Festivals and cultural events Bulgaria

The Nestinarstvo rite, one of the oldest Bulgarian festivals, is one of the oldest festivals in Bulgaria, where the nestinars traditionally dance in trance, barefoot, on embers to the sound of a bass drum or bagpipes with the icon of St. Constantine in their hands. These ritual dances can be seen in small villages within the Strandja Mountain (or increasingly in tourist resorts). This pagan event marks the arrival of summer and comes from the Dionysian rites practiced by the Thracians in ancient times. Impressive.

It's a bit like the Arles of Bulgaria! 2023 sees the ^25th edition of this festival dedicated to photography. It shows 124 photographs from all over the world, selected from nearly 3,500 works by an international jury. This photo competition is placed under the patronage of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), the Photographic Society of America (PSA), the World Association of Photographers (GPU) and the Photographic Society of Varna.