The Festival Series Kicks Off 2026 in One Week
The Festival is changing things up in 2026, and they are kicking off 2026 at the same place they closed out 2025, Banco Casino Bratislava. The Festival in Bratislava begins on Monday, February 23, in the heart of Slovakia’s capital city. Fans of The Festival can expect a full series of the usual favourites featuring a jam-packed 55-event schedule.
The Festival in Bratislava runs from February 23 to March 1, beginning with the first The Hendon Mob Championship (THMC) of 2026, which will also be featured during all four Festival Series stops in 2026. Other key events in the Bratislava schedule include the Mixed Games Main Event, No Limit Hold’em Main Event, High Rollers, including a brand new mixed-game high roller, Bountys, Open face Chinese, Sviten, satellites, and cash games.
Martin ‘Franke’ von Zweigbergk and his team have also released the hospitality schedule for Bratislava.
10-Game Mix High Roller
The Festival in Bratislava will debut the newest highroller event added to the tournament schedule. While the other high rollers in The Festival Series schedule stick to one variant (NLHE, PLO or OFC), the newest event will put true mixed games champions to the test with 10 poker variants in rotation.
The Festival is tweaking the mix to get rid of all the Hold’em variants and add more cards to the mix. Unique in this mix is Sviten Special and Pot Limit 2-7 Double Draw.
The 10-game Mix will consist of the following games:
- Fixed Limit 2-7 Triple Draw
- Pot Limit Omaha
- Fixed Limit Stud High-Low 8 or Better
- Fixed Limit Badugi
- Big O (Pot Limit)
- Fixed Limit Stud
- Pot Limit 2-7 Double Draw
- Fixed Limit Omaha High-Low 8 or Better
- Fixed Limit Sviten Special
- Fixed Limit Razz
Exclusive The Festival in Bratislava Hospitality Preview
Online qualifiers who successfully won a full package received an exclusive hospitality special aimed to create new experiences off the felt as you meet new friends, explore new locations, and relax in great atmospheres.
The hospitality schedule is designed to fit around the busy poker schedule, providing events, drinks, food, darts, hockey, parties, Franke’s birthday, and poker! A designated WhatsApp group for the hospitality package holders keeps everybody in the loop.
Hospitality Schedule: Part I
| Date | Time | Event | Meeting Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, Feb 23 | 19:30–20:00 | Welcome Drinks | Casino Bar @ 19:30 |
| Tuesday, Feb 24 | 14:00–16:00 | Lunch at Meštiansky Pivovar | Crowne Plaza Lobby @ 13:45 |
| Wednesday, Feb 25 | 13:00–15:00 | Chicago Tournament | Ashoka @ 12:40 |
Welcome Drinks at the Casino Bar on Monday kick things off, allowing the players to settle in and meet new and old friends. Tuesday is all about good food and great company at Meštiansky Pivovar, paired with the not-so-small detail that it’s Franke’s birthday. Wednesday brings competitive energy with the Chicago Tournament at Ashoka. Check out everything you need to know about Chicago Poker here.
Hospitality Schedule: Part II
| Date | Time | Event | Meeting Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Feb 26 | 14:00–16:00 | Darts Afternoon | Crowne Plaza Lobby @ 13:40 |
| Friday, Feb 27 | 17:00–20:00 | Ice Hockey Experience | Crowne Plaza Lobby @ 17:00 |
| Saturday, Feb 28 | TBC | Player Party | Lobby / GREAT Nightclub |
| Sunday, Mar 1 | 12:00–13:00 | Guided Tour | Crowne Plaza Lobby @ 12:00 |
Thursday features an afternoon playing darts, with a hockey game in the spotlight on Friday evening. Saturday is reserved for the Player Party. On Sunday, things wind down with a Guided City Tour to explore the beautiful city of Bratislava.
