The town events with a long tradition include the
international festival called the European Folk Craft
(EĽRO). The idea of reviving the craft traditions
was realized in 1969, when the town of Kežmarok
commemorated the 700th anniversary of granting
municipal rights. The Old Market (Starý trh) was revived
by the period market stalls and by the clothing of old
craftsmen. However, years of „normalization“ after the
occupation in August 1968 made the continuation of
this idea impossible. In 1991 after the November
Revolution, a creative group EĽRO from Bratislava came
to Kežmarok and offered the town an already developed
project of presentation of various craftsmen. The proposal
was implemented. Regularly, every year in the 2nd week
of July for 3 days the town comes alive with traditional
crafts, folklore, culinary specialities and a rich cultural
program. In 2018, the 28th year of the EĽRO festival was
held and approximately 60,000 visitors attended it.