The Festival is the live poker series that decided to be different. The event strives to appeal to all poker players, no matter one’s preferred game and/or buy-in. It’s safe to say that they have succeeded in this mission; the schedule of a The Festival event can always be expected to include various poker game disciplines, such as Texas NLH, PLO, Crazy Pineapple, H.O.R.S.E, 8-Game, and much, much more.
The schedule was recently released for the last stop of the year, the 2025 Festival Bratislava. It’ll be a great week in the Slovakian capital with over 40 tournaments, with the €550 Main Event that comes with a €500,000 guarantee and the €250 The Hendon Mob Championship highlighting the schedule.
Qualify Online Through ChampionPoker
The founder of The Festival, Martin “Franke” von Zweigbergk, deserves all the praise that he has received throughout the years. It’s very evident he created The Festival with the players’ preferences in focus, and that he wants to make the event a joyful experience, even extended outside of the poker room. The last stop in Rozvadov was a great example of this, as players not only could participate in all different kinds of poker tournaments, but also various games such as beer pong, football, and much more.
The one who wants to participate in The Festival Bratislava – or any other The Festival stop, for that matter – can qualify online through ChampionPoker. €5 satellites are running daily at 9:00 p.m. CET, and the winners receive a €50 ticket to the final. The final is played every Wednesday at 7:30, and the final guarantees a €1,600 package, including a €550 Main Event ticket, six hotel nights with breakfast, and much more.
A Schedule for the Ages
Now, the schedule is out for the final event of the year. The 2025 Festival Bratislava will be played at Banco Casino Bratislava between November 18 and 24. This is familiar ground for the event; the first-ever Festival was held at Banco Casino back in 2021, and since then, it’s only grown bigger and better. Nowadays, Banco Casino Bratislava focuses solely on poker, something that guarantees the experience around the tables will be elevated even further.
Even though The Festival is big on the Mixed Games – something that is very appreciated by all visitors throughout the years – the €550 Main Event with €500,000 GTD is a pure Texas NLH tournament. The event offers seven starting-day flights, before the survivors move on to Day 2. The tournament will conclude on the last day of the event, i.e., November 24. During the last stop in Rozvadov, the Main Event attracted 1,053 entries, and Czech Ondřej Már took home the €91,001 first-place prize. Most certainly, similar numbers are to be expected in Bratislava.
Another highlight is the €250 The Hendon Mob Championship. The collaboration between The Festival and “THM” is a great one. They wrote history during the Rozvadov stop, as they guaranteed €300,000 for a €150 buy-in tournament. The massive guarantee was achieved, and it became the largest-ever The Hendon Mob event. The Hendon Mob Championship is a very sought-after tournament for players all over the world, as everyone who reaches the money gets a unique flag on their profile on The Hendon Mob.
When browsing the full tournament schedule, the €125 Chicago European Championship sounds very intriguing. This is a two-day event with no fewer than eight starting-day flights. Perhaps not all poker players are familiar with the Chicago principle. In this game, the goal is to win points instead of chips. It’s a very fun and creative game with a long tradition, and most likely, this will be one of, if not the biggest, Chicago tournaments ever played on European soil.
The tournament schedule for the 2025 Festival Bratislava is too vast to highlight all the sublime events that are in it. H.O.R.S.E, Mystery Bounty, PLO, Open-face Chinese… there’s something for everyone, and it’s hard not to get a feel of excitement when glancing at the schedule.
The 2025 Festival Bratislava – Tournament Schedule
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| November 18 | 11:00 a.m. | €125 Chicago European Championship Day 1a |
| 1:00 p.m. | €250 Hendon Mob Championship Day 1a | |
| 1:30 p.m. | €550 Mixed Games Main Event T.O.R.S.E.S Day 1a | |
| 6:00 p.m. | €60 Super Satellite to Main Event (Ten €550 Tickets Guaranteed) | |
| 7:00 p.m. | €250 NLH Seniors Event (50+) | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Cash Game Challenge €2/2 NLH (€200 Minimum Buy-in) | |
| 8:00 p.m. | €110 PL RAZZ PKO | |
| 9:00 p.m. | €110 NLH Tuesday Knockout | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Cash Game Challenge €2/2 PLO4 (€200 Minimum Buy-in) | |
| 11:00 p.m. | €125 Chicago European Championship Day 1b | |
| November 19 | 11:00 a.m. | €125 Chicago European Championship Day 1c |
| 12:00 p.m. | €550 Main Event Day 1a (€500,000 GTD) | |
| 1:00 p.m. | €250 Hendon Mob Championship Day 1b | |
| 1:00 p.m. | €250 NLH Heads-Up | |
| 1:30 p.m. | €550 Mixed Games Main Event T.O.R.S.E.S Day 1b | |
| 7:00 p.m. | €125 Half ’n Half (NLH/PLO) | |
| 7:30 p.m. | €60 Super Satellite to Main Event (Ten €550 Tickets Guaranteed) | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Cash Game Challenge €2/2 NLH (€200 Minimum Buy-in) | |
| 8:00 p.m. | €115 H.O.R.S.E. | |
| 10:00 p.m. | €125 NLH Win the Button Late Night Madness | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Cash Game Challenge €2/2 PLO4 (€200 Minimum Buy-in) | |
| 11:00 p.m. | €125 Chicago European Championship Day 1d | |
| November 20 | 11:00 a.m. | €125 Chicago European Championship Day 1e |
| 12:00 p.m. | €550 Main Event Day 1b (€500,000 GTD) | |
| 12:30 p.m. | €250 Open-face Chinese Pineapple | |
| 1:00 p.m. | €250 Hendon Mob Championship Day 1c | |
| 1:30 p.m. | €550 Mixed Games Main Event T.O.R.S.E.S Day 2 (Final Day, Registration Closed) | |
| 2:00 p.m. | €150 Turbo Satellite to PLO High Roller (Two €1,100 Tickets Guaranteed) | |
| 5:00 p.m. | €1,100 PLO High Roller | |
| 7:00 p.m. | €60 Super Satellite to Main Event (Ten €550 Tickets Guaranteed) | |
| 7:00 p.m. | €250 Hendon Mob Championship Day 1d (Turbo) | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Cash Game Challenge €2/2 NLH (€200 Minimum Buy-in) | |
| 8:00 p.m. | €125 Bomb Pot Madness NLH/PLO | |
| 9:00 p.m. | €150 Turbo Satellite to NLH High Roller (Two €1,100 Tickets Guaranteed) | |
| 10:00 p.m. | €110 NLH Progressive K.O. Late Night Madness | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Cash Game Challenge €2/2 PLO4 (€200 Minimum Buy-in) | |
| 11:00 p.m. | €125 Chicago European Championship Day 1f | |
| November 21 | 11:00 a.m. | €125 Chicago European Championship Day 1g |
| 12:00 p.m. | €550 Main Event Day 1c (€500,000 GTD) | |
| 1:00 p.m. | €250 Sviten Special | |
| 2:00 p.m. | €125 NL Crazy Pineapple | |
| 4:00 p.m. | €250 Hendon Mob Championship Day 2 (Final Day, Registration Closed) | |
| 5:00 p.m. | €1,100 NLH High Roller | |
| 6:30 p.m. | €60 Super Satellite to Main Event (Ten €550 Tickets Guaranteed) | |
| 7:00 p.m. | €250 PLO 4/5/6 Cards | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Cash Game Challenge €5/5 NLH (Minimum Buy-in €500) | |
| 8:00 p.m. | €550 Main Event Day 1d (Turbo) (€500,000 GTD) | |
| 9:00 p.m. | €250 Bratislava Deepstack Day 1 | |
| 10:00 p.m. | €125 Friday NLH Turbo Late Night Madness | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Cash Game Challenge €5/5 PLO (Minimum Buy-in €500) | |
| 11:00 p.m. | €125 Chicago European Championship Day 1h | |
| November 22 | 11:00 a.m. | €125 Chicago European Championship Day 2 (Final Day) |
| 12:00 p.m. | €550 Main Event Day 1e (€500,000 GTD) | |
| 12:30 p.m. | €250 8-Game Mix | |
| 4:00 p.m. | €125 The Festival Queens | |
| 5:00 p.m. | €250 PLO Masters | |
| 7:00 p.m. | €125 NLH | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Cash Game Challenge €5/5 NLH (Minimum Buy-in €500) | |
| 8:00 p.m. | €550 Main Event Day 1f (Turbo) (€500,000 GTD) | |
| 9:00 p.m. | €250 Bratislava Deepstack Day 2 (Final Day) | |
| 9:00 p.m. | €125 Pot-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Double Draw | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Cash Game Challenge €5/5 PLO (Minimum Buy-in €500) | |
| 11:00 p.m. | €125 Saturday NLH Turbo Late Night Madness | |
| November 23 | 10:30 a.m. | Flip Finals – Cash Game Challenge & Franke’s Flip Flops |
| 11:00 a.m. | €550 Main Event Day 1g Flip & Go (€500,000 GTD) | |
| 12:00 p.m. | €250 NLH Mystery Bounty | |
| 2:00 p.m. | €550 Main Event Day 2 (Registration Closed) | |
| 3:00 p.m. | €250 PLO Freezeout | |
| 8:00 p.m. | €125 Sunday NLH Turbo | |
| 10:00 p.m. | €110 Sunday PLO5 Turbo Progressive Knockout | |
| November 24 | 12:00 p.m. | €60 Texas Lowroller (€1 600 package ADDED) |
| 12:30 p.m. | €250 Big O | |
| 1:00 p.m. | €550 Main Event Day 3 (Final Day) | |
| 2:00 p.m. | €1,100 OFC Pineapple High Roller | |
| 6:00 p.m. | €10 Staff Tournament Mystery Bounty |
