Metaldays, the festival that left Tolmin, and what came next

Why there’s no more Metaldays

The Velenje edition ran from 30 July to 5 August 2023, and that summer’s floods forced the last two days to be called off. The organisers put people up and fed them in a sports hall in town. In January 2024 they pushed that year’s edition back to 2025, and later posted a long statement on their website that opened with the decision not to organise any more. They pointed to losses from the pandemic, the floods and costs that no longer added up. If you’re curious about the town that hosted its final chapter, the guide to Velenje covers it.

What’s left at Sotočje: Tolminator and Punk Rock Holiday

Metal hasn’t left Tolmin. Since 2023 Sotočje has hosted Tolminator, designed for about 5,000 people, which in 2026 ran from 24 to 28 July. August brings Punk Rock Holiday, going since 2011, which in 2026 ran from 11 to 14 August. July also has Butik, for electronic music. Each year’s dates are listed by the Slovenian Tourist Board, and you’ll find them together in the guide to events in Slovenia.

From Metalcamp to Metaldays

It started in 2004 as Metalcamp and changed its name to Metaldays in 2013. The formula was simple and very much its own, a week of gigs with camping, river beaches and mountains all round, in the same Soča Valley where other people come for the rafting. Big names in the genre played there, and in its final years in Tolmin it drew about 12,000 people, according to RTV Slovenija.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Tolmin before prices climb.

Why it left Tolmin

In 2022 the council limited music at Sotočje to eight hours a day and until one in the morning, and required the meadow to stay open to the public during the day. It was also considering a cap of 5,000 people per festival. With those numbers Metaldays didn’t fit, and that year the organisers confirmed that 2022 would be their last edition beside the Soča. In 2023 they moved to Vista, an open site by Lake Velenje, on the other side of the country.

If you’re going to a festival in Tolmin

What made Metaldays special is still there, the green river, the mountains overhead and a small town that throws itself into it for a few days. I’d book somewhere to stay as soon as the dates are announced, because Tolmin doesn’t have many beds, and keep a morning free for the Tolmin Gorges, a short walk from Sotočje and very welcome after a night of gigs.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Tolmin and choose by the reviews.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Tolmin before prices climb.