With these summer temperatures in April, we all seem to have holidays on our minds, so the team of the only bilingual digital guide has selected for you some of the most exciting events this year:
Hills of Rock
The eagerly awaited biggest Bulgarian rock and metal music festival HILLS OF ROCK returns with a bang on July 25, 26 and 27, 2024, and the headliner that will set the stage on fire on the first day of the festival is the iconic band KoЯn. Spiritbox and Loathe will perform before them on the main stage of the Rowing Channel.
On July 26, 2024, Bring Me The Horizon are coming to Bulgaria for the first time as headliners on Day 2 of our largest rock and metal music festival HILLS OF ROCK in Plovdiv. With a Grammy nomination and a recently won BRIT Award for Best Alternative/Rock Act, with over 5 million albums sold globally, an army of fans, sold-out tours all over the world, multi-platinum Bring Me The Horizon are coming to Bulgaria when they're at their peak of fame.
PAIN are undoubtedly the unexpected surprise, part of the program on July 27, Day 3 of HILLS OF ROCK 2024. Much more than an industrial and death metal icon, the Swedish artist and producer, frontman of the cult Hypocrisy, one of the undisputed leaders of the Scandinavian metal scene, Peter Tägtgren or simply - Pesho, is a name known and loved by hundreds of Bulgarian fans of the heavy sound. In May, PAIN will release "I Am", a new album after an eight-year hiatus, which makes their inclusion in the festival even more exciting.
In addition to the main stage, HILLS OF ROCK 2024 Plovdiv will have two more stages - the partner "Na Tamno" and "Stroeja", which are already arranging an attractive line-up.
OPERA OPEN 2024
The OPERA OPEN platform at the Ancient Theater is an established cultural brand at the international and national level and one of the most recognizable European open-air opera forums. In the season in which Opera Plovdiv celebrates its 70th anniversary, the highlight will be premiere performances and concerts with a strong international presence of artists: directors, artists, video artists, stage designers, conductors, opera singers and ballet dancers. The most star-studded opening of OPERA OPEN to date will be a gala with the star soprano – Aida Garifullina. The bright name in ballet direction - Valentina Turku, will stage Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev together with her production team from the Maribor Slovenian National Theater. One of the most watched opera titles Carmen by Bizet returns to OPERA OPEN with an open stage premiere by director Ursula Horner. Other current soloists from international opera festivals have been invited for the performance - Carlos Cardoso, Italy, and Daniel Miroslav, Poland.
Francofolies de Bulgarie International Festival
In 2024, the organizers have planned for the festival to take place within two days, 21-22.06 at the Botev stadium. The creative concept follows the slogan of the European Capital of Culture - "Together", as representatives of different cultures, types of arts, ages and interests will meet there. The program also includes creative meetings and performances of young artists from Plovdiv and the country. Talented artists, craftsmen, etc. from Plovdiv, as well as young people and children from the Plovdiv art schools will also be invited to the event. Creative workshops will be organized for the little ones. The main part of the event is the one-of-a-kind educational module, in which outstanding children from all French high schools throughout the country will participate and debate on different topics in French over three days.
Station Street Festival
The second edition of Station Street Festival will preserve and build on what was achieved in the first edition, bringing new dimensions to the cultural space of Plovdiv. In addition to the already successful events, the festival will add an art module by making an open invitation to artists in Plovdiv to present light installations, applied art, digital arts, education, innovation and other forms of art. The goal of distinguishing the emblematic Ivan Vazov Street in Plovdiv as a stage for art and culture will be respected. The festival will transform this location into a hub of creativity and inspiration. With the participation of new artists and a variety of events, the second edition of Station Street will strengthen its influence both nationally and internationally, continuing to present Bulgarian culture to the world audience.
Shake That Hill 2024
Shake That Hill will continue the tradition of its previous editions through a program including genres such as: music, dance, applied arts, creativity, street art, bringing together new participants and partner collaborations. Highlights for 2024 will be: increasing the intensity of the cultural content, expanding the scale, setting up pop-up scenes, expanding the network of participants from the country and upgrading the handmade format.
Plovdiv House Festival
Plovdiv House Festival is a one-day music festival that will be held on June 22, 2024 on Bunardzhika hill, the symbolic highest place in Plovdiv. Their mission is to enrich the cultural life of the city by promoting the development and recognition of electronic music as a sophisticated art. The main goals of the festival include: popularizing house music among the residents and guests of Plovdiv, attracting and encouraging the young audience and young talents, presenting international trends in house music and positioning Plovdiv as a key center for electronic music in Europe.
ANIME & GAMING FESTIVAL 2024
The planned areas and attractions during the festival will include: 1. A stage with a program during the two days of the event - lectures, demonstrations, meetings with guests and celebrities, screenings of Japanese animation. The biggest attractions of the event will also be held there - a cosplay contest with prizes and a K-pop show. 2. Gaming area with venues for tournaments and free play, as well as everyone's favorite Retro Gaming. 3. Traditional Japanese area, featuring exhibitions and workshops of various Japanese contemporary and traditional arts. Kimono dressing area. 4. Photo area with a professional photographer 5. Merch area with stalls of Japan-related goods, Japanese comic drawing demonstrations, theme and information areas. 6. Comic reading room. 7. An area to meet with guests at the event.
MAINA TOWN WEEKEND
The second edition of Maina Town Weekend is a continuation of the columns created in Maina Town magazine, which tell about local artists, writers, musicians and entrepreneurs. With it, the organizers aim to turn these sections into platforms, enabling a real meeting between guest and audience in the form of public events.
Maina Town Weekend wants to attract different audiences to the city of Plovdiv by offering them a cultural and educational program filled with entertainment and positive experiences. The events will be held in five different neighborhoods of the city of Plovdiv, and some of the topics are: Maina Art - exhibitions of comic artists, workshops and seminars on the subject of fine art, art installations and outdoor cinema screenings; Maina Vibes - with a focus on musical events including concerts and DJ sets; Green Maina - meetings and workshops with organizations on the topic of ecology and health. The program will also include an exhibition of organic and eco products; Maina Tech - meetings on the topic of entrepreneurship and technology involving schools, universities and companies, which will talk about opportunities for professional development, new trends and expectations for the working environment; Maina Sport - competitions for young and old and the whole family.
Plovdiv Jazz Fest
In the summer of 2024, two summer concerts are planned: Avishai Cohen and Beloslava on August 8 and 9, respectively. Avishai Cohen's concert will be with his trio. He is among the most influential jazz musicians in the world. His musical concept is related to the eclecticism of styles. He was born in Israel and graduated from the Music Academy in Jerusalem. Still very young, he left for New York, where his talent was noticed by Chick Corea. Thus, he became part of the infamous Chick Corea's New Trio, where he remained playing for 6 years. During this period, he developed his musicianship to become one of the iconic jazz artists of fusion/world jazz.
The second concert will be of the jazz lady Beloslava with the trio of Zhivko Petrov and DJ Mr. Moon. This will continue the theme "Women in Jazz" from 2022 with the hope of overcoming the clichés in thinking that jazz is a male territory. This statement has become outdated, and therefore Beloslava's concert will be the return of a woman to the stage with a new musical concept, which will be presented for the first time in Plovdiv. The two concerts will be held in two consecutive evenings, as, in addition to the presentation of new and highly artistic music, a forum will be given to articulate the program of the upcoming tenth anniversary edition of Plovdiv Jazz Fest, which will be held in the fall between November 1 and 3 in Boris Hristov House of Culture.
One Dance Festival - international contemporary dance and performance festival 2024
The 2024 edition plans to present 5 of our co-productions from Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal. The selected Bulgarian artists are Yanitsa Atanasova and TREVOGA Collective, with the Bulgarian participation of Neda Ruzheva. 2 performances produced within the framework of Big Pulse Dance Alliance - by Euripides Laskaridis (Greece) and by PocketArt (Czech Republic) will also be presented. A highlight of the festival's opening weekend is FOCUS FRANCE featuring four French companies. The program will also feature performances from Finland and Spain. The official dates of the event are May 10 - June 2.
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