The festival opens on the 30th August with a classical concert by the Sofia Soloists in the open air amphitheatre, at the beginning of the old town and on 31st August at 21:00 the Four Pianists presents 4 of Bulgaria's best pianists in Bulgaria, each with their own unique style.
One of the highlights of the program this year is the concert on 2nd September by the legendary Bulgarian rock band P.I.F. in memory of Dimo Stoyanov, the founder and longtime vocalist, who died unexpectedly from Covid at the end of 2020, aged just 45. Guest Soloists at the concert will be Vladi Ampov - Grafa, Vladi Mihailov, Ersin Mustafov and Dicho.
Listed below are just some of the other events accessible to non Bulgarian speakers;
- Open air concerts in the amphitheatre with some of the most popular contemporary artists in Bulgaria, including Poli Genova (1st September 21:00), Stefan Valdobrev and The Usual Suspects (5th September 23:00) and Bulgaria's supergroup The Foundation (6th September 21:00).2nd September
at 19:00 Love Songs with Vasil Petrov ( Bulgaria's answer to Frank Sinatra) accompanied by Angel Zaberski (piano)
4th September
at 19:00 A concert in memory of Bulgarian Opera singer, Kamen Chanev - another talent to have departed in 2020.
And at 21:00 is the Freddy Mercury tribute '30 Years on' Acoustic Queen Project featuring some 20 hits of the band performed by Bulgarian musicians, for the first time.
5th September
At 19:00 in the amphitheatre - Underground Cello Quartet
- Screenings of famous Bulgarian films such as "18% сиво (18% gray)" directed by Viktor Chuchkov, "Като за последно (Like the last time)" by Ivaylo Penchev with the participation of Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Movie fame), Vasil Banov and many other well known actors. Cinema fans will also be able to enjoy the drama " Късата клечка (The Short Stick)" by director Dimitar Petkov with Nikola Stoyanov, Kitodar Todorov, Ruslan Maynov and others, as well as other Bulgarian hit productions. They all start at 22:00 in the 'Summer open air Cinema' towards the end of the old town.
- Photo Exhibition 31st August - 6th September Dimitar Karanikolov (an architect and travel photogapher)