Slovenia to be lit green on St. Patrick's Day

The annual Global Greening campaign kicked off in 2010 when the Sydney Opera House and the Auckland Sky Tower went green. This year will see some 670 sites in 66 countries participating in the campaign, making it the most ambitious year for the project so far, the Embassy of Ireland in Ljubljana said in a press release.

The green lighting, a symbol of hope and connection, will mark Ireland's national day in five Slovenian municipalities; Ljubljana, Bled, Dobrova-Polhov Gradec, Škofja Loka and Rogaška Slatina.

In Ljubljana, the Butcher's Bridge, otherwise famous for its numerous love locks, will light up in green.

Bled Castle has responded to Tourism Ireland and the embassy's initiative to engage in a global celebration that also serves as an opportunity for tourism promotion, said Matjaž Završnik, the head of Bled Culture, noting that the campaign shared photos of green-lit landmarks and sites worldwide.

Highlighting the importance of Irish tourists, Bled Mayor Janez Fajfar said that the participation would help promote the lakeside resort and attract more guests.

The medieval clifftop castle and the steep rock face on which it is perched will be lit green from dusk to 11pm with special lasers doing the job.

Last year, the castle was lit in a special colour three times to mark the 40th anniversary of the Polish trade union movement Solidarity, the WHO's global initiative to step up the elimination of cervical cancer, and World AIDS Day.

The medieval town of Škofja Loka in the north has been participating in the Irish campaign for a while now, having been encouraged to get involved by its sister town in Ireland Bundoran.

The green lighting is also a result of good cultural cooperation between Škofja Loka and the Irish embassy, the town officials said, noting that this year the campaign's message, bringing hope and inspiring cooperation, was even more key due to the pandemic.