Every summer since 2008 the town of Burgas has hosted the Spirit of Burgas International Festival. It has significantly grown in popularity, becoming one of the most prominent summer music festivals in Europe. Scores of bands and music performers gather to play on several stages on the Central Beach of Burgas. The festival attracts music fans from all around the world thanks to the variety of music styles it offers: hardcore, rock, ethno music, reggae and ska, punk, jazz and blues, techno, and many more. In 2008 the festival made it to the top 15 festivals in the Best European Festival category of the Yourope Festival Awards. In 2009 it was nominated in the final stage of the top 10 festivals in the Best Overseas Festival category of the UK Festival Awards. Through the years SPIRIT of Burgas brought in Bulgaria: Moby, Faith No More, The Prodigy, Skunk Anansie, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Leftfield, DJ Shadow, Unkle Live, Suicidal Tendencies, Deftones, Asian Dub Foundation, Onyx, Gorillaz Sound System, Skindred, Gotan Project, Clawfinger, The Sisters of Mercy, Kosheen, Bonobo, Alien Industry, The Revenge Project, De Phazz, Dreadzone, Apollo 440, Grandmaster Flash, Andy C and MC GQ, Shy FX, Mark Foggo, Amplifier and many more.

E-mail: info@spiritofburgas.com

Spirit of Burgas MTV Festival

Every 4th year in August, Bulgarians of all over the country gather below the peak of Rozhen for a festival, where singers and instrumentalists sing and play on a several scenes. The tradition of Rozhen Fest dates back to a hundred years ago. At the time, the border between Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire ran through Rozhen Peak, and Bulgarians from neighbouring villages on both sides of the border would gather. After 1912, when the Rhodopes were liberated from Ottoman rule, the fair lost its political importance, but nevertheless remained a symbol of freedom, Bulgarian unity and traditions. Today it has become a nationwide event. In the past the audience has reached 150,000. The Rozhen festival allows artistic expression of numerous known and unknown performers from the Rhodope mountain. The song Izlel e Delyo Haydutin (Delyo the Haidouk Came Out) originates from Rozhen and was performed by Valya Balkanska, to land on the board of the space station Voyager, along with the music of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. Nowadays a symbol of the festival is the distinctive orchestra called Sto Kaba Gaydi (One Hundred Bagpipes), founded in 1961. The bagpipers, who participate in the orchestra, are from various villages in the Rhodope mountain. They gather on the eve of the festival and make a single joint rehearsal.

National Folklore Festival of Rozhen
Photograph by Stoycho Bozukov

International Fair Plovdiv, held in Plovdiv, is Bulgaria's largest and oldest international trade fair. It was established in August 1892 as an industrial and agricultural show. During its first year, the Plovdiv Fair had an exhibition area of 90,000 m², participants from 24 countries and 162,000 visitors during its two and a half months. The modern International Fair Plovdiv is situated in a large-scale exhibition complex of 360,000 m², of which 95,000 m² exhibition area (and 60,000 m² indoor). The fair has 24 multifunctional pavilions and has the largest size in Southeastern Europe. Some 40 shows are held a year, in which 7,000 exhibitors from 58 countries participate.

Mailing Address: International Fair Plovdiv, 37, Tzar Boris III - Obedinitel Blvd. 4003, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
E-mail: fairinfo@fair.bg

Traditionally, styles and groups presenting the diversity of various directions in the genre participate in the program. Unforgettable concerts of great names of the global jazz scene – the saxophonists Scott Hamilton, Candy Dulfer, Igor Butman, Charlez Papazov, Benny Golson, the guitarists Philip Catherine with his band, Steve Hackett with the Hungarian band Jabe and many others, had been conducted. During the years, more than twenty big bands have participated in the festival program. Besides the traditional participants from the Big Band of Bulgarian National Radio under the baton of Yanko Miladinov, who usually open the event, notable guest performers include the big formations of Vili Kazasian, Georgi Borisssov, Angel Zaberski, several orchestras from Germany, including the IKS Big Band. And during the tenth festival edition audiences were able to hear the arguably most unusual orchestra in the history of the festival – the SHAPE International Big Band, which is part of the official orchestra representing NATO. Evening concerts gather thousands of people in the audience in front of the open stage on Nikola Vaptsarov square in the center of Bansko. Jazz sounds during the day in the entire festival week – from various chamber stages, situated in large complexes and restaurants.

International Jazz Festival – Bansko

The International Theater Festival “Varna Summer” is the largest in scale international theater event in Bulgaria. It is conducted every year between 1 and 12 June in Varna within the framework of the art festivals Varna Summer. Its basic goal is to present the basic trends in the Bulgarian and the international stage practice and to create new space for the multicultural dialogue, exchange and market. During the first years of its existence, Varna Summer followed the traditions and the trends in the Bulgarian Theater Practice. In 1997 the festival changed its policy and turned into an international forum. Building of a new program scheme, consisting of 3 modules was started: selected Bulgarian performances, selected foreign performances and a parallel program of multiple diverse events. The festival uses this scheme to the present day, by developing it and enriching it. Selected Bulgarian Performances keep in focus the theater developments on the Bulgarian scene and present the significant and innovative achievements during the current season. The international program presents leading authors and the trends in various types of theater. The parallel program is open for various partnering initiatives, discussions, workshops, theoretical conferences, lectures, book presentations, exhibitions and concerts.

Email: info@theatrefest-varna.org

The first international folklore festival in Veliko Tarnovo was held in 1998. From its inception, the festival was recognized by The International Organizational Council of Folklore and Traditional Arts Festivals (FTAF). The Tarnovo festival is one of 270 folklore festivals recognized by this council world wide. This recognition, coupled with the festival’s faultless organization, attractive program, and exceptionally warm reception has made it a prestigious event, both in Bulgaria and around the world. Every year the organizers invite groups from many different countries to demonstrate their rich folk traditions before appreciative audiences. As of 2010, the festival had hosted 167 groups from outside of Bulgaria, representing more than 85 countries, and 93 Bulgarian singing and dancing troupes. All told, more than 590,000 spectators have enjoyed performances at almost 500 concerts. The festival stage is an open air stage in the Marno Pole (Marno Field) City Park.

E-mail: info@cioff-bulgaria.com

Veliko Tarnovo International Folklore Festival

The International Film Festival “Love is Folly” was established in 1993. It has been conducted every year for seven years. It begins in the last Friday of August. The Varna Festival and Congress Center is its organizer. For years, The International Film Festival “Love is Folly” was the only international film festival conducted in Bulgaria, and later it was the only one containing feature film contest. Nowadays it is the doyenne of the international film festivals in Bulgaria, one of the business cards of Bulgarian culture in global scale. Every year between 50 and 60 feature film titles enter the festival program, which includes a contest, film views of pieces awarded at the most prestigious world festivals, the hottest upcoming hits, individual authors, schools, currents and national cinematographers, retrospectives of the Bulgarian cinema. More than 200 guests join every year. They include the elite of Bulgarian cinema and renowned foreign authors, cinema critics and cinema journalists. Famous film figures such as Jean Roy (head of the critics week of the International Film Festival in Kan), Elem Klimov (Russian director – Go and See, Agony), Andre Kuiterik (Head of the International Love Film Festival in Mons), Bulgarian actors such as Nevena Kokanova (1938 – 2000), Vasil Mihaylov (born 1938), Doroteya Toncheva (born 1946), the directors Angel Valchanov (born 1928), Georgi Dyulgerov (born 1943), Ivan Nichev (born 1940), etc. have been among the heads of the jury during the years.

E-mail: fk@mail.orbitel.bg