A bagpipe playing contest draws thousands to Bulgaria's village of Gela

Bagpipe playing and the Ilinden Fair Assembly are held in the village of Gela in the heart of the Rhodope Mountain. In the 20th edition of the competition, kaba gaida performers from different folklore regions of the country are taking part.

The program of the fair will continue until August 6 with a meeting of the clans.

Lively traditional folk dances, songs and bagpipe melodies resound in the Rhodope Mountains on the two days of the traditional fair which every year attracts thousands of people from the country and abroad, who come to enjoy the performances of the bagpipe players and the wonderful views from the Gela meadows of the Rhodope Mountains.