Veliko Tarnovo hosts international folklore festival

Folk ensembles from more than 10 countries are gathering in Veliko Tarnovo for the 28th International Folklore Festival, which opens today under the motto Vivir Mi Vida. Performers from Guam, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Venezuela, Georgia, Spain, Costa Rica, Panama, Hungary and Bulgaria will take part, along with a group from Azerbaijan's city of Shusha, a twin town of Veliko Tarnovo. 

The festival will open with a parade through the city centre, followed by an official welcome outside the municipal building and a gala concert at the Summer Theatre in Marno Pole Park.

The programme features eight evening concerts in Veliko Tarnovo and ten guest performances in Dobrich, Razgrad, Ruse, Tryavna and Shumen. Side events include the Miss Festival costume show, a meeting between ensemble leaders and the mayor of Veliko Tarnovo, and a prize draw for the audience before the festival closes on July 25.

Participants will have travelled a combined distance of more than 54,000 km to take part in the festival - farther than the Earth's circumference at the equator, organisers note. 

The festival is held under the patronage of Bulgaria's National Commission for UNESCO.

Editor: Diana Tsankova