The October issue of LIK magazine is devoted to 100 years since the first Varna Summer International Music Festival. BTA presented it today at its National Press Club in Varna.
BTA press clubs in Burgas, Pleven, Troyan, Ruse, Lovech and Petrich, among others, joined by video link. Guests also took part from abroad.
Present in Varna were BTA deputy director general Evgenia Drumeva and LIK editor-in-chief Assoc. Prof. Georgi Lozanov. Also there were managing editor Yanitsa Hristova, Varna deputy mayor Sofia Koleva, Varna Summer artistic director Prof. Mario Hosen and Igor Lazarenko, director of the Regional Museum of History in Varna.
LIK is BTA's magazine on literature, art and culture. Its October issue is titled "100 Years of Varna Summer on the Music Stage". The other main theme is the 120th anniversary of the Regional Museum of History in Varna.
Assoc. Prof. Georgi Lozanov said Varna has always been a festival city, and Varna Summer has long shaped Bulgarian cultural identity at national level. Such events build their own audience, he said, because classical music takes some education to reach its depth. Festivals build hierarchies of values and help audiences form their own standards.
For Sofia Koleva, the festival is the heart of cultural life in Varna. It has historic value and shapes the look of the city today, she said. The deputy mayor said art makes people better and pushes them to seek higher goals, and the festival offers that through its performers.
Yanitsa Hristova said the festival makes Varna more than a resort and gives visitors an experience for the senses. She added that the October issue is especially festive because it brings together the anniversaries of two pillars of the city's cultural life.
Prof. Mario Hosen reminded the audience that for the past 500 years the classical tradition has been the foundation of European civilisation. In his view, the festival's most important message is to link this tradition with young people, whom everyone has a duty to bring into the world's cultural heritage. "They are our message to the future, the people who will shape the face of the Bulgarian nation in the coming decades," Hosen said.
The Regional Museum of History began as a small exhibition in the attic of the Girls' High School and is still in the same building today. Museum director Igor Lazarenko said the building lets the museum show its rich heritage. The exhibitions span the period from the Mesolithic to the 19th century. The museum is open in all four seasons, but most tourists come in summer, from every continent.
Evgenia Drumeva presented the #CelebrateBulgaria section, which BTA showed at the same event. It is for people who want to visit festivals and holidays as tourists, or to watch music and dance performances. It has a map of events by region and municipality, and the texts, photos and videos are in Bulgarian and English. Drumeva said the section will help people choose where to go on a free weekend, based on their interests.
Maria Valcheva, director of the municipal enterprise "Summer Theatre, Festivals and Concerts" in Burgas, said the council's cultural policy has three directions: diversity, sustainability and renewal. The aim is not more events, but a lasting cultural calendar for a varied audience all year round. In summer 2026, Burgas held more than 10 festivals, dozens of exhibitions and film forums. The council supports a large share of the events with money, organisation or logistics.
Vasil Dimitrov, chair of the Bulgarian Festival Association, said many new festivals have appeared in Bulgaria over the past 15–20 years. In his view, they have great potential, but they need adequate and proportionate funding and more predictable support from the state. The association represents arts festivals in music, film, theatre and dance and backs those that contribute to the development of culture.
Troyan mayor Donka Mihaylova joined online on Petkovden, the town's holiday, together with deputy mayor Veronika Todorova. Festivals in the Troyan area combine local traditions with new initiatives and bring economic benefits to business, Mihaylova said. The council supports them with organisation, logistics and money, and this year's cultural calendar has 30% more projects up for funding than last year's.
Maestro Dimitar Kosev is chief conductor of the Ruse Opera and recently became artistic director of the "March Music Days" international festival. In his view, Ruse's two festivals are different but complement each other. "Stage Under the Stars" makes culture more accessible and visible in the city, while "March Music Days" establishes Ruse as an international centre of classical music.
Joining from Pleven were Aneliya Decheva, head of the "Culture and Tourism" department at the council, and Katya Bozhikova, secretary of the LIK chitalishte (community cultural centre).
BTA correspondents abroad brought in guests from Odesa and Taraclia. Nadezhda Cherneva, director and artistic head of the O. Salik Odesa City Musical Theatre, said Bulgarian culture has a wide presence in Odesa. The city holds concerts, festivals and celebrations for the Day of Bulgarian Education and Slavic Literature, the Day of the Bessarabian Bulgarians and City Day. The Bulgarian Culture Festival is part of the citywide "Multicultural Weeks" project.
Anna Voytovich, director of the Children's Creativity Centre in Taraclia district, told BTA that taking part in festivals in Bulgaria is a new step in the children's creative development. "There they feel part of the centuries-old Bulgarian history and culture," she added. The centre turns 80 this year, and 350 children there study vocals, choreography, theatre and decorative arts, design and computer technology.
Dimitar Cholev, director of the "Education and Culture" directorate at Petrich council, explained that festivals there preserve traditions, promote local heritage and draw visitors. On 18 October, the village of General Todorov will host the fifth edition of the festival "Once Upon a Time... When Bread Had a Soul", which brings together participants from across the country. About 45 chitalishta and institutions have signed up, and more than 500 participants are expected.
The new issue of LIK was also presented at BTA's National Press Club in Burgas. The director of the municipal enterprise "Summer Theatre, Festivals and Concerts", Maria Valcheva, said in October that Burgas council is developing the city's festival life so that Burgas becomes a place for festivals all year round.
The third National Choir Festival "Panayot and Lyubomir Pipkov" will take place in Lovech from 23 to 25 October. The main organiser is the "Klyuch" association. Its chair Dimitrina Drenska said such events aim to promote Bulgarian song and preserve what is Bulgarian.