Lost in Plovdiv

Cover photo: Desislava Tsvyatkova

Rich and varied in content. This is how the Municipality defines the Cultural Calendar of Plovdiv for 2023, which was unanimously adopted by the Municipal Council on December 19, 2022.

Along with the well-known and widely visited events such as Kapana Fest, the international cinema-literary festival Cinelibri, Theater in the Park, European Night of Museums, Days of Music, etc., there are also some new proposals that deserve our attention.

They are also an occasion to plan a visit from now on and accordingly purchase tickets and/or book overnight stays under the hills.

New in National and Local Holidays, Celebrations and Anniversaries is the celebration of the 147th anniversary of the April Uprising on April 20. Events are planned at the heroes' monuments in the Central part of the city, in which the Municipality of Plovdiv partners with the Regional History Museum.

Under Festivals, contests, awards, events and campaigns, as well as joint initiatives with the Ministry of Culture, state and international cultural institutes, diplomatic missions, Bulgarian communities abroad there are 3 new events. These are: a concert by a world-famous artist - always a long-awaited surprise for the audience and a new disco festival called Disco Music Fest: Back to the '80s ('90s). They are planned for the period of June - September. In May - August, we expect a Festival of amateur theaters to be held.

Among the significant festivals this year, new ones will be:

• Plovdiv - stars of music concert of Dobrin Petkov National School of Music and Dance on September 1 at the Ancient Theater. It will be used to open the Autumn Art Salon - Plovdiv 2023.
• Milcho Leviev Association for culture and education will present in October at the Boris Hristov House of Culture the project Deviation - film music by Milcho Leviev.
• One Dance Academy - Free lessons in contemporary dance of the One Foundation for Culture and Arts will be held during the period February - June in various public spaces in Plovdiv.
• Ellectrica Events' Lost in Hills will be in June at the city's hills. This will be a two-day festival of electronic music, in which world names in the genre will participate, as well as some of the best Bulgarian artists.
• 60 + is the name of the new project of the National Association for Unity and Partnership, through which there will be creative activities in pensioner clubs and clubs for people with disabilities in various spaces in the regions of Plovdiv from March to November and a final event in Lauta Park.
• Pure Plovdiv of the Arteast Foundation will enliven the Rowing Base, Youth Center, Bratska mogila with visually immersive installations by the Bulgarian-French artist Hristiyan Bakalov in the period of April - September.
• Mission Culture of the Media with a Human Face Association will broadcast on Plovdiv Trakia TV in February - December a program that will present the cultural life in Plovdiv through its faces. Upcoming meetings with over 30 artists (local and touring) from various fields of art.

One of the largest events - Hills of Rock, which gathered thousands of rock music fans on the Rowing Canal in the city, will be held in the capital this year. For Plovdiv - since the festival is going through the event calendar of the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation - there is still no information about dates and performers, but we expect to learn more by the end of January.

Nevertheless, the cultural and entertainment program in the city under the hills is full of interesting and worthy events, so stay up-to-date with all the latest by following our weekly article What to do in Plovdiv.