern procession in Dlhé Diely, Karlova Ves, run by RC Dlháčik, the local family center. Families gather and walk together with their lanterns, for an evening of small lights and good company.
It is a simple, low-key outing that suits toddlers and younger school kids who like carrying a light of their own.
A traditional neighborhood lantern walk in Podunajské Biskupice. Families carry lit lanterns through the streets on a November evening and end up together in a park.
It suits kids who are happy to be out after dark and like a bit of spectacle. There is nothing to follow in Slovak: the lanterns, the walk and the finale need no words.
A short Slovak-language show from Divadlo MaKiLe about Kika, a big sister who finds her crying little sister a pain, until the little one decides to run away from home. Kika promises to be a better sister, and then it's time to play rocket and fly through the whole apartment.
Made for kids who can't yet sit through a full-length play.
Svetlušky (Slovak for fireflies) is a lantern procession through the Lamač neighborhood. Families gather on the square, kids hold up their lanterns, and everyone walks the streets together.
It is a local neighborhood evening, a good fit for young kids who want to carry their own lantern.
Labiatko is baby theater, the format Slovaks call a batolárium. Four actresses from the VŠMU drama academy play on a soft floor with feathers, bubbles and patches of grass, and the babies are free to crawl in, babble and join the scene. The show follows four chicks through one year, a loop that mirrors a baby's first year. A gentle first theater visit for a baby and their grown-up.
A hands-on crafting session at Ekocentrum Čunovo, built around nature themes. Tree Diaries looks at trees, and Magic of Night Butterflies turns to the moths that come out after dark.
It suits kids who like making things with their hands and are curious about the natural world, and it makes an easy indoor outing for a weekend in late fall.
A traditional St. Martin's lantern procession: families meet on a square and walk together.
It suits kids. Watching is enough to follow along, so it needs no Slovak.
Hugo's World (Hugov svet) is a small, chamber-scale show from Bratislavské bábkové divadlo, the city's puppet theater, that mixes puppets and music in a production about dreaming.
The theater pitches it at the youngest children, so it suits preschoolers on one of their first theater trips. School-age kids may find it too young.
A puppet version of Hans Christian Andersen's The Tinderbox, with cheerful songs, about a poor soldier who stumbles onto incredible riches. Along the way the story touches on generosity and vanity, fear of the unknown and finding courage, and asks whether the hero wins the princess's hand in the end.
It suits preschoolers and early school-age kids who can follow a story told in Slovak.
A neighborhood lantern walk in Nové Mesto, where kids and grown-ups carry lit lanterns alongside oversized glowing water creatures from the ART Prometeus theater. The Maribondo drummers bring a drum show, and the Inspinia group performs fire acrobatics.
It suits families with kids who like a bit of spectacle and can handle a crowd in the dark, loud drums and open flames.
A guided walk for kids through the central Bratislava spots where people stood up to the communist regime in November 1989. They find out why crowds jingled keys on the squares and how news spread without the internet.
Interactive tasks along the way: listen to a forbidden broadcast, put together a protest banner or play book smuggler. Margita Petríková leads it.
A musical version of The Wizard of Oz staged on ice, with skaters and aerial gymnasts telling the classic story to original songs and lighting effects.
All dialogue and songs are in Slovak. It suits Slovak-speaking kids best, and kids who already know the story can follow a lot through the skating and aerial acts.
Robo is a young chamois from the Tatras with one big trait: curiosity. It pulls him from the mountains into the big city: busy streets, strange people, tempting traps. Animals he meets along the way pass on their wisdom, and he works out that home and nature are the greatest treasure.
It's nevaDivadlo's own story, told with humor, fantasy and plenty of visual play.
VeDETSKÝ deň is a hands-on science day at the Aurelium science center, held during Slovakia's Science and Technology Week. Kids can try robotics, VR headsets and pyrography in the SmartLabs, see hydrogen cars and test the exhibits and activity stands.
On stage, Michal Figura's Kúzelná fyzika is a show of tricks built on physics, and Cirkuskus puts on a light show with juggling and acrobatics. The program is in Slovak.
A Little Fat Fairy, a Dwarf, a Little Fish with a cold, a Big Pig and a Dirty Rabbit make up a world of toys that gently pokes fun at very human quirks.
Their short stories ask how to tell someone an unpleasant truth without hurting them, and how to hear one. Told with a child's logic, it fits kids who are learning to handle anger and take criticism.
Folko the ant loves to dance and Fialka the fairy loves to sing, and in this show they get kids doing both. It's packed with catchy Slovak children's songs, simple dance moves and interactive moments where kids become part of the story. The duo are friends of Smejko and Tanculienka, the popular Slovak kids' act. The songs are in Slovak, but kids who don't speak it can still follow the dancing.
A family stage show at Bratislava Puppet Theater (Bratislavské bábkové divadlo) that tells the incredible adventures of Móric Beňovský.
It suits school-age kids who like an adventure story and can sit through a longer show. Toddlers may find it a stretch.
AHOY! Danube is a river kids follow on foot through BIBIANA's rooms. The route starts on the second floor and flows downward, past a boat deck, a tunnel of giant fish and stops along the Danube from Roman times to today.
Kids tie a sailor's knot, pass through a lock and solve tasks, and those who finish can earn the title of little Danube captain.
A run of shows and sessions around Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince from BIBIANA, Bratislava's art house for children. In the new theater play, kids help repair a broken-down plane and meet the prince's neighbors from other planets.
Older kids can join creative reading hours with a guide who is the prince's friend, and the whole family can see the story as a ballet. Everything is led in Slovak.
The Vienna Christmas Market fills Rathausplatz, the square in front of Vienna City Hall, and is considered one of Europe's biggest Christmas markets. Kids come for the lights, the stalls and Ice Dream, the ice rink set between the Burgtheater and City Hall.
It works well as a day trip from Bratislava: browse the market, then go skating.
A traditional Christmas market on the Schloss Hof palace estate in Austria, built around crafts, festive food, brass and choir music, and a children's world.
Kids decorate gingerbread, make a Christmas keepsake, write a wish letter to the Christ Child and ride a pony, while the estate's animals act out the nativity. It suits younger kids more than teens.
The popular Slovak kids' music duo brings its first Christmas show to the stage. Smejko and Tanculienka bake gingerbread, dance through a snowball fight and a sledding song, and teach Mňamuška the fly what Christmas is about. Smejko turns into a lazy couch potato and a hungry wolf, kids help him tidy up, and a snowman and Duško the bear reveal which present is the best one.
Roald Dahl's story of Matilda, a girl who loves books more than TV, outthinks the adults around her and discovers she can move things with her mind. With help from her teacher Miss Honey, she stands up to Miss Trunchbull, the headmistress who rules the school by fear. This is a Slovak-language replica of the Brno City Theater production, with Tim Minchin's songs, a big cast of child performers and a live 12-piece orchestra.
Bratislava's main Christmas market fills Hlavné námestie in the Old Town with stalls of Slovak and international holiday food, gifts, candles and Christmas ornaments.
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free options are part of the mix, and some stalls are run by nonprofits sharing their work. It suits an easy come-and-go stroll with kids of any age.
The next few weeks of family plans, kept current: puppet shows, lantern walks, castle days, festivals and exhibitions kids can get stuck into. The soonest ones sit at the top, so you can see at a glance what's coming up and plan the weekend ahead.
A neighborhood lantern procession in Dlhé Diely, Karlova Ves, run by RC Dlháčik, the local family center. Families gather and walk together with their lanterns, for an evening of small lights and good company.
It is a simple, low-key outing that suits toddlers and younger school kids who like carrying a light of their own.
A traditional neighborhood lantern walk in Podunajské Biskupice. Families carry lit lanterns through the streets on a November evening and end up together in a park.
It suits kids who are happy to be out after dark and like a bit of spectacle. There is nothing to follow in Slovak: the lanterns, the walk and the finale need no words.
A short Slovak-language show from Divadlo MaKiLe about Kika, a big sister who finds her crying little sister a pain, until the little one decides to run away from home. Kika promises to be a better sister, and then it's time to play rocket and fly through the whole apartment.
Made for kids who can't yet sit through a full-length play.
Svetlušky (Slovak for fireflies) is a lantern procession through the Lamač neighborhood. Families gather on the square, kids hold up their lanterns, and everyone walks the streets together.
It is a local neighborhood evening, a good fit for young kids who want to carry their own lantern.
Labiatko is baby theater, the format Slovaks call a batolárium. Four actresses from the VŠMU drama academy play on a soft floor with feathers, bubbles and patches of grass, and the babies are free to crawl in, babble and join the scene. The show follows four chicks through one year, a loop that mirrors a baby's first year. A gentle first theater visit for a baby and their grown-up.
A hands-on crafting session at Ekocentrum Čunovo, built around nature themes. Tree Diaries looks at trees, and Magic of Night Butterflies turns to the moths that come out after dark.
It suits kids who like making things with their hands and are curious about the natural world, and it makes an easy indoor outing for a weekend in late fall.
A traditional St. Martin's lantern procession: families meet on a square and walk together.
It suits kids. Watching is enough to follow along, so it needs no Slovak.
Hugo's World (Hugov svet) is a small, chamber-scale show from Bratislavské bábkové divadlo, the city's puppet theater, that mixes puppets and music in a production about dreaming.
The theater pitches it at the youngest children, so it suits preschoolers on one of their first theater trips. School-age kids may find it too young.
A puppet version of Hans Christian Andersen's The Tinderbox, with cheerful songs, about a poor soldier who stumbles onto incredible riches. Along the way the story touches on generosity and vanity, fear of the unknown and finding courage, and asks whether the hero wins the princess's hand in the end.
It suits preschoolers and early school-age kids who can follow a story told in Slovak.
A neighborhood lantern walk in Nové Mesto, where kids and grown-ups carry lit lanterns alongside oversized glowing water creatures from the ART Prometeus theater. The Maribondo drummers bring a drum show, and the Inspinia group performs fire acrobatics.
It suits families with kids who like a bit of spectacle and can handle a crowd in the dark, loud drums and open flames.
A guided walk for kids through the central Bratislava spots where people stood up to the communist regime in November 1989. They find out why crowds jingled keys on the squares and how news spread without the internet.
Interactive tasks along the way: listen to a forbidden broadcast, put together a protest banner or play book smuggler. Margita Petríková leads it.
A musical version of The Wizard of Oz staged on ice, with skaters and aerial gymnasts telling the classic story to original songs and lighting effects.
All dialogue and songs are in Slovak. It suits Slovak-speaking kids best, and kids who already know the story can follow a lot through the skating and aerial acts.
Robo is a young chamois from the Tatras with one big trait: curiosity. It pulls him from the mountains into the big city: busy streets, strange people, tempting traps. Animals he meets along the way pass on their wisdom, and he works out that home and nature are the greatest treasure.
It's nevaDivadlo's own story, told with humor, fantasy and plenty of visual play.
VeDETSKÝ deň is a hands-on science day at the Aurelium science center, held during Slovakia's Science and Technology Week. Kids can try robotics, VR headsets and pyrography in the SmartLabs, see hydrogen cars and test the exhibits and activity stands.
On stage, Michal Figura's Kúzelná fyzika is a show of tricks built on physics, and Cirkuskus puts on a light show with juggling and acrobatics. The program is in Slovak.
A Little Fat Fairy, a Dwarf, a Little Fish with a cold, a Big Pig and a Dirty Rabbit make up a world of toys that gently pokes fun at very human quirks.
Their short stories ask how to tell someone an unpleasant truth without hurting them, and how to hear one. Told with a child's logic, it fits kids who are learning to handle anger and take criticism.
Folko the ant loves to dance and Fialka the fairy loves to sing, and in this show they get kids doing both. It's packed with catchy Slovak children's songs, simple dance moves and interactive moments where kids become part of the story. The duo are friends of Smejko and Tanculienka, the popular Slovak kids' act. The songs are in Slovak, but kids who don't speak it can still follow the dancing.
A family stage show at Bratislava Puppet Theater (Bratislavské bábkové divadlo) that tells the incredible adventures of Móric Beňovský.
It suits school-age kids who like an adventure story and can sit through a longer show. Toddlers may find it a stretch.
AHOY! Danube is a river kids follow on foot through BIBIANA's rooms. The route starts on the second floor and flows downward, past a boat deck, a tunnel of giant fish and stops along the Danube from Roman times to today.
Kids tie a sailor's knot, pass through a lock and solve tasks, and those who finish can earn the title of little Danube captain.
A run of shows and sessions around Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince from BIBIANA, Bratislava's art house for children. In the new theater play, kids help repair a broken-down plane and meet the prince's neighbors from other planets.
Older kids can join creative reading hours with a guide who is the prince's friend, and the whole family can see the story as a ballet. Everything is led in Slovak.
The Vienna Christmas Market fills Rathausplatz, the square in front of Vienna City Hall, and is considered one of Europe's biggest Christmas markets. Kids come for the lights, the stalls and Ice Dream, the ice rink set between the Burgtheater and City Hall.
It works well as a day trip from Bratislava: browse the market, then go skating.
A traditional Christmas market on the Schloss Hof palace estate in Austria, built around crafts, festive food, brass and choir music, and a children's world.
Kids decorate gingerbread, make a Christmas keepsake, write a wish letter to the Christ Child and ride a pony, while the estate's animals act out the nativity. It suits younger kids more than teens.
The popular Slovak kids' music duo brings its first Christmas show to the stage. Smejko and Tanculienka bake gingerbread, dance through a snowball fight and a sledding song, and teach Mňamuška the fly what Christmas is about. Smejko turns into a lazy couch potato and a hungry wolf, kids help him tidy up, and a snowman and Duško the bear reveal which present is the best one.
Roald Dahl's story of Matilda, a girl who loves books more than TV, outthinks the adults around her and discovers she can move things with her mind. With help from her teacher Miss Honey, she stands up to Miss Trunchbull, the headmistress who rules the school by fear. This is a Slovak-language replica of the Brno City Theater production, with Tim Minchin's songs, a big cast of child performers and a live 12-piece orchestra.
Bratislava's main Christmas market fills Hlavné námestie in the Old Town with stalls of Slovak and international holiday food, gifts, candles and Christmas ornaments.
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free options are part of the mix, and some stalls are run by nonprofits sharing their work. It suits an easy come-and-go stroll with kids of any age.
