World music fans will be drawn into the whirl of seven concert evenings by the ecstatic dancing of dervishes from Damascus, who will perform at the Cankarjev dom arts centre to the tunes of the Al Kindi Ensemble and master vocalist Hamza Shakkur. The stage of Cankarjev dom, which this year took over the role of the festival's co-producer, will also provide the venue for an encounter of two altogether different musical cultures. A solo performance by one of the best improvisers on the brass, Ned Rothenberg of New York, will be followed by the Nazareth-born brothers Samir and Wissam Joubran, masters of the Arabian lute who bring together traditional tunes of Palestine, their own compositions and improvisation.

Druga godba under the leadership of Bogdan Benigar has largely to thank to the Charles Nodier French Institute and the British Council, which have become regular partners of the festival. This year, they have backed the concerts of Sam Mangwana of DR Congo, a man who has spiced Congolese rumba with Afroebeat and High-life rhythms, adding a pinch of Caribbean and Sahelian flavour; Sahara multi-instrumentalist and singer Hasna el Becharia and Arab pop star Natacha Atlas, who performed at Druga godba in 1997 together with Transglobal Underground.

The main festival programme also includes this year's Grammy winner David Evans, temperamental Mercedes Peon of Spain, electrical reincarnations of Medieval ballads by Garmarna - one of the most promising folk groups to emerge from the chilly north - and Spaceways Inc., lately probably the hottest Chicago jazz musicians. There will also be a line of accompanying events, such as workshops, lectures and more concerts.

The last days of May will see two Slovenian groups perform at the open-air venue of Križanke. The young male-female sextet Katalena, who interpret folk music in line with their rock, jazz and blues pedigree, will warm up the audience for Natacha Atlas in what will be their largest concert so far. Adorned with the prestigious BBC audience's award for the best world music group of 2002, one of the currently most wanted folksters, Terrafolk, will perform on the same night as Sam Mangwana. It was their performance in the accompanying programme of Druga godba three years ago that put Terrafolk on the map.

This year, the beginning of Druga godba, coincides with the opening of the Exodos festival of performing arts. In the nine years, the festival has established its place in the Slovenian cultural milieu with an inspired and provocative programme. In an effort to provide high-quality stage performances, Exodos has brought to Slovenia theatre and dance groups, as well as most recent experimental artistic practices. This year's festival will look into the phenomenon of contemporary British drama and Croatian theatre and dance production. A theoretical background will be provided by Maska and Frakcija, magazines that have been following lively debates in the field for years.

The usually warm nights of late June will be perfect to enjoy some cool music, as the 44th Ljubljana Jazz Festival gets under way on June 26. One of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe, the three-day event will feature the Norwegian saxophone player Jan Garbarek and the leading voice of Latin America - Mercedes Sosa, to name just two most outstanding artists.